1. Me and Fish (Or is it Fish and I?)

Greetings! I don’t know about the rest of you, but this is my first encounter with the blog world.

…In other words, bear with me.

Below is the first assignment for Leadership Development. Thanks in advance for reading.

1. How would you define a leader?

Coming up with a definition for "leader" is like swimming with fish...

I'll explain. You don't have to worry about my going too deep into the following cheesy metaphor.

If someone is standing on the beach, looking out over the water, he or she is not going to gain much understanding of what fish do and how they live. To appreciate the fish, that person will need to dive into the water and swim among them. In other words, experience is a sure-fire way to grasp the meaning of something.

The concept of a leader is difficult to pinpoint because leadership has developed substantially all through history. On top of that, leaders themselves have changed with culture as well. According to my limited personal experience "swimming with fish," I would say a basic definition of the term "leader" is someone who encourages others to be better than the leader himself (or herself), whether deliberately or obliviously. I love the quote by Daniel Gregory in the book Exploring Leadership: "...the best leaders empower the individuals they lead." Everyone can be a leader to those around them by the way they live their lives, and that can either lift people up or bring them down.

2. What people or experiences in your life have influenced your view (either positively or negatively) of what a leader is?

I can name more than a few leaders during my high school years who reached out to me when I was dealing with various insecurities. Namely my youth group leaders and my parents helped me over huge emotional, spiritual, and social hurdles, even if I didn't appreciate their support at the time. If these individuals had never encouraged me in my walk with God and believed better of me, I don't think I'd have a relationship with Jesus right now.

After I became a Christian, I led a worship band in my church's youth group. I was able to exercise what had been cultivated in me and grow even more in those areas. Being in a leadership position also made me realize that I had to be much more responsible for myself because others were watching the example I set.

3. To what extent do you view yourself as a leader?

As a follower of Christ, I definitely see myself as a leader to anyone who needs me to be one for them. When I am at home during breaks, my little brother considers me a leader because he's seen me mess up life (plenty of times) and still press on for the cause of Christ. A few girls in my church also look up to me for similar reasons.

This upcoming semester, I expect to develop my leadership skills because I am personally motivated to do so. More is caught than taught. Only if I have the desire and commitment to grow as a leader will I end up successful.

One specific opportunity I am definitely going to take advantage of is being somewhat of a leader to the first-year freshmen. I've already reached out to some of the newcomers in my suite and simply made it known that I can be a friend to them whenever they need me.

I'd like to take this moment to make sure I'm not boasting. As I've said previously, I wouldn't have any confidence if it hadn't been for the people in my life who kept my focus on God. I've been poured into. Now I'm simply being poured out.

4. In regards to the purposes of our class, what do you want to learn or take away.

What I'd like to take away from Leadership Development is a better way to articulate how to become a confident leader. Since confidence is both an emotion and a mindset, it is difficult to determine a systematic process of how to become someone who can lead. For me, I value a clearcut formula for something as holistically instrumental as the development of leadership.

Finally, I believe Christians were designed to be leaders to everyone they come in contact with. I look forward to being able to build a solid foundation of Godly leadership in an academic environment. I won't pull out the Bible card just yet, but Jesus set a pretty darn good example of what humble, strong, reliable, just, and righteous leadership is supposed to look like. Since becoming like Christ is the result of growing in God, and Christians are striving for that, I certainly hope we all know what we're getting into.

Well, there you have it. I anticipate positive feedback on this first entry, although constructive criticism is appreciated as well.

Now about the title and content thus far of my blog. Yes, you can expect ichthyological references throughout my postings. May this be a warning to all who happen to be ichthyophobics, but I truly hope the rest of you enjoy.