Dialogue 10 – Leadership

“What do you think it takes to be a good leader?” she asked

“Why?” he asked.  “Are you planning to lead something.”

“They asked me to  head up the schools parent organization and I’m not sure I’m the best person for the job,” she said.

“It seems to me, the first quality of a good leader is confidence.  You don’t seem to  have much confidence in your abilities.”

“I’ve never been the leader,” she said.  “I’ve always been the worker bee.  I like doing things and helping people out, but I’ve never, really been the leader.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” he said.  “You’ve always been the leader around here.  You plan all the trips, make all the reservations and follow up on all the details.   I think that makes you a leader.”

“No, it makes me the worker bee,” she said again.  “Someone else decides what needs to be done, and I do it.   Do you think just anyone can be a leader?”

“I do,” he said.  “Do you enjoy being involved in school activities?”

“I love it,” she said.  “I think there’s nothing more important than to see that the kids get a good education and that the school has the resources to get that done.”

“Well, you’ve got the first element of a good leader – – Passion,” he said.  “I think a good leader needs to have passion and I think you have it.”

“So, should I do it”” she said.

“I think you should go for it,” he said.  “Once people see how passionate you are about helping the school, the more they’ll see you as the leader.  All you have to do is tell them what needs to be done, and they’ll do it.”

“Will you help me?”

“I don’t know if I’ll have the time,” he said.  “You probably should ask somebody else.”