Morning everyone.
(Audience) Good morning.
How are you doing today?
(Audience) Fine, thank you.
What is leadership?
What does it mean to lead?
and who might even ask that question?
Well, let me start by first defining what is leadership?
A former general of the US army, Norman Schwarzkopf,
defines leadership as a potent combination of strategy and character.
In this sense, we can understand that leadership consist of who you are
and what you do.
It is a combination of character traits and actions
that isn’t defined by titles or positions
You see, leaders are many things.
They take initiative, they are accountable,
they are responsible, and people of integrity
who make decisions based on the considerations of others.
But most importantly, leaders lead others,
which we all know isn’t a simple thing to do.
So, for what is worth, I think it’s safe to say that
being a leader is not easy.
Leadership is important because it provides vision and direction
to a particular group of people.
From the household to an entire country, some form of leadership is always present.
Leadership that is effective leadership as defined by Schwarzkopf
is the combination of strategy and character
To have strategy but poor character
would lead to corruption and to an abuse of power,
which isn’t leadership at all; it is tyranny.
To have good character but to have no leadership skills at all
would lead to incompetency on a failing command structure.
Therefore, it is imperative that you have the leadership necesary
and integrity of character to be an effective leader.
We all have leaders arround us yet some of us don’t even realize it.
Your friend next to you could be a leader.
Your parents are leaders, they lead you thorough your childhood,
influence you to do the right thing.
Well, what they think is the right thing, anyway.
Your teachers are also leaders.
They taught to you that materials
and go the extra mile to help me do well.
In the same respect, your parents they stay for the rest of your life;
whereas your teachers,
they take responsibility of your academical and social development.
Towards the end of grade 11, I made my first attempt to leadership.
I decided that I would create the first student council for students of my school.
I was faced with a problem, and of course, leaders solve problems.
There were things that needed to be changed
but could only be changed by a group of students with a vision,
and I decided that making a student council
would be the best course of action.
With help from several of my teachers, my parents, and some of my friends
I wrote the constitution, organized meetings,
I arrayed the students, and I convinced administration to approve
and implement the council in our school.
I began to spread the word, and needless to say
they were quite a few of my pairs who didn’t take me seriously.
All those took a step and openly denounced me.
Told me I couldn’t do it, but I did.
Today I stand before you as the first student council president
of Bishop Michael Eldon School.
(Applauses)
A year ago, I wouldn’t have seen myself
in the position of being the person I am today.
Creating the student counsil changed me.
I knew I had to change because,
accomplishing my goal required from me that I hardly done inside
but never used and, to an extent ignored,
I needed to be a leader
When I received my senior prefect title
I was told I wasn’t a suited leader.
I, a lot of my fellow classmates
was told that certain things were now expected of us
and, let me on, had new responsibilities because you became student leaders.
They didn’t tell us what leadership was or didn’t teach it to us.
They assumed that we already knew.
I begun learning how to be a leader while establishing the student council
Some of you may be prefects, senior prefects, head boys, head girls
and I know that quite often you are often told that you are now suited leaders.
But that is not what leadership is.
Leadership is not a position
Leadership is not something that can be handed to you
Is something you command, and can summon in,
but bring it all can be quite difficult.
So what if we had help?
What if we establish a leadership curriculum within our schools.
This leadership class will not be an ordinary class
with ordinary assignment, ordinary exams.
Its focus is to facilitate the development of the leader within us
Each of us can lead not only.
Leadership is dynamic and sometimes unconventional;
therefore, the class should reflect that it should be taught by a leader;
someone who has taken an active role in a community,
and made changes in the society as a whole, for example.
The class should be held at least once a week
where students should be taught basic leadership fundamentals
and about inspirational leaders, for example.
But the main focus should be on the students’ ability
to inspire change within a community
The student would have a practical assignment
where they would go into a community
and give an account of what they’ve done
and how did they inspired change within that community.
They may establish a new club
or even work together with people in a community project.
It is entirely up to them what they do or how they do it,
but this part of the curriculum is the most crucial part
because through it the students will be able to truly learn leadership
They will became accountable because they will create a report of what they’ve done.
They will take initiative
because they determine how they are going to inspire a change within the community.
They will become responsible because it is entirely up to them
the success is entirely depending upon them.
And they will learn how to make decisions while working with others.
There are the leaders in all of us
and it’s up to us to became more proactive
So you know what?
Let us take initiative; let us take responsibility
and accountability for the future of our country
Let us take the first step
Look to the person to right at you, and tell them “I am a leader”
Go on and tell them “I am a leader”
(Audience: “I am a leader”)
Tell them that I am the catalyst of change within my community
(Audience: “I am the catalyst of change within my community”)
…within my society…
…and within my country.
Let us take the first step to becoming leaders
and put our first foot forward
Thank you
(Applause)
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