SLG Retreat

From the 7th to the 8th of this month I was fortunate enough to have attended an overnight retreat for the Student Leadership Group. I enjoyed it a lot. It was a chance to get away from study and duties, to think for a moment, and also to connect with other people. As Moz would say, "It's fun in the sun." And he'd be right, it was. I must give a huge shout of thanks to Brendan who kindly paid for our Staff-Student Dinner. That night was awesome too, but I won't go into the details- too many inside jokes about combustion and "Jump on it, no-one's there." and the like. Suffice to say that little sleep was done and I'm sure the girls heard our laughter from their dorm.
The retreat was centered around the concept of leadership and what it means to be a leader. From my own cluster, I found the character of Sir Donal Bradman to be a fascinating example. A humble country boy who, through the concentration of his physical and mental sharpness and the focus of his energies, captained a cricket team that rose to high esteem, lifting the spirits of the Australian people in a troubling time and contributing to the formation of an Australian identity. The Don stuck me as a person of genuine principled integrity, who stood by his ideals and understood the value of hard-work and perseverance, even against the odds, and he maintained his character. From this I could see, coming to clarity, the understanding the genuine leadership and authority are different- not mutually exclusive. One could retain official authority and offer little or no leadership, while one with no official authority could reflect the values of leadership. Genuine leadership is about leading by example, through participation, passion and integrity. The Don resembles this genuine leadership, as do many persons' throughout human history, such as Martin Luther King Jrn. who refused to remain silent to oppression and injustice and projected his voice in the name of a good cause. Mother Teresa who went to the Poorest of the Poor, leading by example, in her efforts to not only assist people, but to connect with them, form bonds- community. Though I'm not accustomed to calling many politicians leaders, I am inclined to think of Ron Paul, who is currently running as a US Presidential candidate, as one. He comes across as the kind of guy who has principled integrity, a vision and retains the same message, often speaking of liberty, no-matter who the audience. This is likely why he appeals to many people, even internationally.
Often I need to remind myself that I'm not perfect- that I'm human, and we humans tend to be complex characters filled with contradictions sometimes. I still hope though, that I can be humble in my endeveours and achievements. And though I may not embody all the qualities of leadership, I still hope that I can maintain an integrity of character. I'm thankful to have many examples of leadership so that through such experience I can understand what it is. Examples not only from history, but from my own life. My grandmother is a leader, in her immense capacity to forgive and her strength and hard-work ethic. She demonstrates such qualities to me, making me impressed to imitate her in a way that I could. What worries me is perhaps being an 'image' leader. I want to be a leader in the sense of one who listens and who voices- seeking to understand. I guess that means being down-to-earth. The challenging part however may come in doing things that are not necessarily popular, such as reaching out to someone who may be alone. I must admit that this is the hardest challenge for me to overcome. I find it so difficult to simply reach out to people and connect. This is the personal challenge that I'm faced with, actually reaching out to someone, connecting with them. After hearing a story today about someone who regretted not connecting with a school colleague who was ostracized, I think it's really important to recognize that situation and approach it. I pray for the courage to do so appropriately, even if the risk may be embarrassment- I'd be overcoming my fear, my shyness, my own reservation, and in doing so I'd be able to connect with people- something that I now consider to an essential and maybe the most challenging aspect of leadership.
Cath left us with this quote to ponder, "To attain excellence, you must care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think it practical."