Leadership by Christian Howard

     One of the best and worst things about leadership is that it cannot be learned in a book and no matter how many books you read you will not be able to be an effective leader unless you’re out there as a leader.  Being a leader is not something that you can force either, it must be earned.  Everyone always thinks that leaders are brave or charismatic but mostly they’re just average people. Using my own leadership experience as an example:  When I was Service Vice President, I was terrified at the beginning.  You worry there won’t be enough events or that no one will show up to an event, but eventually you find that worrying gets you nowhere and you just have to go for it. I learned a lot from it too.  I had the opportunity to manage the service committee and work towards furthering our chapter’s goal of service throughout the campus, the community, the nation, and to the fraternity. Recruitment taught me about managing time and working as a team in order to be successful. Being a leader is all about learning both about your motivations and your goals.  You shouldn’t shy away from it and don’t be afraid that you may fail.  The fear of failure is probably the greatest hindrance to a leader and is what puts people off from ever trying to be a leader.  Do something because you enjoy doing it.  Take on that responsibility now because it will help you grow now and you can take that risk.  We need leaders today, now more than ever.  Leadership is lacking in this country today with no one being able to agree with each other.  We need people who aren’t afraid to do the right things, to work with others and talk things out.  There are so many wonderful opportunities that come from being a leader as well.  You meet interesting people and get to do so many things.  As SVP I met with people from Shaver's Creek to organizations on campus.  I guess I would just offer the advice to take every opportunity you get because if you don't you'll end up wishing you had.