On Leadership
Well I thought I might give some of my thoughts on leadership. I was pondering whether to join my college’s Students’ Council.
In my opinion, a good leader is one who is able to relate to people – that I cannot do very well, but I’m willing to try. To be able to serve the school, one must be able to understand the school and its components – the student body. What is a school without its students? But what, then, are students if they are not given the chance to lead? Hence, the term student leadership arises - at the micro scale we have class committees, subject representative; at the macro level we have the prefects, the councillors to lead the school.
The teachers in a school can only cater to (at least) the educational and pedagogical welfare of the students, and usually do not have time to take care of welfare in the school context (this refers to student’s all-round development, including recreation and relaxation). This responsibility would then fall onto the student leaders – specifically, the SCs. I still remember one notable contribution by one recent batch of councillors – the Student’s Lounge, with movie screenings, a pool table, a dartboard and a room where students can play PS2 games.
Leadership is not only about bringing positive changes in the school environment, but also growth in the student body. For that, I believe an open 2-way communication system is vital. By this, I mean that students and student leaders alike will not be afraid to share their views on how to improve students’ lives or the school environment. Student leaders also have to understand the dynamics of the student body – how they would respond to certain changes, how they react to existing infrastructure in the school – in order to administer suitable corrections, changes or introductions that would improve students’ lives.
However, leadership is not about serving and giving – there are lessons that can be learnt that can benefit the student leader themselves. People usually do not know how to garner respect from others, usually thinking (superficially) that money, good looks or good grades are enough. As the old adage goes, for others to respect you, you must respect others first. Leaders will show that they care not only about the results of a project but also the welfare of his team along the way – by rendering tasks to the abled, by helping people through difficulties, by working through obstacles as a team and not abandoning your members at any stage.
Committment, perseverance, time management, confidence and decisiveness are also other traits that a leader must have and will be able to refine as a leader.
Filed under: Storm in the Mind
