I’d like to talk to all of the student leaders in the room for a moment. (Everyone else can listen in if you’d like).
As a student leader, you bring a unique set of strengths, abilities, and weaknesses to the table. You may or may not feel like you possess the “leadership” gene. But the one quality each and every student leader can demonstrate is excellence.
Excellence is within your reach if you are willing to pursue it. You may not be the best, but you can definitely do your best. It is when you do your best that your effort stands above the masses who are satisfied with mediocre.
This is why the measurement of excellence isn’t the same for each person. It is recognizable when people possess it and function with it. Yet, it is a subjective measuring tool. Your best may not look the same as someone else’s best. It’s important to note that excel- lence isn’t a measurement of outcomes as much as it is a way to gauge the quality of one’s effort and resourcefulness. While the final product is important, the goal of the person who strives for excellence is constant improvement.
Think about all of your involvements. What does excellence look like in such things as academics, effective social events, organizing around a cause, and finding ways to develop a sense of community on your campus? Putting your energy into demonstrating excellence will show through in the results you achieve and the effort through which you achieve them.
If you expect excellence from those whom you lead, you must model it for them.
One of the ways excellence can be demonstrated is by improving upon a situation or a previous effort. It is the constant attempt at making something or someone (including yourself) better. Many student leaders may struggle from the unrealistic idea that everything has to be perfect. This perfectionistic tendency is nothing more than a trap that strangles our attempts at doing our best. Unlike perfection, excellence is an attainable goal.
One of the attributes that distinguishes student leaders from those who are “students” but not “leaders,” is a dislike of mediocrity. Continually doing the same thing, the same way is not appealing to those who work hard at being excellent. Think about why you chose to run for a student leadership position.
What did you hope to accomplish?
Did you anticipate making some kind of improvements as you took hold of the position?
Developing a lifestyle of excellence is the only strategy that will ensure that you keep moving in the right direction throughout your student leadership year.
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Why not make excellence a goal for the next 90 days? I’ve created a new, free ebook that can guide you through the process. Check out 90 Day Decision.
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