Inspire the Inspire- ers!

What do you consider the essential qualities of a leader? Go ahead think about it or write it down. When I polled groups of middle school students, they overwhelmingly listed different character traits. You have to respect their honesty and insight. Even though they might not have perfect character, kids recognize the importance of integrity. They look for character in each other and they look for character in you.

Train the trainers or inspire the inspire-ers. For most people, leadership just doesn’t fall out of the sky. You can, however, find books that talk about great leadership moments. Most of them come out of duress or distress. By training the trainers, you can be ready for certain moments. Being proactive may alleviate the need for duress. Preparation beats duress any day.

Even though I mentioned this in a previous book, 50 Great Things Leaders Do: Let’s Get Fired Up, it is worth mentioning again. Each year our school has a leadership camp for incoming eighth graders. Our school houses fifth through eighth grades. We set the tone for their final leadership training by kicking off the year with a day’s worth of training. This is the beginning of the end in a chapter of their lives.

We also invite the parents but most don’t come. The parents that do come see what we are trying to accomplish. We are able to connect that stakeholder group that we need to succeed. You can call then our customers.

“Dr. R.,

Your camp ROCKED! Glad to be a part of it!”

JR (parent)”

The age group does not matter. You should have leadership training in any organization to which you belong whether it’s a software company or a school. We start with food and music, both safe bets. People like to eat and people like to listen to music. The Olympics just ended so we played any contemporary and longstanding songs connected to this event.

Most of the theory was grounded in previously mentioned books; however the underlying theme was collegiality, team-building, and problem-solving. These are all essential components of long-tern, successful leadership. After light snacks, we delve into some review of concepts, then a team-building activity: Name “one great thing” about your organization. This is something fast and easy that brings out pride.

Our new theme and service learning platform are introduced and discussed. As mentioned earlier, goals are a big part of the upcoming “new year.” A goal with no follow through is no goal at all.

Towards the end of the day, we have the campers describe one thing they want to see their organization (school) do. It has to be something they see as attainable and it has to be something they will follow through with. We have them write it on big poster paper and tape it to the wall.

The end of the day involves more theory and a problem-solving task. Most everyone does an excellent job. The real work, I tell them, starts when they leave. It’s easy to train to be on the Leader-Ship but a lot more difficult to sail all year and stay focused.  Now is the time to contribute.

The day is finished by debriefing the partakers and reinforcing what we just accomplished. The participants are given opportunities to make a difference through hard work and commitment. A brief lunch is enjoyed by all.