I currently strive to be a leader at my school in many ways. So far, that has meant getting involved in as many different areas as I can. So far, I have coached three sports, been in charge of a club, and served on several committees, including RtI, PBIS, Scheduling, Technology, and others that have since dissolved (due to completion of task or energy needing to be focused elsewhere).
I feel that if you want to be a leader, others need to see that you can understand them. If people see that you are eager to help in a variety of roles, they are more likely to turn to you for help, or to trust you with an important task. As I mentioned in one of my discussion board posts, I'm not strong in the "Political" area. Instead, I believe if you work hard and do well, others will recognize your efforts and reward you accordingly.
I'm also fond of practice of getting involved and proving your merit method of leadership. I've been victimized by the machinations of the politically greedy and it just creates an unfriendly atmosphere. Nothing is a bigger waste of time on a committee than the member that serves just for the self aggrandizing ego boost. They seldom do any real work and always seem to need to make some vapid final comment just to remind everyone that they are there.
ReplyDeleteVery good point about being trustworthy as part of leading. A very important part of leadership is getting people to follow. I think a lot of people want others to follow but do not take the necessary steps in building trust in and from others. My leadership experience is very similar to yours after reading your post and that is an important lesson anyone wanting to lead should learn.
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