Many high school students began this year in leadership positions—editor of the yearbook, president of the student body, captain of the football team, etc. You should be proud that you earned the trust and respect of those who put you in charge. But it’s also important to remember that getting the position is just half of your leadership story that colleges will want to know about. The other half will be what you do in that role.
If your version of leading is to hold meetings and do the same things in the same ways that the leader before you did them, that’s not a compelling story. Leaders see potential and help others see it, too. At the end of your tenure, you and your members should be able to look back proudly and fondly at what you accomplished together. And that should challenge the next leader to do the same.
If you’re committed to leaning into your leadership role, here are a few questions to consider. Think about them, and pose them to those you work with if you’d like.
1. Who are your customers?
Every organization serves someone. The student government exists to serve their fellow students. The Gay/Straight Alliance exists to serve LGBT students and their allies. And plenty of organizations exist to serve their own members in part or in full, like the baseball team, the Improv Club, or the Math Team. But your organization needs to know who it’s serving, and your leadership needs to be clear about it. Then you can chart your path and make decisions from the frame of “How will this be good for those we serve?”
2. What would a successful stint look like?
People like to work together towards a common vision of success. The leadership team needs to paint that picture. If your group did a fantastic job this year, what would that look like? How would you measure it? Number of wins? Total funds raised? Members recruited? Initiatives successfully completed? If you think this doesn’t apply to your group, then ask the reverse question—what would a terrible year look like? If you run the DJ Club and can’t picture what success looks like, it’s pretty easy to figure out what failure looks like—unhappy members, people quit, the club needs to disband, etc. Then get to work defining the opposite of that vision—happy members, more people attending meetings, a flourishing club that’s established and appreciated on campus, etc.
3. What will you do today?
Vivid portrayals of future success are inspiring, but they can also be fleeting. If you don’t make immediate progress, the inspiration fades. The vision becomes all talk. And the goals start to seem unreachable. So once your group agrees on what you want to accomplish tomorrow, decide what you’re going to do today to start marching toward that goal. Maybe you need to recruit more members, or start pre-season conditioning workouts, or focus your rehearsal efforts to prepare for the upcoming school talent show. Today’s actions lead to tomorrow’s goals. And the lift you’ll get from those mini accomplishments along the way will keep you and your organization striving.
Your goal as a leader? Help others see the potential for things to be better, happier, more fun, safer, etc. for those you serve. Channel that enthusiasm into actions you can take today. If you do it right, not everything you try will work (that’s an inherent risk of trying new things). But you’ll almost certainly leave bigger shoes to fill at the end of your leadership stint.
For more on leading, managing, and why the two are not the same, check out Marcus Buckingham’s book, The One Thing You Need to Know.