Know your strengths.
In order to be a good leader, you need to know your strengths. Knowing your character strengths enables you to select environments that allow you to express and develop them. If you love helping people and are a religious person, then you may consider being a leader in campus ministry. If you have a passion for writing and like working in a team setting, consider becoming a leader on your school's newspaper staff. If you are a people person and want to work for the common good of your school community, become involved in your school's student government.
Gain experience.
You may encompass all the attributes that a good leader should have, but if you do not have experience in the area in which you would like to become a leader, then you will not be viewed as a knowledgeable leader among other students. If you want to become the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, you'll have to start at the bottom and gain experience. This holds true for practically every leadership position at your school.
Work well with people.
In order to be a good leader at your school, you need to be able to work well with other people. Good leaders exude superior interpersonal skills. You should be able to listen to others, communicate well, establish trust, ask questions to stimulate thinking, and develop a sense of teamwork. To demonstrate your interpersonal skills, you should go around your campus and meet new people. Talk with them about school issues and listen to what they have to say. This will help you establish a sense of trust among your peers.
Be optimistic.
Leaders must be optimistic. When faced with a setback, optimists don't give in to feelings of helplessness. They maintain their focus. In whatever area of interest you have at your school, always remain optimistic in any situation that comes your way. This will show other individuals that you can be counted on in times of need.
Be willing to take action.
Leaders create a vision, set goals that embody that vision, and develop plans that lead to their goals. Don't just talk about what you want to do once you have a leadership position on campus; take action to get it accomplished.
Student leadership is important for schools to have because, within the schools, there are hundreds to thousands of students who come from different backgrounds and have different beliefs and values. Students need leaders who they can identify with and count on. When considering a leadership role, make sure you are equipped to handle whatever comes your way.
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