I have had the opportunity to see the leadership styles of many people in my life. Some were extremely effective, some barely. Some inspired others to work hard, some intimidated others to labor. To be honest, few stand out in my mind as true leaders.

Many have thought they were. Somehow, in our society a wrong message is conveyed to the youth of our culture. These students want to be esteemed among their peers. Popularity is the vehicle for many to begin leading. Popularity, like fame is a fleeting falsehood. There is little rhyme or reason to who becomes so, and it is often based on superficial vagrancy.

I feel like I have been watching such people rise and fall from ringside seats.

The recipe is often the same. For varying reasons, one is recognized for an accomplishment and placed in a position of authority. Unfortunately, too little training has been invested, and they rely upon skills that are underdeveloped. Their momentum is based on "positive press" and they forge ahead without the proper weaponry to face their well-armed foe.

One of the common mistakes, is believing in their "15 minutes" instead of recognizing and building upon the elemental giftedness that has been briefly awakened, and drawn from.

There is no strength in the platform of popularity. It is weak and not well supported. What excites your followers one day will make them weary the next. There must be training, and there must be passion. Otherwise, the foundation will crumble like the house built upon the sand.

In the student culture, I have often encountered students who believed they were ready for leadership and declared themselves as such. Then what normally follows, is a circle of onlookers watch as the self-proclaimed leader, fails.

True leaders understand that you must first be a good follower. If you cannot follow, you will not know what the foundation of leadership is built upon. As a follower invests in pursuing the goals set by the leader, he begins to discover the process of realizing the achievement of dreams.

Confidence is built, experience is stored and a foundational structure begins.

In my experience, the students who make the best leaders are the ones who have followed hard, and invested much into the belief that the one they were following knew what they were doing.

More times than not, that leader was elevated from the ranks of the hard-working. They did not one day say, "I am now going to be a leader," press themselves into that role, and find success.

The best leaders ply their passion into hard work, and lead by example, not by word of mouth.

One of my roles is to recognize leadership quality, pursue and invest in those students, and help them develop. It is a responsibility I often feel ill-equipped to fulfill. I never mind when one comes to me and says, "I really want to be in leadership." That is a place to begin.

I do object to those who say, "I won't work with you if you don't make me one of your leaders." Those people are usually believing in prideful platitudes. They are often arrogant and refuse to realize it. Yes, they have desire, but too often, they forge ahead willing to bring the whole team down based on their own allusions of ability, when their foundation is void of necessary components.

We have at our disposal, the example of the best leader who walked the earth. He was a servant. His desire was to be obedient to the will of His Father. He did not seek self promotion. He resisted it entirely, until the time was right. Even when He became the ultimate leader, He remained a servant. He did this by example. He did this by the way He lived His life.

We need to stop idolizing the wrong people. We need to invest in serving. Don't believe in your own press. Believe in the One who believes in you.

dad