Why Run for a Leadership Position?

By Leslie Weidner and Emily Haymond, GSDA Nominating Committee Chairs

There are numerous benefits to running for a leadership position, whether it’s in your place of business, professional organization,or community. It allows you to give back in a variety of ways and learn new skills in the process. Being a leader gives you an opportunity to share your knowledge in a specific area of expertise and learn from others through collaboration. Here are some of the reasons we think you should consider running or applying for a position on the GSDA board:

• Personal & Professional Growth – By holding a leadership position, you benefit others by contributing your creative thinking and individual perspective to the team. At the same time, you’re also investing in yourself. By interacting with different types of people in various situations, you can learn a lot about yourself while improving your ability to collaborate with your team members, a skill that is valuable and transferrable to other professional settings. Being able to resolve conflict peacefully and professionally will serve you well in your career and in life. You also get the opportunity to develop new leadership skills and improve upon current ones such as active listening, motivation, strategic thinking, delegating and mentoring, to name a few.

• Networking Opportunities – Serving on a leadership team is a great way to network with others in your profession.  Networking can open up so many opportunities that may not have been on your radar before. It can lead to big and exciting career decisions and stronger relationships with your peers. Networking also provides a great support system, which may feel especially important these days.  

• Impact – Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of serving in a leadership position is your ability to make a larger impact on the organization or community. By working as a team and collaborating with others, you can accomplish so much more compared to working on your own. You can reach more people in your organization or within your community and bring about more change in the process.  Becoming a leader is also a great way to bring positive change to your community. As dietitians, we have the knowledge and experience to not only educate others on healthy practices, but to equip other leaders in the community to make important decisions around health and wellness. 

• Build Your Resume – Pursuing a leadership position is a great way to build your resume. Not only does it add to your level of experience, but it allows you to expand on some of your skills or showcase ones that you didn’t have previously. Displaying leadership qualities on your resume makes you stand out to an employer and can help you land that important interview.

• Continuing Education – In the healthcare field, specifically the nutrition and dietetics profession, continuing education is a MUST. Sometimes it’s difficult to find opportunities that are aligned with your goals and current practice area. Being a leader for an organization like GSDA allows you to contribute ideas and feedback to the team and influence the types of continuing education events that are offered by the organization. Plus it’s much more fun helping to plan live group events for members to enjoy than it is sitting behind a desk watching a bunch of recorded webinars! 

Running for a leadership position is a great experience all around. If you’re just starting your career as an RD, being on a leadership team can open up so many opportunities to help shape the future of the profession and can help build your confidence as a leader. If you’re a practicing RD, participating in a board can help bring variety and depth to your experiences as a dietitian and leader by helping bring up a new generation of RDs through mentorship opportunities, continue to enhance and diversify your leadership skills, and influence change to benefit not only our RD community but the larger Seattle community.