New Year's Resolutions

There are no limits.

Have you ever written New Year's Resolutions? Goal setting is one of the best ways to improve yourself. In order to lead others, you must learn how to lead yourself. (See my post on Self-leadership)

I have a different philosophy on goal setting. It derives from Michael Phelps' book, "No Limits: The Will to Succeed". My philosophy is this: Don't set your goals low enough so you won't be disappointed if you fail, set them high so you can celebrate when you reach them. At my school they taught the the SMART goal setting strategy. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. I disagree with this. I say, dream big. By setting "attainable" and "realistic" goals, you are only cheating yourself of being truly successful. Yeah, they should be specific and measurable and blah, blah, blah. DREAM BIG. Don't settle for the easy goals.

Here is an except from Michael Phelps' book, "No Limits: The Will to Succeed" to inspire you:

"So many people along the way, whatever it is you aspire to do, will tell you it can't be done. But all it takes is imagination. You dream. You plan. You reach. There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits. Perseverance, determination, commitment, and courage- those things are real. The desire for redemption drives you. And the will to succeed- it's everything."

Set some goals for 2013 in order to better yourself at whatever. Whether it is sports, school, or life in general, plan to achieve. Don't set them too low, dream BIG. Have a happy New Year!

Why Do You Want to be a Leader?

This might be a strange question, but it is definitely something to think about. Most of the time, teens want to be leaders to fulfill their purpose in life, become popular, or have control over someone else, but what if that is not what is all about? When people step up to a leadership position for the first time, it takes a lot of responsibility. Yeah, you might get the fame and surely popularity, but the responsibility required to be a positive leader is what gets most people.

Here is a little bit of history. George Washington was the most popular, not to mention powerful, man in America during the late 1700s. He was unanimously elected president and served for two terms. At the end of his second term he declined, which instated the law that no president can serve for more than two terms (8 years). Why wouldn't he want to keep going for a third term? Everyone loved him. He was famous, powerful, and had an important purpose established, but he took the responsibility onto himself to say that any longer is too much. Power-hungry leaders could become corrupt and the nation could turn into a state of confusion.

Think back on why you want to be a leader. If it is for wealth, popularity, or fame, think about the responsibility required. Is it worth it? These reasons lead to corrupt governments. But if you have a passion for the purpose and determination for the cause, by all means, go for it. Wealth, popularity, and fame are produced in the process, but they should never be the reason for stepping up to the plate.

Feel free to make comments on why YOU want to be a leader. Happy New Year's Eve!

Kim Jong-un

For those not keeping up on current events, Kim Jong-un is the sucessor of Kim Jong-il the former dictator of North Korea who died on December 17, 2011. He is not the eldest son, but he was chosen to continue the dynasty. This is not a typical leadership system and we cannot expect it to be considering all of the revolutions for democracy, but we can learn from his leadership. 

He is about 27-28 right now and has assumed power over the most isolationist, dangerous, and possibly nuclear country in the world at this point. What's next? Everyone seems to expect him to fail, but little can be confirmed about his life at all. I encourage all of you to watch the news or the internet and see how this goes down. No matter what happens, we can all learn from the choices that he makes in his position, good or bad. 

Be a Leader on Campus

Whether you are in high school or college, there are plenty of ways to practice your leadership on campus. Here is a list of great activities to get involved in to work on your leadership:

1. Sports: Lead others to better themselves in a given sport. You don't have to be a team captain to be a leader on the team, just show others that you have something to be followed and that you can help others.

2. Student Government: Although student governments can often be a complete mess, showing good leadership in problem situations is an incredible skill. Run for a position and gain support. Sometimes the elections are pure popularity contests, and if you do not win, there are plenty of other leadership opportunities available at any high school or college. 

3. Model United Nation: If you are a political junkie or have a knack for speaking and negotiations, Model UN might be for you. Most colleges have a team (or delegation) and some high school have teams. This club is very time consuming. It takes a lot of research, but is a great place to let your leadership skills shine.

4. Honor Societies: Honor Societies usually require more than just leadership skills, but they are a great way to practice them. Apply for one and lead others!

5. The Classroom: One of the best ways to practice your leadership skills is in the classroom. If you are doing a group project, take the lead. If you are excelling in a given course, offer to help others that are struggling.

6. Campus Clubs: Service clubs, school newspapers, ski club?! Whatever it is, take charge. Find a club that you are interested in and get more information. Get involved and take the lead.

7. Everyday leadership: If you are an older student or just more experienced, you have the opportunity to lead every day. If a younger student needs help, give it! Always be ready to lead others.

There are plenty of ways to practice your leadership on campus. Always be ready for new opportunities and keep an eye out for positions. Keep in mind leadership positions are given to those who are experienced. You will most likely not be able to gain leadership as soon as you join a club or activity, but as soon as you have something to follow, people will. If your campus seems to be missing a club/activity, lead by filling that hole! Leadership opportunities are everywhere, seize them!

Self Leadership

Before you can ever lead others, you must check to make sure that you can lead your own life. A leader is someone that people can look up to as a role model, or someone who just knows what they are doing. To make sure you know what you are doing, ask yourself these questions:



Do you procrastinate?

Do you tell white lies?

Are you always on task?

Do you forget things because of lack of planning?


Do you care more about yourself than you do others?

Are you a people person?

Do you like to help others?

Are you compassionate?

Do you perform well under pressure?

These are just some things to think about before attempting to lead others. In order to take on the responsibility of leading others, you must be able to lead yourself successfully.

How to Be a Leader

Looking back at the definition of a leader, you need followers. Let's make connections here. Twitter. How do you get followers on twitter? Well, you need to have something good to say. Something that people are interested in and want to hear. So to be a leader and lead a group of followers, you need to have a purpose that people agree with. In this attached video, we can also see leadership needed from the first follower. If you are leading a group of people in a certain direction, that makes you a leader. Take advice from this video to learn how to be leader in general. Following is an important part of leadership, especially the followers that lead others to follow. Don't think the followers don't get any glory, look at that party!

What is a Leader?

To start, we will define what a leader actually is. What characteristics that make a good leader, and also what characteristics make bad leaders. In order to strive for leadership excellence, you need to know what you are striving for.

According to Google, a leader is: 

 lead·er   /ˈlēdər/

Noun:

The person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country. A person followed by others.

Technically, to be a leader all you need is a group of followers. However, your strength as a leader depends on how you lead that group of followers. Let’s look at two very different leaders in history to find what made them good or bad leaders.

 

Muammar Gadhafi

Although his leadership style was controversial, I personally believe that he was a bad leader and the Libyan rebels agree with me. In February 2011, someone came forward with proof that Gadhafi ordered the Lockerbie bombing that killed 270 people in 1988. He took over Libya in 1969 with a military coup. He has also been accused of torture and unfair death sentencing. Whether these things are true or not is irrelevant because his followers were not happy. The Libyan rebels fought a revolution over hating this head of the regime, and he was slaughtered to death on October20, 2011. So what qualities made him a bad leader?

Obviously the main characteristic that Gadhafi was missing was justice and fairness. Whether the rumors of his tortuous behavior or accused bombing were true or not, the Libyan people believed them and were disapproving of his leadership. Back to the definition, a leader is a person followed by others. If you don’t have followers, you cannot be a leader. Being a leader is a large responsibility, and a misuse of power, like Gadhafi, can lead to a bad situation.

Martin Luther King Jr.

We can learn a lot from one of the most famous leaders in history, Martin Luther King Jr. He led the civil rights movement for racial equality in America. There are innumerable lessons to learn from this hero, but I see two major ones, honesty and justice. Unlike Gadhafi, King’s position was defined as bringing justice. He also worked for his followers. He spoke the words of his followers and what hundreds and thousands of people wanted. He made sacrifices for his followers in order to bring justice to America. King also was honest about the situation. In his ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech, he stated the current situation that America was in. He stated the problem in order to be able to address it. This might seem like a minor characteristic that will make you a better leader, but good problem solvers make great leaders.

We can learn from leaders like Gadhafi and Martin Luther King Jr. about how to be a leader. These are the leaders that shaped world history, and in order for our generation to lead the world in the future, we need to look at the people who have done it before us. So what is a leader? It is someone who leads a group of followers. There are good and bad ways to do it. I challenge you to look at other leaders and find what they do well or don’t do well.