SAIL

Success is something we all strive for, whether it be in school, in our hobbies or both, we all want it. When we aren’t achieving it we all do our best to figure our way around whatever obstacle is holding us back from it. Well, according to Terry Starbucker, writer of How Leaders Can Quickly Take A Team From Worst To First our problem isn’t the situation we’re in or what kind of troubles we face to reach success it’s how we react to a situation. We all have the potential to get to our goal, what we need to do is change our thinking. It helps to think in an individualistic sort of way in order to really take responsibility for your own actions to help the rest of your team out , instead of pointing out all the problems at once  with the entire team- the “ain’t good enoughs” (as Starbucker states Coach Showalter says). This will help you to think positive and from there spread the positivity to others around you, it will change everyone’s perspective of the situation, success will follow naturally.

By Emily Barnhill

             At first glance this article about New York City’s ban on large sugary soft drinks seems completely irrelevant to a class based on the ideas behind leadership. However when I stumbled across this while idly scrolling through the Huffington Post and read through it leadership actually does come to my mind. This whole situation brings to mind the limits to which leadership should or should not go to. On one hand a policy like this could be quite beneficial to people who otherwise would out of habit order a Coke the size of a small dog. On the other hand however, it can be viewed as Mayor Bloomberg, the leader of NYC, as overstepping the bounds of his leadership position and interfering with people’s personal life choices. Which is something that goes against the dominant ideology of complete personal freedom that is dominant in the United States.

            I believe that this is a case of leadership gone awry. Yes, the policy is well intentioned but as the author of the article I linked said: it is not entirely practical because the sugary “juice drinks” and diet sodas (which could be argued are just as bad or worse for you) are left out of the equation of the obesity epidemic entirely. That fact in mind, his leadership role and abilities would be better suited to a large educational campaign or even go so far as a higher tax on those drinks (the same concept behind the high costs of tobacco and alcohol) so that there will be lowered incentive to buy them. Leaders in the type of position he is in should be helping to guide people’s personal decisions rather than dictating what they can and cannot purchase and consume.

This also bring to mind the degree to which people need to be leader’s within their own smaller spheres of their family, friends, and even their own lives.  Everyone needs to have a sense of personal leadership before anything gets better, having someone entirely removed from your life such as Mayor Bloomberg for the citizens of New York City. Which leadership do you think has more impact in this sort of situation: that which is on a more personal level or the high level leadership that has more “official” power?

I found this video talking about what it means to be a leader today. The speaker is Drew Dudley, and he is talking at the TED conference in Toronto. A great thing he talks about is how some people think leadership is bigger than them and about changing the world, so they don’t expect it everyday either through them or the people around them. I really like what he does in this short video. I agree with most of the things that he says here. He tells this story about a moment in his life and really connects it to everyone’s life. The moment for him was making a persons day. This is somewhat of topic, but he later ties this moment and leadership together. He makes some great points in this video. It is hard to paraphrase them, so you should just watch it. I agree with most of the things that he says here.

In the first 2012 Presidential Debate, Obama v. Romney, Obama said something very distinct about leadership. In his rebuttal to Romney’s plan for his term in office, he stated that a leader is is someone who is able to make plans and have ideas. Although this isn’t the exact quote, Obama was right. Being able to lead requires that the leader has an idea about what he wants to do. A leader is able to “look into the future” and plan accordingly to what he will need to do in order to satisfy a goal. However, to be President it is necessary to have a strategically style of leadership.

In class last Wednesday we were having a discussion about the difference among leaders. There are some who strategically plan out every step and others who plan along the way. In certain situations, both leaders’ approaches would be challenged. For example in the case that someone is required to plan out a party on so and so date and make sure everything for the party will be provided, a strategic style of leadership might be needed. Even to be President, a strategic leader would be more effective than a pacing leader. But what if the situation were different? Instead of a party or presidency, what if you were in a situation such as solving a puzzle. A pacing leader in this case, would be much more effective than a strategic leader. A pacing leader would be able to take each step diligently and figure out what needs to be solved in order to get to the next step. A strategic leader would see the end mark and not take into account the possibility of mistakes that could he could make along the way. A strategic leader is not as a flexible in situations as a pacing leader is.

Different situations call for different kinds of leaders. Don’t get me wrong, a strategic leader may also very well plan for problems along the way, but thinking about what problems may come Is not as effective as knowing what problems are already there. Both styles of leading are great and have the possibility of satisfying goals. However, each type works best in certain situations.

What are your views on leadership categories? And how do you think it ties into being an effective leader?

Can a leader lie to you? I just want to start this post off with saying my particular basis of beliefs. I have been a devoted Democrat since the Kerry Vs. Bush election. I consider myself a liberal but I grew up in a small town where Ronald Reagan is considered the George Washington of the 21^stcentury and Obama is a communist Muslim terrorist from Mars that is trying to corrupt the nation with his Obamacare. So when I talk any type of politics I try to appease both sides. Any ways I was surfing around on the internet and I found this pretty interesting article that talks about the recent presidential debate.Obama Vs.Romney Presidential Fact Check.As you guys read both candidates were caught fudging the truth. Is that a good or bad quality to have in a leader? Are they are lying because they are determined to win the position. If so will they take that determination into to all their tasks that they pursue? If a leader does unsavory things to get things great things done is he considered a snake or a hero.

As Americans I think we accept a lot of shady things. For instance, we accepted Andrew Jacksons (the guy on the twenty dollar bill) who basically ordered troops to kill hundreds of Native Americans and was a slave owner. He also solved the national debt at that time and he also fixed some critical issues with the National Bank. I personally believe that he was a hell of a president and that he saved America from collapsing. Is Andrew Jackson a bad leader? So when it comes to the next leader of the free world can he lie? When it comes done to the candidates Romney have been in the middle of the road since day one. When a person is in the middle of the road trying to appease everyone they are going to get hit by a car. In my opinion Mitt Romney is just trying to get elected at all cost.  When it comes to President Obama it seems like he is just trying to make his deficiencies look better.  For example, when he talks about the four Trillion Deficit Plan. All he was trying to do was make an accomplishment look better than it actually is. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty the debate was not really that great on both sides.

When it comes down to it does  to it I think that an average leader lies to you and a great leader sticks with the facts. How do you feel??

Hey guys if you haven’t already noticed, I am extremely shy and I only speak when spoken too. I have noticed that when we talk in class about leadership strategies we always break up into groups of leadership my a direct central leader and leadership by a group of people doing different tasks, but I believe in leadership by example. Obviously because I am shy this appeals to me more because there really isn’t much communication when you lead my example. I feel this strategy works best when you are looked up to as a role model in your family, your community or your school. If you just take the time to think about how your day to day actions would look from someone else’s point of view that looks up to you or how they would respond and/or copy those actions you can become a tremendous leader! Sometime you just have to step back and decide what would be an inspiring thing to see from someone else’s eyes. For example, if you see someone litter and you just take a few seconds to put the trash in a trash can. Think about how that would look to a group of kids walking by.  I have two younger siblings and plenty of little cousins that look to me as a leader. When I think about how much of an impact my actions can have on them it really makes me think twice about the example I set. So next time you see a youngster copy your actions, think to yourself “was that the best thing for them to see” or “how can I use my leadership skill to set a good example for people in my surroundings.” In the end, there are many different types to leadership and it all just depends on the situation but whenever I want to lead I always LEAD MY EXAMPLE!

What do you think about when you hear the word leader? A politician? Professor? Maybe even a law enforcement officer? All of these people may be leaders, but leadership extends far beyond these people. Leaders make a substantial difference in the community and in the lives of people around them. A leader is courageous and takes bold risks in difficult situations. A leader looks out for the best interests of an organization or group of people that he/she may oversee. I think it is important that we all cultivate our leadership potential because we are the future! Our generation will be the next to run the country, and educate the generations that will come after us. I believe an important aspect of being a leader is learning to first be a follower. Has anyone ever heard the phrase, “too many chiefs and not enough Indians?” Well in a ot of cases, this phrase applies. Sometimes leaders have to recognize when it is appropriate to take the back seat in a situation. Leaders are able to designate times in which they are vocal and times in which they allow others to take center stage. As college students, we are already on the path to being successful leaders by educating ourselves. By being a part of this Leadership and Community Engagment LLC, we are polishing our leadership techniques in order to further enhance the way we view the world and impact society. Everyone should realize that anyone can be a leader! There us no leadership stereotype! A lot of times, people feel intimidated because they may not be the “typical leader” but that is definitely no excuse. I challenge everyone to go out, and sharpen their leadership skills. Make a difference-BE a difference!!

Until next time,

Tediah Grant

Hey guys, so I had the privilege of attending the Leadership Conference this past Saturday, and it was a really great experience. The speakers were phenomenal in their approach to how leadership and civility go hand in hand. From the Conference, I came up with a shortened definition of civility which is basically doing the right thing, not just for yourself, but for others too. In addition, it may be perceived as giving a voice to the voiceless. With that being said, everyone remembers the golden rule, right? You know, “treat others the way they want to be treated.” Well what about the platinum rule? Has anyone heard of that? If you have not, the platinum rule is treat others the way they would want to be treated! Mind blowing, right? When you think about it, everyone may not want to be treated in the same manner. While some things are appealing to certain people, others may not find it as appealing. So, treating others the way the want to be treated eliminates the sort of miscommunication amongst people. Also, what do you do when you overhear someone being disrespected or mistreated? Do you stand by and watch the situation occur or do you take a stand? That’s civility at its finest! We are not obligated to speak on the behalf of others, but we do it because it is the right thing to do. No compensation, no fancy medal or prize, but we do it for the personal satisfaction. That coincides with what a leader should do. We all as leaders help others and stand up for what is right. So I challenge you all today, the next time you find someone in trouble, stand up! You may not know that person, but look past the individual and see them as another human being. Handle the situation in the manner you would imagine that they would want to be treated and see what happens!

Until then,

Peace…Love…Leadership

In class, we discuss what a leader is. The characteristics of a leader, what a leader does, what is not a leader. But looking into leadership as a role, we barely take time to discuss the challenges that certain leaders face today. Women leaders have been marginalized and people often overlook the difficulties of being a female leader today. Even though there is strong evidence over the stellar work done by women in power all over the world, there is still a significant difference in the ratio of men to women leaders in this world. Take a look  at this pdf:

Women and Leadership

Even with this statistic, the few women leaders, either in corporations or in public office, continue to be badgered and face challenges—mainly from the media.

Looking back at 2008, when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were fighting to receive the Democratic Presidential Election Nomination, some articles (here is one) point out how the media played a prevalent role in aiding Obama in getting the Presidential election. It is quite possible that the media had a bias in between the two nominees. They badgered Clinton and praised Obama. To wrap this up, leadership studies shouldn’t just be about the making of a leader. Learning about the struggles certain leaders face enables future leaders to overcome those obstacles, to be strong against opposition, and to be less fearful.