The reluctant leader

We all take notice when a long, silent pause follows the big question, “What is Leadership?” The vastness of this question weighs heavily on us and we shy away from answering. The beauty of this question is leadership looks like many different things to different people. The round table discussion, “Developing the Reluctant Leader” at the 2013 American College Personnel Association conference, challenged educators and administrators to recognize that pause and begin to identify the students reluctant to lead.

Several professionals in higher education participated in this round table and offered different definitions of reluctant leadership: The reluctant leader may be shy, nervous to engage, or scared to fail. They may be task-oriented and living in survival mode to graduate on time with a job. Leadership may seem like a burden to reluctant leaders or irrelevant to their academic achievement. Some reluctant leaders may believe they do not possess leadership skills at all.

Some reluctant leaders are confined by imaginary “rules of leadership.” Students attend college with previous life experiences and pre-conceived notions of leadership. In Chapman’s M.A. in Leadership Development program, my peers and I have discussed “title-driven” leadership. In high school, leadership is commonly associated with titles and positions, especially in Associated Student Body or clubs. However, as we learn and continue to observe, leadership is a lifestyle and every student has the potential to lead.

Where are the reluctant leaders?

Jesi Parker from Central Michigan University and Suzy Herman from Grand Valley State University led this round table and dived deeper into where the reluctant leaders are. They shared that college student leaders are commonly categorized in three tiers: top, middle, and bottom. Educators and administrators are usually drawn to top and bottom-tier leaders, leaving middle-tier leaders to fend for themselves. They quoted, “We spend 80% of our time on 20% of our students.”

Sound familiar? We invest in top-tier leaders because of their passion and conviction. We invest in bottom-tier leaders because we want to connect them with campus entirely. However, it is the middle-tier students (the consistent members, but never more) that need leadership support from us.

Ordinary leaders to outstanding leadership

All of our reluctant student leaders can make the transition from ordinary to outstanding… with a little help from us. As a group, we questioned: What makes a leader outstanding?

  1. An outstanding leader is of service to others (Professor Mark Maier would be pleased with this leadership attribute)
  2. Outstanding leaders adopt leadership as a lifestyle, leading through actions and words
  3. Outstanding leaders are open to “breaking the rules” and pushing limits
  4. Outstanding leaders are usually confidant in their opinions and ideas
  5. Outstanding leaders are passionate and purpose-driven
  6. Outstanding leaders frequently choose quality over quantity
  7. Outstanding leaders make mistakes, but continue to learn from them and improve
  8. Outstanding leaders are self-aware and play to their strengths

These are a few of many characteristics of outstanding leaders. It is our mission to educate all students on the hundreds of leadership characteristics and attributes.

Reaching the reluctant leader

 Educators and administrators cannot communicate the value of leadership to the reluctant leaders unless we make the effort. The table discussed ideas to help connect students to leadership including individual conversation, leading by example, facilitating peer recognition, and inviting them to programs.

I suggested a simple invitation to campus programming could go a long way. That invitation will go even further if you follow up with the student. If they did attend, ask them if they enjoyed the experience. If they did not attend, ask them if there is a different program that would interest them or a better evening that fits their schedule. Basically… ask them again and don’t give up! The chances are these middle-tier students have thought about the idea of leadership, but they need a little push. Maybe they need us to align leadership with their interests for them.

We are in the unique position of helping reluctant leaders uncover the truth about leadership: it is not title-driven nor time-sensitive, but powered by morale, values, mission, discovery, ambition, and most important, sense of purpose. All students can live these characteristics both academically and socially, and assume a posture of leadership on campus.

By Sheri Lehman, M.A. in Leadership Development Student & Interactive Marketing Specialist at Chapman University