Feature Article

Checklist for Leadership
by Kadi Pojeta
MASSP Coordinator of Student Leadership Services, MASC/MAHS

Leadership is a vague term that we throw around each and every day.  We talk about developing school leadership and future leaders and being leaders.  It’s not often that we define what leaders are or what leadership is though.  Are you up for the challenge?  According to some it’s a science…others call it an art.  I call it a lifestyle.  Leadership is not just doing service work.  It’s not just putting on a pep rally.  It’s not just doing a presentation.  Leadership is a way of life that is never ending.  You aren’t just a leader in a classroom or at work – you’re a leader in life.  So what are some elements of this lifestyle? 

When teaching leadership skills, there are just some things that are difficult to teach.  However, these aspects of leadership are just as important if not more important to have than project planning and meeting skills.  As an adviser, it’s important to pass these values on to our student leaders so that they can fully integrate leadership into their lives.  It’s our responsibility to the future leaders of our world that they understand what it truly means to be a leader.

Desire to Learn
As leaders, we must have a desire to learn.  Leadership is gained through our experiences.  We can read all the books we want and attend all the leadership classes around us.  Nothing compares to living through it.  The books and classes will help to prepare us for what lies ahead and will help us better manage obstacles, yet it will not replace pure experiences.  The more opportunities we can provide for student leaders, the stronger they will grow if they are willing to learn from those experiences.  By discussing experiences and debriefing events (positive and negative) we can foster a learning environment that allows student leaders to look inside situations and pull their own lessons from them.

An Open Mind
Impossible as it is to make someone have it, we can encourage it nonetheless – an open mind.  Understanding that our own ideas aren’t always the best, we can provide an example to the young leaders that shows them how to listen and be willing to hear what others have to say.  Everyone has their own idea of what’s wrong and right and although we don’t agree with everyone, it’s up to us to at least understand and respect others.  Often, those outside the situation, those people that we think “wouldn’t understand” can sometimes see things from a different angle – sometimes a better angle.  We often get caught up in habit, tradition, and “this is how we do it” mentalities.  Allowing other voices to be heard and considering options will open us up to fresh ideas and new concepts.

Think Outside the Box
When young elementary students are coloring, they are usually coloring inside the lines.  We are taught from an early age to keep the marks INSIDE the lines.  Then one day, someone flips a switch and says, “Come on, think OUTSIDE the box!”  And in our every day jobs, we’re challenged to think of new ideas and ways of educating.  Maybe we should encourage kids from early on to always color however they dream!  Then when they get to high school, they won’t always think “oh, we can’t do that...that will never happen here…that will happen when pigs fly…”  Maybe they’ll think instead, “I wonder if we could…what would happen if…what if we tried…”  Allow those ideas of grandeur to flow.  Even if it’s not possible right now, thinking outside the box today could spur offshoots of things we can do right now, or it might be the perfect idea for some time down the road.  Settling for status quo and coloring inside the lines never got anybody anywhere.

Ask Questions
If you’re a parent, I’m sure you’ve rolled your eyes a few too many times when that inquisitive child starts asking “why?” in response to every thing that’s said by you, your spouse, or the grocery store clerk!  Often times, we ask questions to learn things about what’s happening around us.  We can also use questions to get others to think and to get input.  Asking people questions is a better tool than telling people demands when you need something done.  You can open up avenues of thought for people to realize what you already know, but allowing them to discover it for themselves instead of being told.  And I never knew someone that was asked for their opinion and didn’t enjoy giving it!  We all love to be heard and feel better about ourselves when someone listens to what we have to say – so give people a chance and ask for their ideas!

Utilize Resources
No matter what we’re going through, chances are someone as been through it before us.  Many times, we have extremely valuable resources at our fingertips and just don’t realize it!  Recognizing who and what is available to you can save you hours of stress.  Be willing to use the people around you that have more knowledge, experience, or other resources.  Asking for help is a tremendous sign of leadership.  Showing that you’re not too prideful or have too much of an ego allows others to feel more comfortable and at ease around you, hence making you a stronger leader.  When someone has all the answers, we feel intimidated by them; someone who doesn’t have the answers all the time is someone we can often relate to and respect more.

Sense of Organization
Organized chaos is okay, as long as you know how it’s all supposed to flow!  A mess is a different story.  The Type A leader in many of us wants all neat lines, a quiet atmosphere, and everyone knowing what’s going on.  Once we let that go, a million pounds of stress will float off our backs!  As long as the process is safe, positive, and you get to where you need to go, allow the minor mishaps to be stepping stones and strength builders.

Follow Through
When someone says they’re going to do something, they should do it.  We expect it of others and they expect it of us.  Making sure what we start gets finished and following up afterwards with people shows that we care about them and what we’re doing for them.

Be Genuine
Being a fake is something people can see.  Being genuine is something people can feel.  When you are honest and sincere with others, you will find that you most often get the same right back at you.  When we truly care about the people and the cause we are working with and for, our genuineness can be felt in all that we do and say.  When we care for others, they care for us.

Have Passion
If you don’t love what you’re doing, why do it?  Those that are involved around us are there for a reason – a driving force within them that seeks out this thing we call leadership…it’s a passion that they might not be able to describe, yet they know they have it and they seek out more.  Have passion in what you do – every day.

These things and so many more make up this wonderful term “leadership”.  Everything we put into it we’ll get out of it if we truly live as a leader.