Higher education empowers effective leadership

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Pandora current song: Kryptonite, by 3 Doors Down

Higher education is the major developer of leaders in today’s society. Legacies are what people strive for acting as change-agents of his/her college campus as well as later in life. Social change will not happen without people striving to make a difference. One person can shock the status quo, but a group can blast through barriers while cultivating a quality environment and encouraging each other. Leadership is rooted in virtually any individual. It may take encouragement or opportunity, but I promise the “leader” bud is waiting to bloom if you let it. Leadership holds the key to transforming any project, student, campus, and community, and ultimately the world.

Effective leadership is an essential ingredient of positive social change. But what is the extent of effective leadership? Effective leadership can be defined as leadership that effects change. Duh, right? Some changes are for the better and some are not. People could argue that Hitler was a great leader as he rose to the top and got Germany to rally with him and his beliefs and they followed. After he knew he had control, he used it for destruction and we all know where that led. He caused change in thought and actions. An effective leader is one who people trust, hopefully for the betterment of the whole, who set goals and utilizes the group to achieve them.

Higher education as the sole basis for molding leaders is not the key to all leaders. A leader does not have to go to college to become someone people look up to. For example, Bill Gates is an amazing leader who formed Microsoft. He dropped out of college! I agree that going to college gives many students the opportunity to shape themselves into better leaders, but it is not the only way. “There are opportunities to make a difference that are within the reach of everyone,” but people just have to look in the right places.

A big concern the older generation voices is who will lead us in the future? President Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of W.K. Kellogg Foundation, suggests, “We will be led by those we have taught, and they will lead us as we have shown them they should.” This comment bothers me. If we are to do what people tell us, where is there room for change and new ideas? I think the older generation wants to believe they are the teachers of tomorrow’s leaders, but there are many ways people are molded into leaders, and teachers or professors, in my opinion, are not the key constructers of leaders.

“Too often, students assume that only those who hold titles or are high achievers can be leaders.” I wish more people understood how wrong that is. There are countless amounts of leaders in every group, club, organization, and class who do not have specific titles and are still leaders. A leader can be someone that people look up to and follow based on their values and ethics. Take myself as an example. I was the only person my freshman year that did not drink and I kept my promise that I would not. As the years went by, more and more people respected that decision and more people followed my footsteps. I did not tell our members not to drink. They just watched how I interacted with people being completely sober and they followed.

A leader is a person who actively engages in making a hopefully positive difference in today’s society. Leadership development challenges students to empower themselves to develop special talents and attitudes that will enable them to become effective social change agents. Crucial elements to good effective leadership are self-understanding, listening skills, empathy, HONESTY, integrity, and the ability to work collaboratively.

Purposes of leadership encompass many values. A supportive environment, promotion of harmony, and the creation of communities of reciprocal care and shared responsibility are just a few examples. Most leadership opportunities are value-based which underlie the leadership process. Without values or a purpose, no good, quality change can occur. The purpose addresses the fundamental goal of the group effort. Values are the basis for the ultimate goal. Each play a hand in the overall aspect of leadership.

Producing more effective leaders is essential to building a better society and world. This means that leadership development should be a critical part of the college experience. “Leadership development is important and useful because it can enrich the undergraduate experience, empower students, and give them a greater sense of control over their lives.” Leadership development can happen at any given time in a person’s life, not just during undergraduate years. Many students, when not in school or studying, are involved in clubs and sporting events, but do not realize how much leadership development occurs in such places. It is when students see themselves as both leaders and teachers; they take more responsibility for their own learning and help create more favorable learning environments for each other. I had a student tell me she hadn’t realized how much her RA position had matured her until she went back to a former employer who was in awe at how much she had grown up in only a few months.

My undergraduate years taught me more about good and bad leadership than I would have thought, but through it all I developed an understanding for many kinds of situations. Reflecting what happens is the best way to understand what is going on and how it could go differently next time. As I look back over the past years, I have grown up tremendously, which has led me to the position I am in right out of college. I would not be where I am today without the good, the bad and the ugly.

What kind of situations have you been in where leadership came into play? Was it effective, or did it fall apart? Next time you run into a difficult decision, will you decide based on your values or what’s easier?

Make the decision to live boldly challenging status quo.

Pandora current song: Love Remains the Same, by Gavin Rossdale

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