Fluegge-Woolf says self-awareness is key to leadership

Dr. Erin Fluegge-Woolf serves her university, her city and her state.

Fluegge-Woolf not only is a professor of management at Southeast Missouri State University and an active member within the Cape Girardeau community, but she was crowned Mrs. Missouri in 2014.

Fluegge-Woolf tries to practice what she preaches across all her roles. She tells her students part of being a leader is stepping outside one's comfort zone. In her leadership-focused courses, she assigns those exercises, but not before she's stepped out of her comfort zone first.

How did you get started as a professor at Southeast Missouri State University?

Well, it's exciting for me because I used to be a student here. I did my undergrad and my MBA here at Southeast. My husband and I just decided we want to move to Florida for a while, and I went and did my Ph.D. there. Somewhere along the way, it was probably in my MBA program, I fell in love with teaching. What's funny to me, knowing what I know now as an educator ... I look back, I gave baton lessons when I was a little girl, I was the feature twirler here, I tutored people in high school, I did all of this.

But teaching never jumped out to me until I taught my first algebra class here in the math department at Southeast, and I just fell in love with it. So the cool thing was, I'm doing my Ph.D. at the University of Florida, and a position opened up back here at Southeast, and I applied for it and interviewed, got the job, finished my dissertation and moved back.

So that's kind of my story of how I got back here, but what I think is really exciting for me is that when I look at my students, I'm teaching classes that I used to take. So MG301, I remember it from a million years ago, so that's just a fun piece for me to know.

Also, a lot of my colleagues, I used to have their classes. So my role as an educator here, it's exciting for me because I used to be on the other side of it. I've worked in a lot of different capacities -- at the university, as a graduate student, as a GA [graduate assistant] different places, so I'm excited because it feels really like I've had a well-rounded experience and background. ... So my role now is I love, love, love to connect people, and because I am from here and I'm really active in the community, it's exciting for me to now take my students and connect them and see where they end up getting to be.

You even teach a class titled Leadership in Management?

I actually teach two classes -- I teach one at the undergraduate level and then one at the graduate level. So one's Organizational Leadership; that's the graduate level, and then Leadership in Management.

I first started teaching that class like in 2008. It was face-to-face, always highly interactive; if you talk to any of my students, they know that we do a lot of activities and things like that. What's fun is that they decided to put that class online one summer. People said, "Oh, you can't teach leadership online. You can't do that," and if you read through the comments of the students who take my class, I feel so honored when they share their feedback with me that even though it's an online class, they still feel the material comes to life with them. I have them do experiential exercises, things like that, and it's really this notion of finding out who you are, who are you as a leader.

It's so cool to me when students say things like: "Because of this class, I realize that I'm already a leader." Because we think a lot of times about leadership in business, in titles and things like that, but you know what, a lot of these people, they're leaders in their families, they're leaders in their friend groups, they're leaders all over the place. It's exciting for me to see them realize: "OK, well, here's where I'm going, and I've never thought about this before." I do that at the graduate level, too. I actually teach that class online as well. Just getting to hear people's reflections on what they're learning and things about leadership they've never thought of or tried something new, that's probably when I feel the happiest in my job.

You also had a hand in the "Institute for Creativity and Innovation" project?

Yes. A couple years ago I had a fellowship through the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and I did a Creativity Festival a few years ago, and we had a blast. I think it was 2013. ... We did everything from a kickoff party, Missouri's first-ever HootUp, Creativity in Action Sessions, and it was all about this notion of trying something new.

People will tell you if you sit in my classes that I'm this person -- that I'm going to force you to do new stuff. Because it feels good, and it might be painful at first, but you're going to grow and learn more about yourself in the process. And I learned a lot about event planning from that [Creativity Festival]. I'm constantly taking my own advice; if I'm going to tell you to push outside your comfort zone, I'm going to be doing the same thing, so just trying new adventures. ... I don't teach in the entrepreneurship program anymore, but we talked in my creativity class of just that growing pain of when you do try something new, it's scary, but it's making new pathways in your brain. Like we talk about neurobics and drive a different way home from school, brush your teeth with your nondominant hand; it's little stuff like that, just live your life a little different.

How do you perceive your role as Mrs. Missouri?

My role as Mrs. Missouri, the experience has just been life-changing; it really has.

I'm a seeker; I've always known I'm going to meet people and just be connected and network with people because it's what I love to do. But this has opened so many doors for me. I'd never done a pageant before; that was my very first pageant ever, and I won. The people who I've met along the way, everybody from the other contestants to when I went and competed for Mrs. America, and all of these amazing, amazing women that I've met along the way have just really empowered me, which is exciting because my platform as Mrs. Missouri is women's empowerment. It's not just for women, it's men too -- of appreciating women, of really just being the best that you can be.

Your positions as an educator and Mrs. Missouri hold different demands in their work. How do you juggle the two?

I have a very, very, very good support network. My friends and family are wonderful people, and they get it. My husband and my dog are my people. ... I would say having their support means the world to me, and having my Mr. Missouri be there for me and with me; that's how I do it. The nice thing is, I inherited this from my mom and dad; I don't require a lot of sleep, and I like to stay busy, so that all works. I have really good people that I work for. I have very good mentors, and I really try to practice what I preach. I run a lot, so that's a thing for me. I also do a lot of yoga, and that mindfulness piece of leadership is very important to me.

To you, what qualities constitute an effective leader?

This is something I'm always, always considering. You have to know yourself. Being self-aware is key to effective leadership. You have to be willing to push yourself outside your comfort zone, and you have to have, it's that thing that people sort of can't describe what it is. Whether it's charisma or just that desire that people want to follow you. You have to be the person who's going to make it a comfortable environment or not be afraid to say what everybody else is thinking or taking a risk and putting yourself out there. You need to put yourself out there.

So those would be the qualities, but I also think you have to be humble, and you have to realize, OK, yes, this whole notion of do what you say you will do, is a huge piece to me of good, effective leadership, but you also have to be willing to understand that things change and you've got to be open to new experiences and embrace other people's point of view. And do your research; that's always something that I tell my students, and they go bonkers when I say it, but they know you want to do your research and make sure that you're in the know wherever you go.