Once you get involved on campus, leadership is one of those words that is thrown around constantly. Behind that word is so many rights and wrongs along with loads of pressure. All of that sounds extremely intimidating; however, once you consider yourself a leader, it’s one of the most humbling feelings. I say this because you realize that becoming a leader isn’t about you, it’s about what you do for others.
This past weekend I was able to attend Kutztown’s Leadership Conference where the Keynote Speaker, Chris Collins, talked about leadership being a verb. The actions you must take in order to effectively make a difference. Within his presentation, there was one point that stuck with me the most. This was the fact that you don’t have a choice in being a role model or not. Someone is always watching you, imitating you, paying attention to what you’re doing whether you know it or not. The only choice you have in the matter is if you want to be a positive or negative role model.
Just days after that, I went to a social. When I was asked if I knew anyone in the room, a girl I’ve never seen before turned around and said “I know you, I’ve seen you around.” In that moment, I automatically thought back to Chris’s words. Here I am thinking that I am invisible to certain people on campus, only revealing myself to those I choose, and that is simply not the case. I have 3 younger sisters, and I know that I have to be role model for them. That goes without question. However, realizing that there are more than those 6 sets of eyes watching my movements made me make a decision to commit to being a positive role model all the time. Not just when I know I’m being watched.
There are eyes watching you as well, wondering what your next move is going to be. Beings though you have no say in being a role model, let’s make your next move a positive one.
To read more on Chris Collins follow this link: http://chriscspeaks.com/index.html