5 important leadership strategies

I was reading one of the blogs that I follow and I found one that I feel fits in really well with the Raider leadership blog.  This blog talks about the 5 most important strategies in becoming a good leader.  It talks about how you need to be strong and knowledgeable about what you are talking about to get those to follow you.  You can't just wing it and expect those to stand with you if they fear that you won't be a good leader.  A leader needs to have a purpose and a drive about something that needs changed otherwise they have no need to be a leader. Leaders need to be organized because they can be more efficient and those they are leading feel more comfortable.  Leaders need to have good problem solving skills so they don't overwhelm others with their fears. If a leader doesn't have a good problem solving skills then they won't be able to make the changes they would like to see.  A leader needs to engage all the members of the organization.  If every one is engaged there is more creative thought flowing freely thus providing new ideas and new solutions to problems.  We as leaders need to keep these 5 points in mind as we move on in our lives.

Character makes a leader-thursday speaker

I thought the speaker on Thursday Mr. Atkinson was a really good speaker and had a great message.  I agree that character makes a leader.  To be a good leader you need to consider the feelings of those around you. When he told the soup story I felt that the father in law did the right thing which was the only thing one should do in that kind if situation.  I felt that the point he made about the most popular people don't always have the most respect is true because sometimes the most popular people don't make the best decisions.  I think that popular people often times get to wrapped up in their image and how many people admire them for the wrong reasons.  I feel like at our school this isn't a big problem because we have leaders who want to set an example. I think that our school have many very respectable young leaders. With good young leaders we are able to acomplish many great things for our school and community.  I thought he was a really good speaker I enjoyed what he had to tell us.

hypocrisy in leadership get you no where

When thinking about leaders what do you remember the things they say or the things they do? Often times we look at both of these things.  When a leader says something and does another they loose credibility. If a leader wants to be a true leader they must stand strong by their words and their actions.  Followers will go off the example they are given.  A leader needs to check what they are doing and make sure they are following the rules they have set, the examples they have given, and participating in all activities they are asking others to do.  If you are the kind of leader that doesn't stand by what you say you will find out soon that you are all alone. You can't judge others on if they are getting something because you may be the problem due to the example you are setting for them to follow.

Speaker Aaron Thomas

This past weekend I had a Hills Bank Youth Salute award ceremony and we had a motivational speaker who spoke to us about leadership.  Aaron Thomas is the son of coach Ed Thomas from Parkersburg who was shot and killed by a former student.  Aaron spoke about how his father was a leader throughout his life.  When Parkersburg was hit by a tornado coach Ed Thomas took charge and started the clean up efforts and had the vision to play the first football game of the season on their home field.  Ed Thomas led people by being a good example for the community. Aaron told us the stories of his fathers life and how he worked to bring the best out in people no matter who they were.  When Ed Thomas was shot by one of his former players his family made the decision to do what he would have wanted and in a press conference forgave the family for what had happened and reminded the community that they were going through something terrible as well and the community needed to keep them in their prayers.  Through the leadership of the Thomas family the Parkersburg community was able to heal and stand by both families.  I was very moved by the speech that Aaron Thomas gave because he showed the kind of leadership in his life that is the best kind.  The Thomas family has been strong through many things that have made a change on their lives.  This speech was one of the most moving things I have witnessed because I could see the impact Ed had on his family and community and he was taken before his time but his family understood and was forgiving.  Aaron used the things his father taught him to help get through his struggles and is telling his story to help others develop that kind of leadership.  Leadership is something that if used to the best of the leaders ability can change a whole community.  The leadership we are trying to achieve should be this kind because it is the kind that changes the lives of many people for the better. 

Who has made me who I am today.

I think we become who we are by the people we surround ourselves with throughout our lives.  I think my family has been a big influence on who I am today because they have given me the values that I have come to stand for. My family are the ones who took me to church and encouraged my belief in God. My parents sent me to a Lutheran school so I could further my education along with my faith. Going to a Lutheran school I was able to surround myself with friends who had the same drive to follow God.  Going to a Lutheran school has helped to decide who to surround myself with in high school.  I have my friends as a support system when I need advice or help with a troubling time.  I think living out in the country has also shaped who I am because I know what hard work it is to support a family and run a farm. Everything can shape who we are and how we see things. The way we view situations depend on how the people have changed us. 

Anywhere leadership

When reading one of my blogs I made some connections to what the speaker Doug Doty said on Thursday.  He showed us what a matrices does for a company by bringing everyone's leadership qualities together to work to a goal.  It brings everyone's thoughts into a setting where there isn't one person in charge but people working together.  Leadership is needed everywhere especially in companies.  Large companies need team leadership so everyone in the company knows what is going on and can play an active role.  Leadership can be seen in every job that there is from a large company to a babysitting business.  I think that if we were leaders who didn't use a hierarchy we would have more ideas flowing between everyone I hope that I can try to apply this style of leadership to my life.      

Leadership in everyday life

We talked in class about how someone could be a leader in a sport, organization,or activity.  Leaders are important for all of those groups.  A leader has to keep in mind those who are looking up to them and be the role model they should be.  When we talked about the situation of a bad cheerleader we talked about the actions of one person having a direct impact on the squad as a whole.  When someone is in a leadership position they have to keep in mind not only their own goals but the goals of the people they are leading too.  We need to work toward our own idividual goals as if everyone was depending on us because it helps to motivate us to do our best.  We need to make our visions a reality.  There is always going to be an opportunity to be a leader we just have to be strong enough to overcome the fear of failure and be that leader. 

The BEST kind of leadership

I was reading one of the blogs that I follow and came across a post on what types of leadership were the best types.  It talked about how we follow strong leaders and look to them for guidence.  It also pointed out that the best kind of leadership was the unnecessary kind.  Meaning that when people step up when they are needed not when they are told to step up.  They lead at all times not when they are trying to impress a big group but when they feel that they are needed and do the right thing and help.  Often times we do our best when we are being watched by someone of importance but in reality we should always do our best because if we don't we are letting ourselves down and not reaching the full potential.  We need to be leaders at all times not just when we think it will benifit us.  We need to get rid of the fear of failure and think of the positive and how we can help make a change.  We need to be strong leaders that aren't afraid.