Class: Professional Development: Leadership Communication for the Future of Work
Name: Lykuoyhay Sout
Date: September 29, 2026

1. My Leadership Context

I am a senior Computer Science student specializing in machine learning and data science. From 2025 to 2026, I worked as a Data Scientist Intern at EKYC Solutions Co., Ltd, where I also led the Data Science team. My role combined technical work (building end-to-end data pipelines for cleaning, analysis, and visualization) with leadership work (allocating tasks, delivering data-driven insights, and reporting to stakeholders). I was also working with LLM and machine learning model training workflows.

As a team lead, I had to communicate in two directions. I translated technical work into clear recommendations for stakeholders, and I turned goals into clear tasks for my teammates.

2. My Current Leadership Style

The course taught me that there is no single way to lead. My style is:

• Strengths:
  • I break complex problems into clear steps, a habit that comes from math and data work.
  • I explain technical ideas in plain language. My work as a math tutor, writing monthly reports for students, has trained me in this.
  • I focus on actionable recommendations instead of only presenting numbers.
• Areas to grow:
  • As a lead, I sometimes feel pressure to solve technical problems myself instead of delegating.
  • I want to be more intentional about giving my teammates space to lead parts of the work.

3. Three Leadership Scenarios Scenario My communication approach Presenting data insights to non-technical stakeholders Start with the conclusion and the recommended action, use simple visuals, and explain technical detail only when asked. Assigning tasks across the data science team Match tasks to each person's strengths, explain why the task matters, agree on deadlines, and check in regularly. A teammate is stuck on a technical problem Listen first, ask guiding questions instead of giving the answer straight away, and offer support without taking over. 4. Preparing for a Transition

Lesson 4, on smooth transitions, was the most relevant to me.

Moving from an intern to a team lead was a transition in itself. I went from being responsible only for my own work to being responsible for the team's results. The course helped me put words to what I needed to do:

1. Be open early. Tell the team what is changing and how work will be organized.
2. Listen first. Ask teammates what they need before deciding.
3. Set clear expectations. Agree on who owns each task and how progress will be shared.
4. Follow up. Check in regularly and adjust based on feedback.

I will also use this approach as I move from my internship into my next role, when I hand over my work and communicate clearly with the people taking over.

5. Valuing Diversity in Leadership

A data science team brings together people with different skills, such as data cleaning, modeling, visualization, and communication. I will value this diversity by:

• Inviting quieter members to share their ideas in meetings.
• Giving different people the chance to present their work.
• Treating different backgrounds and ways of thinking as strengths.

My experience in the Student Council and now as SEIC assistant and Student Council coordinator, running events, workshops, and leadership programs, has shown me how much a team benefits when many voices are heard.

6. My Action Plan Goal Action Timeline Communicate more clearly Write a short agenda and a summary of decisions for every team meeting Starting this week Share leadership Give one teammate ownership of a task or a small presentation This month Lead with authenticity Ask a teammate or supervisor for honest feedback on my leadership Within 2 weeks 7. Final Reflection

This course taught me that good leadership communication comes from heart, honesty, and authenticity, and that my style will keep changing as I grow. Leading the data science team showed me that being a good technical person is not enough. A good leader also needs to communicate clearly, listen well, and help other people succeed. My main takeaway is that a leader's job is to connect people and ideas, which fits my goal of bridging the gap between advanced technology and the people who can benefit from it.