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

Everyone Can Be a Leader...And Create Fellow Leaders

Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people. - John Rockefeller

I really like this quote because it shows that everyone should have the chance of becoming a leader and learning how to be a good leader. Many people would make good leaders if they had a chance to do so, but this is not always the case. Effective leaders should learn how to teach others how to become as successful as they have been in leadership so that more people will get a fair chance in life. 

- Filloreta Islami, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Knowing When to Lead

From the day we’re born we generally fall into one of two categories; the leader or the follower.  As a baby you follow what your guardians, siblings and other little friends do and say; it’s all a part of learning and growing. Then, one day you’re in first grade and your teacher tells you that you’re the line leader for the day and all of a sudden you’re on top of the world. Not everyone is cut out to be the line leader of the real world, but if you are, you better hope you can positively reach out to the rest of the class following behind you. I think that is one of the hardest parts of becoming a leader; control. Taking whatever “power” you have and making it a positive influence on those you’re impressing upon. Power and money seem to have taken over our world, our minds. Everyone seems to be looking out for themselves, which, to some extent, is understandable. But as a leader you need to look at the bigger picture, too.

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.”

-Nelson Mandela

I love this quote. I think  Nelson Mandela was trying to impress that leading doesn’t always mean being first, being number one or being completely in charge. As a leader you should know when you need to take charge and when you need to let others try and learn on their own.

To close, don’t be afraid to take the lead on your own life. You’re your own person. Don’t let others dictate how you feel, how you think, how you dress, who you love, anything. Life is too short to go to bed at night thinking, what if? Take control of your own life, be responsible for yourself, and learn from the mistakes you make.

- Regina (GiGi) Wickline, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Leaders Make an Impact

"The price of greatness is responsibility."

~ Winston Churchill

Hello everybody! My name is Daniella Valdes, this is my second year as RA here at Manhattanville College. I am also a member of the Leadership Conference Committee, which is in charge of planning the conference that will have impact on leaders. It can be on a daily basis, or a long term effect. Last year, the Leadership Conference had a day by day impact in my life. I hope that this year it can be a long term impact, because we will be discussing how our actions as leaders affect who we are.

The quote above connects, or makes these conferences complimentary. It is another way to say "If you talk the talk, you better walk the walk." If you decide to do something, knowing that what you are doing is wrong, you know that every actions has its reaction. To be great as a leader and make others overestimate you and follow you, you have to be responsible for your actions. As a role model, people are expecting the best from you to copy what you just did. Your followers act as a mirrors, they will reflect whatever you do. Everyone can make mistakes, however, you need to show others you are mature enough to take responsibility for your actions and accept you make mistakes. That makes you a great leader. Think about it and share your thoughts! 

- Daniella Valdes, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Welcome Back to the Manhattanville College 8th Annual Leadership Conference Blog

Welcome, or for some of you, welcome back to the Manhattanville College Annual Leadership Conference blog page! This page was created to keep all of our followers up-to-date on conference happenings, hear candid insight from the members of the Leadership Conference committee and give readers the opportunity to share information with conference planners and other student leaders on the topic of leadership. This will be a go-to hub of information about all things leadership. And don't forget to save the date for this year's conference which will take place on the campus of Manhattanville College on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8:30AM in Reid Castle.

In the wake of one of the biggest elections in US history and some of the most significant social and political events in the Eastern World, it is only appropriate that this year we take a look at leadership through the lens of the public eye. Leaders can come in all forms, from the President of the United States to the Libyan rebels to the Occupy Wall Street protestors in Zuccotti Park. All of these groups can teach us a valuable lesson, either positive or negative, in leadership if we only take a moment to watch the things they say and do. So this year, our theme, “$H!T LEADERS SAY AND DO: A Learning Experience in Leadership Etiquette” will embrace those moments to help us all become more experienced in how leaders can be agents of change, solidarity and expression. From exploring how are actions can be perceived by others to what our Facebook pages say about us to having meaningful meetings and conversations, we hope to provide skills that will enable everyone to go out and be successful leaders in today’s global community.

This blog will be updated each week, featuring a special guest blogger from the Leadership Conference committee, who will update you on the current happenings of the committee, offer exciting updates for the conference and their own personal reflections on the “#H!T LEADERS SAY AND DO." We encourage everyone to feel free to leave feedback, ask questions and utilize this space to connect with other student leaders from all over the world. We hope that this blog will become a great platform to share ideas, answer questions and help every student become the best student leader that they can possibly be.

Keep an eye out for information regarding how to get involved in the Manhattanville Leadership Conference as well as information on how to register for the conference in the next few weeks. And as always, if you are interested in getting more involved by presenting on a topic related to our theme, "$h!t Leaders Say and Do: A Learning Experience in Leadership Etiquette," feel free to contact anyone on the committee or reach out to us at our email leadershipconference@mville.edu. We are looking to have everyone get involved!  I hope you will join us on Saturday, February 16, 2013!

-Kia Brown, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Co-Chair

Leadership Around the World

So the Leadership Conference is extremely close...tomorrow in fact! I’m sure many of us are excited, including several people from around the world. No, we don’t have people flying in specifically to come to the Leadership Conference, even if it would be interesting. But we do have several website blog hits from places like Russia and India.
Check out the statistics so far...

United States                                                  514
Russia                                                               59
United Kingdom                                              48
India                                                                 38
Canada                                                             18
Latvia                                                               16
Philippines                                                       14
Pakistan                                                           10
Ukraine                                                            10
Malaysia                                                           7

It's interesting to see how important the topic of leadership is around the world, not just to those at Manhattanville. So for those who are attending the conference tomorrow, we hope that you will have the opportunity to learn a bit more about leadership and meet some incredible people in the process. And for those who are unable to attend, keep reading (and sharing). Hopefully you have learned something valuable as well.

-Anthony Otiniano, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Focusing on the Internal Voice

As I think about our theme, “Be a Showstopper: Finding your Leadership Voice” and how having a voice in the classroom, residence halls, and beyond college can change an experience.  I also think about the times when we need to quiet the voice, not just to listen to others, but in particular, to quiet the “voice(s) in our head”.  And this will be my focus, the internal voice. 

While in a meeting, class, or out with friends/family, too often we are constantly thinking about the “next”.  What is the next meeting we need to go to? What’s next in the day? What or when will I eat next? When is my next class? What will the next program be? What assignment do I need to work on next? What is next on the agenda?  What is next on the to-do list?  And while some “next” questions listed above do not fit in my daily life, I still have my own list of questions and thoughts I run through – all looking at what is next.

Oddly enough I made this connection about “finding your leadership voice” and taking time to quiet the internal voice during my one of my yoga classes.  I’ve been practicing consistently for a year and a half and in each class the teacher asks us to forget about the day, forget about what is “next” and focus on the time now.  Now it is a little ironic that I was thinking about the conference and what I needed to do next while in a space/time that asks me to just focus on the now, my breath and my movement, but it brought me to this blog idea.

So as we head into the conference and you are “finding your leadership voice”, let that be the only thing you are focused on.  Quiet the internal voice and forget about the “next” at least for one day.  It will be a challenge and it has taken me a great deal of time to let go and attempt to quiet the internal voice, but with practice it is possible. 

Namaste

- Michelle Eichengreen, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Co-Chair

A Peek On My Checklist

So this is my third Leadership Conference at Manhattanville and like many others (I hope…I doubt I’m the only person making checklists out there) who will attend,  I have a few of things I want to learn or at least get some light shed upon.

Leader’s Smile

Yes, a smile. But by smile I mean the one defined as: a pleasant and agreeable appearance, look or aspect (thank you dictionary.com). Of course, we are all unique and our smiles will be unique. But I need to be schooled on the outer appearance qualities of a leader, because not everyone will get a chance to get to know a leader personally. So they will judge that book from its cover and I don’t want to be caught in a rugged old paper cover.

Cologne or Deodorant

Both cologne and deodorant are used to shield humanity from our constant body wastes. But they work slightly different at least in general. Cologne introduces a definite new scent to an individual while deodorants simply restore ones smell without the sweat. My point, well as a leader, do I strive to look for a certain definite and ideal atmosphere (cologne smell) and impose it on the ones I lead or should I work towards identifying and uprooting the weeds among the society I lead and ensure it remains like that, like deodorants do?

Pen or a pencil

By now I’m sure my subheadings interpretations are already predictable, well welcome to my world of checklists and to-do lists writing style. I digress. Any ways, this one is obviously a straight forward one. When you use a pen its more permanent (provided you are not a whiteout fanatic) and the opposite is true for pencils because it is easy erase its marks.  As a leader there are times you will have to make final cut decisions and stand by them no matter what and sometimes as a leader you can simply act as a moderator and not necessarily make final decisions just draw the plots suggested by those you lead. Hopefully this conference will enlighten me on when a leader ought to use ink and when to refer to a No.2.

I’m sure there are other appropriate titles for these three excuses for subheadings I used like etiquette, assertiveness, humility, fairness, openness etc. But that’s what you get for peeking.

PS: if you wanted a more serious talk on leadership strategy take a look at this TED talk http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

Cheers.

- Geoffrey Rugarabamu, Manahattanville Leadership Conference Committee Member (since 2009)

Finding the Leader In You

I wrote a poem to give you an idea of where I use to stand and where I am at now in terms of leadership in general.

Queen of the followers
was I back in the days
till it struck me one day.
I paused and asked myself "why not me?"
Did I lack the leadership trait?
Why am I not qualified to be in the driver's seat?
Discerned a leader is born and not created.
Little did I realize
it is a phase
a leader goes through.
One needs to learn to obey
before they can become a leader.
Achievable is a leader figure
I declare from experience
slowly but surely
the transformation I encountered
an elevation to the greater stage--a leader.
Make it your dream, your goal
a dream that will never be deferred
and dry up like a raisin in the sun.
Grasp on to it till you get it
for the future belongs to you
if you believe in the beauty of your dream.

      If you are in the same boat as I was, come attend the 7^th Annual Leadership Conference and be one step closer. I guarantee you that it will be a life changing experience.

- Edom Tsegaye, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Oh, the Things You'll Learn...

As my winter break comes to an end, I have begun thinking about the new semester that will soon be upon every college student.  Once the spring semester starts, the Leadership Conference will also be quick in arriving.  The decorations have been ordered and some program proposals have been received.  In a little over a month, the 7^th Annual Manhattanville Leadership Conference will take place.

 

This year’s conference is titled “Being a Showstopper, Finding Your Leadership Voice” and focuses on self-discovery.  While the theme relates to one’s speaking ability, the conference deals with much more.   It concerns our ability as college students to grow into good leaders who will support the communities they live and participate in.

Each aspect of the conference is being handled by different RAs of Manhattanville College.  Simply organizing the conference has helped me gain additional skills I did not have before.  My partner and I are focused on the menu for the conference and the decorations. This conference has not even happened yet and I have already learned tools that will help me in becoming a better leader. 

Please attend Manhattanville’s Leadership Conference on February 18^th, 2012.

- Alexis Moore, Manhattanville Leadership Conference Committee member

2012: A New Year

At 11:59 on Saturday night, I watched the New Year's Ball drop in Times Square from my television. Like many others, I thought of the New Year and what I could do with it. For many of us, a new year is more than just a change of a number on our calendars. A new year means new beginnings, new opportunities, and a whole new mindset. Admittedly, I am not one for keeping my New Year's Resolutions. Though I create astronomically long lists every December 31st of all of things I would like to do better for the upcoming year, I tend to get tired of trying to change my awful habits by January 2nd. Considering I just spent this January 2nd eating Chicken Fried Chicken at Cracker Barrel, I think it's safe to say that I have already given up on the "EAT HEALTHY!" bullet point on my list.

Even though my habits sometimes remain the same, the world is changing. This is my last year at Manhattanville College, and I will have to leave no matter what. I can hide behind school books, the programming binder, and my friends all I want, but I have now reached the year that I will graduate from college. In elementary school I used to count the numbers on my fingers and say, "I will graduate from college in (gasp!) 2012!!",  never thinking that a number that large could ever exist. But alas, here we are. 

I simply do not have the time to delay the changes, the resolutions, and the improvements. I have reached the point in my life where I can either accept my Cracker Barrel eating self for who I am, or make the very big decision of changing. Either way, I must do what is right for me; I must find my own voice. (In case you were wondering, that WAS a shameless plug-in for the Leadership Conference. It's on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 in Reid Castle, by the way,)

The time is now. Are you ready?

- Lisa Marie Hunt, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member