Are leaders
born or made? I believe it’s a little bit of both. While many people have some
leadership qualities to build upon—whether it’s great communication skills, the
ability to inspire others, or a steady hand under adversity and unexpected challenges—most
develop these traits over many years and through many experiences.
I also believe
that leadership is best fostered with early training and exposure to mentors
and role models. The founder and staff at the National Leadership Academy
share my viewpoint. I was both pleased and honored when the group recently
asked me to participate in a panel led by one of the leading innovators and
entrepreneurs in education, Kristina Scala, and also featuring Jodi Rolland,
who is one of the highest-ranking female executives on Wall Street with Bank of
America Merrill Lynch. Kristina’s theme for the panel was “The world is run by
those who show up and hustle,” and she asked the panelists to share their
experiences and personal stories along this theme.
The National
Leadership Academy provides intensive, hands-on leadership and service training
to high school students from around the country in an annual four-day camp in
Denver, Colo. The academy, part of the Spaulding Leadership Institute, is a
nonprofit youth leadership development organization founded in 2000 by Tommy Spaulding, a world-renowned
speaker on leadership and author of a best-selling book, “It’s Not Just Who You Know.” (If you attended the Colliers National
Meeting last year in Chicago, you will remember him as our engaging and
passionate keynote speaker.)
Every year,
high school students and recent graduates apply to the academy and those
selected get the chance to meet with young leaders from around the country,
hear from leadership experts, engage in their own mountain leadership
experience and spend time serving the local community.
Spaulding started
the academy to provide the life skills—leadership, volunteering, civic
involvement—he felt students needed, but weren’t getting before they graduated
high school. In addition to leadership and influence, some of the topics
covered in the academy are communication, teamwork, time management,
interpersonal relationships, assertiveness, self-confidence, empathy and
humility. The academy’s vision “… is to create civic and service-minded high
school students by developing their leadership skills, inspiring purpose, and
empowering them to make a difference.”
Students who
attend the academy often report that the training is life-changing and that
they have more confidence, motivation, self-esteem and an increased ability to
create connections with others.
‘Community’ is one of
the four core values at Colliers and we encourage everyone to live out these
values and ‘walk the ‘talk.’ Reaching out to help educate and inspire young
people was an especially rewarding way for me to give back—especially when it
encourages kids to become more community-minded themselves. I was happy to
contribute my time and my own leadership experiences to this worthwhile
organization that has trained so many future leaders who will go on to make a
real difference in the world.
