Leadership: a Process

Leadership: a Process

by Carla Harris, President, Brandon University Students' Union

When I was asked to write an article on leadership, I have to say I felt instantly overwhelmed. Leadership, in my opinion, is not a firm concept in and of itself. As those wiser than I have said: "a leader is made, not born" and the process of "making" a leader is one that is never completed. Leadership is a process of continual research, training and self-evaluation. No leader is ever infallible, and no amount of past experience or years of study can prevent a leader from making mistakes in the future. Even after you have learned to scrutinize every decision up and down, you must be prepared to find out after the fact that something has been missed. Of course it is when these mistakes are discovered that the true measure of a leader is displayed, for they must be able to acknowledge the mistake and resume efforts to change it all over again.
The processes involved in leadership can be continually frustrating and humbling. Therefore, to keep them in perspective, I have begun compiling a list of some of the lessons that I have encountered thus far in my career in student politics. I am going to add a little disclaimer here before I begin, because I do not want to look like I am trying to present myself as an authority on personal development. These points are merely observations that I have written down to remind myself of what I need to work on. I find that I have to re-read them more often than I would like to admit!

• Cultivate your skills of communication. People need to be able to understand what your vision is when you are dealing with new and controversial topics.
• Be friendly with everyone, but know which individuals are friends that you can rely on. Believe me, you'll need them!
• Remember that you can put months of work into a project, but in the end, if your team disagrees with you, you must be prepared to accept it and not take it personally!
• Come to think of it, you really can't take any of it personally. You are not defined by the work that you do.
• Never offer your assistance to a person or group without specifically asking them if they want your help first.
• Stay away from impulse. Make a mental note of what your gut reaction was, but don't voice your first impression until after more research has been done.
• You shouldn't always be the first person to take a stand. Step back and let others talk first. Sometimes it is best if no one knows your opinion right away so that they will speak candidly about their own thoughts.
• Leave personal emotions out of arguments, and don't let the panic of others sway your decisions. You must stay calm to think clearly.
• Contented people often don't have much to say. For every angry person who loudly voices their opposition, you can justly assume that there are two other people out there who trust and respect you. Always take criticism seriously, but keep in mind that it is unfair to only listen to the loudest voices!
• Keep a list of your accomplishments handy so that if you become too self-critical you can stop and look at how far you have come.
• Don't let go of your other interests. Always find a way to make time for the things that mean the most to you, no matter how busy you get.
• Don't give more than you have. While the urge to help can leave you constantly wanting to do more, remember that you can't help anyone from a bed in the mental ward!

All of these things aside, if asked for the single most important skill involved in the making of a good leader, I would have to say it is the ability to communicate and work with a team. People who find themselves in positions of power need to make sure that they remember to act as a leader, not a boss.

A "boss" simply doles out tasks and tells people to complete them. This type of work environment places a firm ceiling on the success of the group. When people are given commands in this fashion, they often do not feel that the project is their own, and only do what the boss expects of them. They are not inspired to invest their own creativity into the venture, and it becomes an assignment, not an innovation.

A leader, on the other hand, aims to inspire others to work together for the achievement of higher goals, taking the initiative further than could ever have be envisioned by one person acting alone.

"Of the best rulers... when their task is accomplished, their work done, the people all remark, 'We have done it ourselves'" -- Lao-Tzsu, Chinese Philosopher, 6th century B.C.