Editorial
Students should demonstrate exemplary leadership skills
October 28, 2011
What does being a leader mean to you? Are leaders born or made? The term may seem foreign to some students, whereas others have seemed to naturally embody leadership skills for the majority of their lives.
We wish to thwart the leadership myth, which ascertains that leaders can only be found at the highest levels of a given organization. We do not believe that leadership is about acquiring a certain position, title or rank. Leadership is an attitude: it’s about caring, forming relationships, and being proactive.
Ordinary people can do extraordinary things. According the UW-River Falls website, the Office of Student Life offers a wide variety of opportunities for all students to build leadership skills. The development of these skills can be achieved through involvement in student organizations, attending leadership development workshops, and participating in campus wide programming. Making the most of opportunities to gain leadership skills is an important part of the overall educational experience at UWRF.
Leaders should be honest, competent and inspiring, but you must first be able to inspire yourself before you can inspire others. As students, we are responsible, both individually and collectively, for the fate of this world.
The UWRF website also contends that as a campus, community, state, nation, and planet, we face unprecedented challenges; ecologically, socially, and economically. Depending on one’s interpretation of the collective data and trend analysis across those many challenges, we have no time to waste. The future calls out for bold and decisive action with a sense of urgency.
That being said, we here at the Student Voice encourage students to develop a better sense of awareness, in regards to yourself and the world around you. By bringing people together and getting personally involved, leaders reinforce in others the courage necessary to acomplish extraordinary things.
Leadership is a skill that can be learned, and any skill can be strengthened and enhanced. It’s time to show others how truly wonderful you can be, and it’s time for you to exercise the limits of your potential.
The only way to truly show people you care and that you appreciate their efforts is to be out there with them. So get involved, become a leader, and change the world!