I'll Plan with You Til We are Blue

We haven't talked about this yet, but I noticed how important it is to be flexible and understanding when working in a group. Each person in our project groups had an idea of a project that they wanted to do. And after all the brainstorming it seemed like no one had changed their mind, nor were they going to anytime soon.

I think that some leaders have the misunderstanding that they are supposed to be the one in charge of everything and should get all the credit for the idea and the end project of the activity. They are the leaders right? So they should have the final say of what happens and how it happens.

I have to admit that I fell into this category of leaders at one point. As the Mia Maid class president, I took my calling very seriously. I ran the planning meetings and I wanted to be the kind of president that had everything under control. This worked for a while, but I soon learned that there were girls in my class that had different interests and desires. I could spend a lot of time and energy brainstorming, planning and organizing activities, but if I were to do it all by myself the activities would most likely be geared to my wants. It was then that I began to better understand why I had counselors and what my role as a leader was. I was not supposed to be doing it ALL! That sounds silly now, but it is important that a leader isn't always the one coming up with ideas and planning the activities. Sometimes the leader needs to stop and listen to what others have to say.

I think that it takes a good leader to rely on others sometimes. It doesn't make a leader weak if he or she is not the one coming up with the ideas. In fact, I think that it takes a better leader to lead along side a group of people (counselors, co-workers, etc.)because they have to be able to listen, they have to be selfless and put their ideas down, and they have to want the best for the people that they are serving.

I am not perfect at this, but I do admire these kind of leaders even if they are not the ones that get the credit for the end project.