My Jepson Story: Jessica Bigby, '04

*One of a collection of stories written by alumni for the Jepson School's 20th Anniversary

After graduating from Jepson, I entered the world of consulting for the federal government. This can be a frustrating career path because your job is to provide solutions and recommendations to people who do not necessarily know exactly what they want due to changing priorities and budget constraints. It was in this position that I realized it was my responsibility to demonstrate two types of leadership: servant leadership and transformational leadership. As a consultant, it was my job to listen to the client's needs and provide them with recommendations and solutions that would increase the efficiency of and elevate their organization. I would provide the tools, but the organizational leaders would take action and receive the credit. In this sense, I was a servant leader. However, as I said, I played a dual role, incorporating transformational leadership as well. As I worked to understand the client needs and provide them with solutions to benefit the organization, transformational leadership was at work. The organization went from one where there was an identifiable problem to one where transformation had taken place and the leaders and the employees in the organization excelled because of it.

Three years later, I switched places and became (and remain) a federal government employee. In my current position, I exercise a lot of servant leadership. I am not a supervisor, but I am considered to be a mentor in my organization. In this capacity, I mentor, advise and encourage employees who are not as experienced as I am in my career specialty. It is quite rewarding to be alongside employees and watch them grow in their knowledge and confidence during their career. The concept of servant leadership is able to be used every day.

I am currently in the process of fundraising to honor my best friend, a Jepson minor, the late Mike Clements. I credit Jepson for further instilling the drive, motivation and desire to undertake such an effort.  

--Jessica Bigby