This past September, I was recruited for combat duty by the Georgia Southern University Leadership Boot Camp. My job was to turn students into a well-oiled, combat-ready leadership machine. Ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I was the keynote speaker and a break-out session presenter However, this blog entry is about what I saw the Georgia Southern people doing right and some ideas for you to use on your campus.

Students are on a steep learning curve as leaders. By creating a culture of student leadership on your campus, you will be playing an important part in student success! Their situations evolve rapidly throughout the year as they face new challenges and learn more about themselves, their leadership styles, and new leadership techniques. What do you do after the fall retreat to keep the learning curve going up? Here are five ideas you can use right away.

That’s the question I asked Dave Kelly, America’s Student Leadership Trainer. He’s been working with student leaders for 30 years – since the days he was a student leader himself. He keeps in touch and up to date by continuing to work with students clubs and organizations on college campuses and through his volunteer work with Kiwanis and their college branch, Circle K. Drawing on his relationship with thousands of students and student-led organizations across the country, here’s what he thinks are the three essential qualities of a good student leader.

Dave ‘Gonzo’ Kelly took this video in Orlando in July, 2009 during a leadership retreat for the SGA leaders of four of Valencia Community College’s campuses. This is a team building exercise called “Tummy HA HA”. It is a fun activity that helps with a number of the steps or “building blocks” in team building.

Often when working with campus leadership groups advisors ask me to help instill a sense of responsibility and pride in their students during the keynote, conference or retreat. I’m beginning to understand more and more why I’m getting this request as I witness disturbing new trends among college students today. Here are three recent examples from the news:

Dave Kelly has gone to campus after campus and watched student leaders struggle with trying to explain what the volunteer organization “Circle K” was—and what it was not! – “No, we are not the Circle K that is the convenience stores,” etc. Until he came up with the idea of having a defining statement.

Dave ‘Gonzo’ Kelly, America’s Student Leadership Trainer, speaks to student clubs and organizations about setting up an effective recruiting table at their next student activities event.

Right up until he passed away at 92, my grandpa and I used to do lunch often. His usual order was a BLT sandwich. Just to be clear, that is a sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato – a BLT. Every time the sandwich arrived he’d peek inside and say, “Those damn tomatoes – every time!” I’d be chuckling and thinking to myself, “Grandpa, wouldn’t you expect that a BLT would have some ‘T’ on it?” I just never said it out loud.

Four hours with a dozen key campus leaders is a grand opportunity for all of us to roll up our sleeves. It was practically one-on-one time… The president and vice president of the student government association… the outgoing president and a presidential candidate for the Hillel Club (which provides social and educational programming focusing on Jewish holidays, scholarships and history)… and a few more officers and candidates rounded out the attendees. With an intimate group like this, we can really get to the core issues that their campus organizations are dealing with every day.

“You know, for people who spend so much time in meetings, you sure don’t run them very well. A 9:00 am start time should mean 9:00 am! If not, change the start time!” I wrote. I meant it. I couldn’t help it. I was finally so frustrated that I wrote it FOUR MONTHS IN A ROW under the “what can we do to improve our meetings” category on the comments card at the monthly meeting. It all started so innocently…

The droning of a monotone voice from the front of the room. The meeting leader that sits in the middle of the floor and asks, “So what do you guys want to talk about tonight? Two things most of us will avoid like the plague!

Let’s make our campus club and organization meetings fun and interesting or just put us all out of our misery and stop having them! Here are a couple of my time-tested ideas to give things a kick in the pants.

This is some of the ‘best of the best’ that I’ve learned over 20+ years working with student organizations. My top 3, 5, 7, or 10 lists cover everything from skyrocketing student involvement, to holding great meetings and everything else that involves student leadership. Ask your student leadership questions here!