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10 Steps to Becoming a Better Leader

THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

Seek opportunities to take on a leadership role.

1

The more you practice, the better youll become.

2Make speeches and presentations.

Learn to be confident and straightforward in what

you have to say.

Communicate your emotions verbally and nonverbally. Use concrete examples.

3Coach or captain a team. Be a mentor.

Learn about the skills, interests, and aspirations of others and enable them

to make the most of their talents.

Be responsive and express confidence in others abilities to make good choices,

back them up when they make mistakes, and support their decisions.

4Volunteer to lead projects both on campus and in your community.

Engage in opportunities to build and affirm shared

values that all can embrace.

5Record observations about exemplary leaders in a journal.

Notice how they

6Read biographies and watch videos of exemplary leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi.

Listen to their speeches.

Notice what leaders do that makes them

successful.

7Interview leaders you admire and respect.

Ask for permission to observe them in their day-to-day activities.

Identify what they do to lead successfully.

Ask for their advice.

8Take courses. Work with teachers, mentors, and coaches.

Continually seek out ways to expand your knowledge and skills in specific areas in which you want to improve.

9Develop a personal action plan.

Use what youve learned to create a concrete

action plan to help you practice the behaviors you admire in leaders.

10Self-reflect.

Assess your development and ask others for feedback

on your leadership skills.

Adapted from The Student Leadership Challenge Student Leadership Planner: An Action Guide to Achieving Your Personal Best, copyright 2006 by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner. The Leadership Challenge,

The Student Leadership Challenge, and The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The associated icons are copyright 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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