Thursday, November 8, 2007

Hot off the Prez: Learning to be a good leader

By John Freeman
Student Senate President

As a senior, I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in a variety of clubs and organizations here on campus. Through these experiences, I have witnessed several student leaders, each with their own leadership style. Some people have been great leaders, while others, not as great. Personally, I’ve always sort of struggled with determining for myself what it is exactly that makes a really good leader.
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I recently attended a leadership conference that allowed me to listen to some of the top speakers in the nation present on the topic of leadership. At this conference, I began to notice that while each speaker had their own unique way to present their message, all of the speakers were trying to convey a similar message about leadership. I learned that it’s not being organized or timely that makes a good leader. Nor is it being able to juggle twenty things at one time. I learned that a good leader is someone who can maintain a positive attitude. A good leader is someone that other people want to be around because of the positive vibes they give off. Sure, leaders need to be active and be able to get tasks accomplished, but I also learned that those things will automatically begin to happen as a result of having a positive attitude.

Everyone has heard of the ripple effect. A good leader is a person who can set off that ripple simply by leading through their own actions. With that in mind, I believe that everyone has the potential to be a really good leader. I encourage underclassmen that haven’t yet, to step up and fill some leadership positions in the clubs and organizations you are already involved in. For those of you that are already leaders, reflect upon how you are treating other people that you work with. Do you complain about them to others? Are you a Negative Nancy? Just remember that if you want to be viewed as a good and successful leader, start by focusing on your attitude.

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