When Are Leaders Only Human?

“I am merely human; this makes my god-forbidden action understandable”. 

Aha! 

How many times has this phrase come out of our mouths? Well, maybe not this exact phrase per se, but some similar version of it. You guys get the idea. We do something considered wrong and then blurt out these words hoping it might make the situation slightly better. Or maybe we say this to ourselves so that we feel better of that horrible thing we just did… like getting French fries instead of vegetables at the cafeteria. How dare we participate in such atrocious acts! 

Anyway, what I’m trying to do is understand when this line is acceptable. When can we really judge ourselves or others based on our inevitable human instincts? 

“I’m sorry I breathed, I’m only human and don’t know better”, or maybe “I’m sorry I spent all night on Facebook and Twitter and didn’t do my homework. I’m only human and therefore can’t fight Mark Suckerberg”.

Ok, so these might be slightly dramatic examples, but when is it really ok to cut ourselves or others some slack? And even more importantly, when is it ok for leaders to use this? I mean, they are human, right? As far as I know I’m not traveling with Doctor Who inside his TARDIS heading to Dalek Land where leaders in fact aren’t human (although that would be pretty cool). 

Oh well, if any of you have an answer for this, please let me know! 

- Karla Boza, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Remember the Titans: A Cinematic Model of Leadership

Hello Everybody! I am really excited for Leadership Conference. It is only a few months away. We've been working really hard to have a great Leadership Conference. I have to say last year's keynote speaker was amazing. But I have seen videos and read reviews from this year's speaker and wow, I can't wait. One of my favorite movies is Remember the Titans. I hope everyone has seen that movie because it is one of the best leadership movies in the world. The story is about a high school football team in Virginia. Denzel Washington is the coach of the team and throughout the movie you can see how he works on a one on one basis with each team member to make sure that everyone gets along. It is important to mention that a leader never leaves his or her people behind. As a leader you need to make sure that you are able to fulfill everyone's need, but always keeping in mind that it is hard to stay in good terms with everybody because people expect too much from others. A quote that reflects exactly what I want to say is "Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway" by Margaret Thatcher. Make sure that you see the movie. Have a great day!

- Daniella Valdes, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Comfort in Conformity

Society plays a huge part in the leader/follower teeter totter of life. If you're going to split from the wave of normal society, you better make sure you can swim on your own. Taking on a leadership position, to me, has always meant that you knew how to get people to do positive things on their own. Taking joy in assisting people to do positive things without asking "what do I get out of this," that's someone who should be leading. I think people tend to take leading roles in hopes of being the center of attention when, in reality, a leader should want the task at hand to be the center of attention, and those he or she is leading to shine before he or she does. 

"To lead the people, walk behind them." ~ Lao Tzu 

- GiGi Wickline, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Leading Others

"I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?" - Benjamin Disraeli

 The above quote provides us with a very unique perspective on leadership. Whatever a leader seeks to achieve, it cannot be obtained solely by him/her. The people that the leader works for have to be willing to accept the change that the leader wants to bring. Thus, the most important quality of a leader is to be able to listen to the ideas of his people. If the majority of the people want to do a certain thing a certain way, then as a leader you need to be able to cater to their wants. If the ideas of leaders and the people do not intersect, then the leader always has to make a compromise. Thus, what the quote really means is that a leader heads in the direction pointed by his followers and leads them to their desired destination.

 - Dikshya Parajuli, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee

Pre-Leadership

     “…and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”- Anais Nin

     We aren’t born leaders. Sure, there are a select few individuals with innate qualities their peers silently envy, such as confidence and charisma, but those are just characteristics. Leadership is a choice. It is a conscious decision to act upon the persistent longing for more. Leaders are the men and women who were once everyday people dissatisfied with mediocrity. They are the people who, instead of stopping at the mountaintop, search for the next highest peak. They made a decision to act on their hunger. But what was the main catalyzing characteristic to push them towards this bold pursuit? Courage.

     The quality that separates leaders from everyone else is their courage: their ability to be bold, unique, and different. Too often, we find ourselves afraid of judgment. Perhaps, we are afraid of failure. Whatever the fear is, it often prevents us from our calling. We tend to play it safe, never doing anything out of the ordinary, going along with the pack. However, we were not meant to fit in! Each of us has something unique and brilliant to offer the world. The desire you can’t let go of? That’s your calling. You can’t allow your fear to inhibit you from your destiny. You must press forward towards your dream. As Marianne Williamson once said, “Your playing small does not serve the world…as we let our own light shine; we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same”. The only thing is, leaders do this consciously. They live to inspire others. The next time you are afraid, remember, this could be your chance to become a leader.

- Monique Mitchell, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Why Character is an Important Leadership Quality

“Most people say that it is intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character” – Albert Einstein

From the beginning, Albert Einstein knew it was not just smarts that enabled him to become successful. It was character. In leadership, character counts. Some characteristics of leaders are fixed such as being trusted by followers, being ethical, and at the same time conveying a strong vision but character is constantly evolving. After gaining or acquiring someone’s trust or commitment, in order to maintain it, leaders must also display a good sense of character composed of various beliefs, values, skills, and traits.

Leaders also do not command excellence; they build excellence. Leaders do not only pursue excellence but also, with those same characteristics, enable others to do the same. To be able to give a rise to other leaders can promote a chain reaction where those leaders teach others to become leaders, so on and so on. This is what makes a good leader and personally, this is the characteristic I favor the most.

- Leona Cheng, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member.

Why Doctor Who and Harry Potter are Great Leaders

Yes, I am making this post about Harry Potter and Doctor Who. You might ask how these two could possibly relate to a leadership conference, and primarily to a world where magic or time traveling do not exist. Well, I’m not making this post about the fantastic places where these leaders’ adventures take place, but about their admirable leadership styles. There are more similarities between the odd pair than you might think. 

To start with, both of these guys have maximized happiness in whatever way they could, despite the battles they might be in they always do the right thing, and most importantly they value the importance of their companions. 

Despite the situations they are part of both Harry Potter and The Doctor have always done the right thing. And not only that, but they have done the right thing and put others before themselves. I think it takes real courage to be able to do this. Most leaders are characterized by taking the spotlight, but how brave must one be in order to allow others to take it? Whether it was fighting Voldemort or the Daleks, these two leaders have admitted that if it were not for their friends or companions evil would not have perished. They value their relationship with others because in the end no one can do much on their own; and if they could, then what would be the purpose of it all?

What would have been of Hogwarts if it were not for Harry Potter? What would have been of the whole universe if it were not for The Doctor? It would have been a place full of corruption and deceptions. Who would like to be part of Voldemort’s army or be transformed into a numb Dalek?

Whether we live in a universe where we can travel in a TARDIS, we attend a school where Quidditch is the official sport, or we ride the Bee Line and are taught by humans, I think that there is a lot to learn from these respectable leaders.  

“It is a curious thing, Harry, but perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it. Those who, like you, have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, and find to their own surprise that they wear it well.” 

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 

- Karla Boza, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Commmittee Member