I'm learning a whole lot about leadership this summer. My boss at work has worked hard at developing my leadership abilities and teaching me practical skills about how to best motivate others positively. I've found that my favorite times at my internship are when I'm meeting with him personally. I ask tons of questions and try to soak up as much wisdom as possible.
See, he's a dynamic and visionary leader himself. He took a college ministry from scratch and has now built it into an influential organization that serves over 400 students on 5 different campuses across DC, including AU.
I'm learning that since people are different, they need to be led in different ways. Some people need a general idea and they can put it into action. Others need detailed goals set out for them in order for them to succeed. He's also extremely emotionally intelligent. That basically means that he knows how to relate to people in a way that makes them not only be successful at what they're doing, but also feel good about it, too. (Since those don't always go together.)
I've decided that leadership definitely requires natural ability, but just like in sports, natural talent needs to be trained and honed in order to truly live up to its potential. I recommend taking the StrengthFinder 2.0 test (by Tom Rath) to discover in which areas your strengths truly lie. Also, there are many great leadership books out there. I recommend starting with something like Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman.
I'm sure AU is full of student leaders, but I bet only a few of them invest enough in those natural talents to reach their true potential. For me, I guess late is better than never.
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