More than Student Government | Bruce Wilson | TEDxJeffersonU
Summary
TLDRThe script reflects on the universal experience of leadership in our formative years, from elementary school roles to the presidency. It emphasizes the importance of student government as a training ground for essential life skills like visionary thinking, humility, and servant leadership. The speaker illustrates how involvement in student government can shape successful leaders across various fields, urging the audience to foster a culture of leadership in youth to prepare them for future contributions to society.
Takeaways
- ๐ง Student leadership often begins at a young age, with traits like volunteering and taking initiative being evident even in elementary school.
- ๐ฆ Everyone has had the urge to step into a leadership role at some point, whether it was in a small or significant capacity.
- ๐ซ Student government serves as a crucial platform for students to develop leadership skills and traits that will benefit them throughout life.
- ๐ Many successful people, including famous actors, politicians, and entrepreneurs, were once involved in student government or similar leadership roles.
- ๐ง The skills gained through student government, such as visionary thinking, accountability, and emotional intelligence, are essential for becoming a prosperous member of society.
- ๐ Servant leadership, where leaders prioritize serving others, is a key principle taught and embodied in student government.
- ๐ฑ Encouraging leadership in youth helps to instill well-roundedness and prepares them for future responsibilities in society.
- ๐ก Without student government, society risks losing a vital space for young leaders to grow, delegate, and thrive.
- ๐ค To foster a culture of servant leadership, we must actively support and invest in leadership development at all levels, especially for the younger generation.
- ๐ Leadership opportunities, such as those in student government, can lead to lifelong service, excellence, and impactful contributions to society.
Q & A
What is the significance of the early leadership roles described in the transcript?
-The early leadership roles, such as the line leader in elementary school or the team captain during recess, are significant as they represent the first instances where individuals exhibit a natural inclination towards leadership and taking initiative.
Why did Andrew Gilliam start a 'seventh great revolution'?
-Andrew Gilliam started a 'seventh great revolution' because he wanted Doritos to be available in his school's vending machine, illustrating how even small-scale leadership can be a catalyst for change.
What is the role of student government in fostering leadership skills?
-Student government serves as an outlet for students with a desire to lead, allowing them to develop and practice leadership skills such as delegation, motivation, and servant leadership, which are crucial for success in various aspects of life.
What are some of the tangible benefits of being involved in student government?
-Involvement in student government provides tangible benefits such as the opportunity to hold positions like class representative or senator, which can help distinguish individuals and set them up for future leadership roles.
Why is it important to instill leadership skills in youth?
-Instilling leadership skills in youth is important because it encourages well-roundedness, prepares them for a life of service, and equips them with the necessary traits to be prosperous members of society.
What are some of the intangible skills that can be acquired through leadership endeavors?
-Intangible skills acquired through leadership endeavors include visionary thinking, humble presence, tenacious courage, high confidence, the ability to delegate, motivate, have a sense of humor, be accountable, exhibit high emotional intelligence, and embody servant leadership.
How does the transcript suggest we create a culture of servant leadership?
-The transcript suggests creating a culture of servant leadership by encouraging leadership in youth, being active examples, and investing time, talent, and resources at the grassroots level to support the development of future leaders.
What would be the potential consequences if student government did not exist?
-If student government did not exist, society would risk losing a platform for young leaders to develop and flourish, potentially leading to a lack of preparedness and initiative among future generations.
What is the connection between student government involvement and the success of notable individuals mentioned in the transcript?
-The connection is that many of these successful individuals were once involved in student government, which provided them with the foundational skills and experiences that contributed to their later achievements.
How does the transcript define 'servant leadership'?
-The transcript defines 'servant leadership' as a leadership philosophy where the main goal is to serve others, focusing on the growth and well-being of the team or community, which is considered a crucial trait for successful leadership.
What is the transcript's perspective on the relationship between leadership and contributing to society as an adult?
-The transcript posits that being a leader is not only crucial for personal development but also for being a contributing adult in the world, as it fosters the necessary skills and traits for societal participation and impact.
Outlines
๐ฅ The Journey to Leadership: From Childhood to Student Government
This paragraph delves into the innate desire for leadership that many individuals exhibit from a young age, such as volunteering for class roles or initiating changes in school. It highlights how these early experiences can translate into participation in organized leadership roles throughout life, including student government at the college level. The speaker uses the story of Andrew Gilliam to illustrate how student government can be a platform for those with a passion for leadership to develop and grow. The paragraph concludes with a game that introduces a list of successful individuals who share a common background in student government, emphasizing the importance of these roles in cultivating essential skills for societal prosperity.
๐ Cultivating Skills and Traits for Leadership Excellence
The second paragraph expands on the idea that student government not only provides an opportunity for leadership expression but also serves as a training ground for developing crucial skills and traits. It outlines specific qualities such as visionary thinking, humble presence, tenacious courage, and high confidence, among others, that are nurtured through involvement in student government. The speaker stresses the importance of these skills for setting a foundation for a life of service, leadership, and excellence. The paragraph also contemplates the potential consequences of the absence of student government, suggesting that without it, society might lack a platform for young leaders to grow and develop. The speaker calls for the fostering of a culture of servant leadership among the youth and emphasizes the role of adults in actively supporting and encouraging young people to engage in leadership roles.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กLeadership
๐กStudent Council
๐กLine Leader
๐กTeam Captain
๐กServant Leadership
๐กStudent Government Association
๐กVisionary Thinking
๐กHumble Presence
๐กTenacious Courage
๐กDelegation
๐กMotivation
๐กAccountability
๐กEmotional Intelligence
Highlights
Introduction of the topic by recalling childhood memories of natural leadership traits, like volunteering to be line leader or team captain.
Emphasizes the universal experience of feeling an urge to take on leadership roles, such as running for student council or leading a school protest.
Mentions that student government is a common feature in colleges and universities across the country, serving as a platform for students to develop leadership skills.
Connects early displays of leadership (e.g., class line leader or team captain) to future roles like university senator or class representative.
Provides examples of notable individuals who were involved in student government, such as Halle Berry, Hillary Clinton, Hugh Jackman, and Ronald Reagan.
Highlights the common trait among these notable individuals: they all had roles in student government, showing a link between early leadership experience and later success.
Discusses how participation in student government helps develop essential leadership skills, such as visionary thinking, tenacious courage, and high emotional intelligence.
Emphasizes that student government helps students acquire traits like humility, the ability to delegate, motivate others, and accountability.
Argues that involvement in student government prepares individuals for a lifetime of service, leadership, and excellence.
Encourages fostering a culture of servant leadership among the next generation by instilling leadership traits early on.
Discusses the potential consequences of not having student government, such as the loss of a nurturing environment for young leaders to grow.
Calls for adults to be role models in leadership by investing time, talent, and resources in developing young leaders at the grassroots level.
Advocates for encouraging youth to take on leadership roles to build a strong foundation for future leaders.
Stresses the importance of creating opportunities for all students, including those who show leadership potential in different ways, to thrive and develop their skills.
Concludes by reinforcing the idea that cultivating leadership skills in youth through programs like student government will result in a generation of strong, capable leaders.
Transcripts
do you remember that girl in elementary
school who always volunteered to be the
line leader of class or that little boy
who designated himself the team captain
of every recess sport or that one
student who never failed to raise her
hand to answer every question the
teacher asked regardless of if she knew
the answer or not no matter where your
memory takes you we all remember the
first time we had to urge to throw
ourselves in the ring of leadership
whether you were like me and ran for
your third grade student council
representative and lost because your
opponent was smarter cuter and gave out
more fruit snacks than you or if you
were like Andrew Gilliam who started a
seventh great revolution because he
wanted Doritos in his school as vending
machine no matter where you fall in that
spectrum we are all inevitably going to
be a participant of some form of
organized leadership from third grade
student rep to the mother and the PTA to
the retired senior citizen in the
homeowners association all the way to
the Oval Office this type of organized
leadership is a part of every aspect of
our lives and if you were to travel
across the country to thousands of
colleges and universities you would find
that most if not all have a student
government association
that's because student government is an
outlet where students who have to urge
to throw themselves in that ring to fire
that we call leadership can it's the
place where that girl who always
volunteered to be the line leader of
class can go on and be a senator for her
University that little boy who made
himself the team captain of every sport
can be representative for his class and
that one student who always raised her
hand and that seventh grader who started
a Doritos revolution
can go on to be student government
presidents and then want to be
scientists thriving entrepreneurs and
award-winning actor and just even the
President of the United States so let's
play a game I'm gonna list off some
names some may be well known to you some
may be individuals who have never heard
of before and some of these people you
may have just named your pet out there
as I'm listening these names want you to
think what is it that all of these
people have in common
you ready Halle Berry Hillary Clinton
Hugh Jackman Rosie O'Donnell Will
Ferrell Alec Baldwin
Andrew Gilliam Justin Shafer john d
rockefeller Jesse Jackson Malcolm X
Ronald Reagan George W Bush and George
HW Bush now I know that list was all
over the place and the most obvious
answer would just be for you to tell me
that all these people are just extremely
successful in their respective fields
however that is not the answer that I'm
looking for you see the one unique thing
that ties all of these individuals
together is that they were all either
once class presidents student government
presidents or heavily involved in their
Student Government Association by now
I'm sure you're wondering why is it that
all of these individuals have this one
particular thing in common how did all
of these individuals go from student
leaders to where they are now it's
because when student government works in
its proper capacity one can gain all of
the skills and traits experts have
distinguished as crucial to being a
prosperous member in our society it can
set one up for a life of service
leadership and excellence so what are
these skills and traits I've categorized
them as visionary thinking humble
presence tenacious courage high
confidence the ability to delegate the
ability to motivate a sense of humor
accountability high emotional
intelligence and most importantly
understanding and embodying the meaning
of servant leadership this is just the
tip of the iceberg when it comes to
vital traits that one can acquire
through leadership endeavors at any
level of society instilling the level of
well-roundedness in our youth will
encourage them to pursue these traits
while student government does allow
individuals the opportunity to gain so
many intangible skills at the same time
it is also allowing individuals the
opportunity to gain some concrete
practices that will distinguish
themselves from the rest it is very
evident that the more you put into
leadership endeavors the more you get
out of it so what is our responsibility
to instill into our children that being
a leader is crucial to being a
contributing adult in our world so now
I've told you all of these great things
I mentioned all of these grand people
that are products of student government
but it wouldn't be fair for me to leave
this conversation without us talking
about what would happen if student
government didn't exist so let's take a
moment to think
if student government didn't exist as a
society we run the risk of having no
place for the line leaders to flourish
no place for the team captains to
delegate and for the proactive student
to thrive so what do we have to do we
have to foster a culture of servant
leadership amongst tomorrow's
next generation of leaders but how do we
do it how do we create a culture of
servant leadership at every level of
society is simple we must encourage
leadership to our youth we must be an
active example to our young people by
investing our time talent and treasures
at the grassroot levels with the strong
foundation and the presence of a support
system there will be millions of line
leaders millions of team captains
millions of hand raisers and dorito
revolutionaries and they will go on to
be student government presidents thank
you
[Applause]
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