Every Sunday evening, when most students are settled into the library or their dorm rooms finishing homework and catching up after a busy weekend, Tennessee Gamma Kimberly Troutman drives across campus to attend leadership workshops at the chapter house. The only senior to participate in the workshops, usually out of 20 Pi Phi sisters, Kimberly is drawn to the extracurricular activity because of the opportunity for self-growth. Simply put, she wants to be the best version of herself.

The workshops are led by Alumnae Advisory Committee member Laurie Stulberg Macnair, Tennessee Gamma, who has more than 30 years’ experience providing executive leadership development for major institutions in the Nashville area. Laurie volunteers her services to the chapter free of charge because she genuinely cares about building the next generation of leaders. In fact, when the collegians showed up for the very first workshop, the women had to articulate what they were hoping to get out of the experience before any formal training began. Laurie used that information to tailor the program to the collegians’ wants and needs.

Following that kickoff meeting, the women have participated in a variety of activities such as completing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, a questionnaire indicating how people perceive the world and make decisions. The questionnaire provides you with four letters, or characteristics, that are your greatest strengths. “My results showed me a lot about myself and how I prefer to lead,” Kimberly said. “I’m not necessarily the person to literally stand up and lead a group, but instead I’m a servant leader who leads from within the group. It’s good to know that’s my strength and that’s what I should stick to so I’ll be successful in situations.”

The women also separated into small groups based on their Myers-Briggs strengths and were asked to describe a Kit Kat bar. One group described how the candy would taste and feel on their tongues. A second group described how the candy was a rectangle with an orange plastic wrapper. The activity brought to life how many people think differently. “It opened my eyes to how most conflicts with friends or family aren’t because we should actually be fighting, but probably because of a miscommunication or because we approach problems differently,” Kimberly said.

During the week, in between workshops, the women keep a journal to reflect on the tools they’ve learned and to document times they see other leaders in action. The women can then share notes with one another. Kimberly said the journal exercise has helped her identify good leadership characteristics in others, especially to see how they talk or act, and how she can echo that behavior in the future.

While the workshops have been an opportunity for Kimberly to self-reflect, they have also been an opportunity for her to get to know younger chapter members on a more personal level. The younger women have come to trust Kimberly and ask her advice on school matters like professors to Pi Phi happenings like recruitment. “It’s been great to learn more about myself and my sisters, especially how I can help them be leaders in our chapter and on the University of Tennessee campus,” Kimberly said. “I would recommend the workshops to others and remind people that you get what you put into it. So if you want to invest in yourself, then your Pi Phi sisters will definitely invest in you too.”