Hello! I am Eleonora Caleffi and I am the leader of group 2「働き方」. As the project “Vitual Study Abroad Exchange” has come to an end, it is time to express my final thoughts on it.

First of all, I am happy to have accepted to participate in this opportunity, because it helped me to improve myself in various aspects and it was a unique experience, which will hardly come back in the future.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, human relationships with my family, friends and university colleagues have declined and there have been several occasions when I have felt lonely and unmotivated. Thanks to this project, I got to know many people, not only in Italy and not only within my university. Every day I had the opportunity to talk and work with new people, even if in online mode. Furthermore, the fact of working in groups has allowed the creation of strong, sincere relationships based on collaboration and mutual trust. I am grateful to my group for working so hard and for creating a familiar and inspiring environment. I have always seen enthusiasm and motivation in their eyes, and they have always been open to confrontation and resolution of problems. Furthermore, the fact that the group was international and made up of people of different nationalities stimulated us even more. The share of ideas has never been banal and obvious. In addition, I have increased my skills in (intercultural) communication.

Another aspect of the project that allowed me to grow a lot was the role of leader. When I found out I was going to be in charge of my group, I was both excited and scared. The figure of leader had always intrigued me, but I had never had the opportunity to get involved in this role and I felt the fear of not succeeding. To be honest, the first week was very tough. I felt a lot of responsibility, I was not fully engaged in the project and was feeling guilty for any mistakes we might have made in the future. After 2 months, I discovered that many aspects belong to the figure of the leader, and I think I have found a winning approach to improve my team.

First, the fundamental qualities of the leader are empathy and emotional intelligence. The leader must be able to put himself in the shoes of his subordinates, to understand their discomforts and problems to help them.

Moreover, he must show genuine interest in the work of others and in the success of the project. Supervising the work, interacting often with other members and carrying out activities together are essential to build a sincere and trusting relationship with the team. The leader must not show himself as an external and assistant figure, but as a member of the group itself, the one who carries out activities like the others and who guides the project, helping others as much as possible. It is therefore important to listen to the other members, encourage them, thank them for their work and emphasize the importance they have in the group. If a member is a little lacking and unmotivated, he must be stimulated by focusing on his strengths and giving him all the tools necessary to get in step with others.

Finally, the leader must be democratic. The leader is not an authoritarian person who makes decisions on his own. If you must make choices, you have to talk about them with the group, give everyone the floor and seek an agreement. The group must be involved in the decisions and must be aware of what is happening in the project. It must be always a two-way communication. The decision-making power of the leader is to decide when no agreement is reached, but always based on what is best for their project and for the group.

Another element that I really appreciated about this project are the opportunities for discussion and the possibility of reflecting on the work done. There were weekly meetings where I was able to meet other leaders of other groups and take stock of the situation. I learned a lot from other leaders, and this motivated me to do better and better. In addition, there were many opportunities to reflect on what we were creating and on the skills we were acquiring with the project. Thanks to this, we have worked responsibly and consciously.

In conclusion, it was a useful and very meaningful experience. I am grateful to have participated in this project and I further thank Professor Mariotti and the Japan Fundation for giving me this opportunity.