The Importance of Leadership
One of my favorite quotations comes from the writings of our sixth president, John Quincy Adams. President Adams had an extraordinary career as a statesman, politician, and leader. He once wrote, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Leaders are often judged by their accomplishments. In a world full of critics and cynics, leaders are measured by performance regardless of the obstacles or challenges. But what I like about the quotation from Adams is the perspective he provides. As Adams so eloquently states, leadership is also about inspiration. And regardless of whether or not the goal is fully accomplished, leading is effective (and important) when it helps others to dream, to learn, to act and to grow both personally and professionally. Leadership is about helping others … inspiring others to become leaders. And this is a process which is antithetical to the view that we already know it all and have all of the answers. It recognizes lifelong learning, a lifetime of dreaming about what could be, and the continuous call to action as we grow and develop as persons. This is an important understanding of leadership.
In the past few days, I have been fortunate to see this perspective through the lives of our students. Through a series of student meetings and events, I have observed and listened to our student leaders fulfill the vision of President Adams. One student in particular was exceptionally eloquent and inspirational.
She said that when she first arrived at AMC, she noticed how some students complained about things incessantly. At some point she decided two things. First, there were a lot of great things about AMC and it was more important to focus on the positives than the negatives. Second, if there were problems, she should try to fix them rather than just complain about them. And so she did! She volunteered to serve on several projects and committees and took a personal responsibility to engage her friends in the life of the College. She has become a true student leader in the model of John Quincy Adams and her impact on her fellow students has been profound.
The educational experience at any college centers on the intellectual development of students. We have a responsibility to provide quality liberal education and appropriate professional preparation for careers and/or graduate school.
But leadership development is also an important part of the undergraduate experience. Students need to develop their life commitments towards citizenship and service. And they need to live lives as dreamers, learners and people of action. It is always inspirational for me to spend time with our students. They remind me of the important role we play in their lives and their development. But they also demonstrate to me how much they provide to each of us through their leadership and actions. Leadership is important. And I am grateful to live and work with so many extraordinary student leaders.
(As always, your comments and questions are welcome.)