November: Leading By Example

In the month of November, I had various encounters with examples of leadership, but one in particular stood out.  This experience was after the program's trip to Washington D. C. when the groups were working on their projects.  Many of the groups did not have a head start on their project or a goal as to what their final project would be.  This fact made me think about my group and the rest of the students that are in the honors hall in Andrews where I live.

Honestly, I think that our group displayed leadership in the situation because my friends where motivated to get their work done when they saw my group working on our project.  Even the ones that are not prat of the leadership fellows program felt the desire and motivation to start on their assignments and to get involved in campus life.  My group led by example in this situation because by seeing our actions, others were led to follow.

Through this experience last month, I also convinced some of my friends to get involved.  Joining the riding team has allowed me to make more connections and have involvement on campus.  A few of the people that I know have told me that they would like to be more involved and want to join organizations like the riding team.  They have come to this conclusion by watching my actions, not by listening to me preach about leadership.

Leading by example and action builds trust and brotherhood between leaders and those that they lead.  Without this trust, leaders are not as effective when they attempt to accomplish a task.

What Would I Go Back And Tell Myself In August?

When considering this question, I had a hard time thinking about what I really would tell myself if I could go back to August.  Thinking about it though, I came up with one thing that I would honestly tell myself, if I went back to August.  I would tell myself that I should spend more time with the people that mean a lot to me at home then I did before.

I know that this does not seem like an important college revelation or tip, but it means something to me.  The reason I picked this thing is because I do not think that I would do anything different when it comes to actual college experiences.  I have not had a problem with time management or with getting my work done.  I enjoy the riding team, student government, and playing flute in the pep band at games.  I have a job, so that advice was out, and I could  not tell myself to take different classes because I really do like all of my professors and my advisor.

This probably sounds too perfect, right?, well life is not perfect at all.  Being involved at school, has led to less time with my family, and I really miss that time.  I had the entire summer and first few weeks of school before things really got started, and I should have kept in contact more than I did.  Falling off the face of the earth may seem convenient at the time, but in the end is not worth it.  Over the break, I was what I miss when I am gone, and it made me appreciate what my parents and family members provided over the years.

I would tell myself to spend more time with the people that I care about and to not ignore them.  I realized how much that I miss them and how it helps to have advice from someone that you have known and trusted for years because phone conversations are not the same.