What is a Leader?
What is a leader? What are leadership qualities? Why are leadership qualities so important to
obtain? Who can be a leader? What are the habits and tools required to be a leader? These are all
questions that have been asked of the leadership program at WACC. In club 45, a group of students
meet once a week to discuss leadership opportunities; plan and implement community service
projects, and develop leadership skills. They have organized and promoted a bake sale as well as
our annual giving tree. Our goal is to work on numerous charities throughout the year. Our young
leaders are actively talking to younger students about what is important to them and changes that
they want to see. It has been an extremely exhilarating process to be a part of—really giving kids
the opportunity to teach even the adults in their lives.
Club 45 members used “The Leader in Me” activity guide to work through the seven habits of highly
effective people. These seven habits include:
1. Be proactive—you’re in charge.
2. Begin with the End in Mind—Have a plan
3. Put first things first—work first, then play
4. Think Win-Win—everyone can win
5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood—listen before you talk
6. Synergize—together is better
7. Sharpen the saw—balance feels best
The purpose of the leadership program is to assist in both community service projects and learning
life skills that will help these young students in the next steps of their life. As evidenced in the book
“The Leader in Me” by Stephen R. Covey, Sean Covey, Muriel Summers, and David K. Hatch it is
stated that, “the 7 Habits contain many of the traits and life skills that parents, business leaders,
and educators have been calling for students to be taught.” The list of traits that parents, teachers,
and businesses want include (but are not limited to): goal setting, planning, time management,
organization, initiative, responsibility, vision, integrity, conflict management, listening, empathy,
speaking skills, problem solving, teamwork, respect, ethics, manners, honesty, openness, valuing
diversity, physical wellness, social skills, mental skills, emotional stability, and a desire to learn.
Through this we are learning that leaders make good choices, plan, get along well with others, and
use their talents and strengths to solve problems. Our leadership group has gone through a process
to choose leadership positions to run for, campaign for, and participate in an election. Our goal is to
create students who are becoming more and more familiar with these habits and are integrating
words like habits and paradigm into their daily vocabulary.
This has effectively been done thanks to a group of committed students who are helping the
leadership program be successful. We are teaching our students to become the leaders of
tomorrow. These are all essential traits for students to learn. With the end result being that
students learn that ANYONE can be a leader. You do not need to be an elected official in order to
lead people effectively.
We are excited to see the leadership program evolve to suit the environment of Club 45!
