Timing

It is clear that one of the most important things for leaders is timing. This may not be as true at the student level, but it is definitely true at the state, national and international levels. Unfortunately timing is one of the things that a leader can not control. Leaders can work on many other skills such as confidence and charisma, but they can not work on timing. Allow me to give you a couple of examples from history and the present.
The first example is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As I’m sure you already know FDR was elected in response to President Hoover’s inability to deal with the great depression. He offered people a change to the way that the Republican president had run the country. The funny thing about it is Hoover was an accomplished business man who was suited to help manage a national economy. FDR provided the people with the hope that the economy could turn around with an appropriate level of public programs. It was this hope of change that the U.S. voters elected FDR to four consecutive terms. If FDR would have been president in 1929 it is very likely that the voters would have wanted someone who understood the economy and business, someone like Hoover.
The other example is our current president, Barack Obama. It is my opinion that Obama was voted into office so easily because the voters wanted someone who could provide change from the last eight years. If the Bush administration had not taken steps that angered a significant portion of the U.S. population it is likely that the Democrats would not have won sweeping victories in both 2006 and 2008. In fact it is possible that we would have another Republican in the White House.
These are just two short examples of how timing can be very important for a leader. As I mentioned earlier timing may not be as important as a student, but it is still important to know how it has affected other leaders. I hope these examples inspire you to learn about these two leaders and others. Have a great day.

A Bit of Input

Good afternoon folks.
I think it is time for a bit of input from you, the reader. I would like to know about the best leader in your life. Please leave a comment on the blog or send me an e-mail (alets410@uwsp.edu) and I’ll publish it.
Let me tell you about the best leader in my life, my father. My dad retired from the Wisconsin Army National Guard in the late 1990’s as Major. I was young when he served and I don’t remember too many details. However, since I’ve joined the Army I have met many people who served with him who have told me they think he was one of the best officers they ever served with. This speaks very highly of his abilities as a leader.
Since then he has moved up in the company he works for into many leadership positions. I had the privilege to work for him during the summer after my first semester at UWSP and was able to witness his leadership abilities in action. My dad is a very outgoing person who is willing to share his opinion with anyone. He is the type of leader I strive to be.
Please leave your own stories either here on the blog or e-mail me.
Have a great day!

Getting involved

It is important for a leader to know people. If you know people you can help out the people who follow you. By knowing people you can become even more influential not only at UWSP, but also in your life outside of school. One of the best ways to meet people on campus is to get involved in student organizations.
There are about 190 student organizations on campus which cover activities relating to politics, the environment, club sports, and gaming, just to name a few. Essentially, if you are interested in anything, there is a student organization for you.
One of the best organizations on campus (in my opinion) is 90fm. 90fm is the campus radio station and is one of the largest student run campus radio stations in the country. I was involved with the organization for about a year and a half and absolutely loved it. Working at 90fm will greatly increase your communication skills because you will be talking on the microphone every day. Doing this lets you communicate with an audience without having to actually see them, which really helped boost my confidence. Also working there will help teach you to think on your feet and best of all it’s a lot of fun.
Getting involved in any student organization will help you as a leader. Most organizations put on programs on campus and this will give you an opportunity to help organize an event and become more confident with yourself. I guess the moral of the story is get involved.
Well, that’s all I have for this week. Enjoy and please come back again!