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 International and their college branch, Circle K International. 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.

The 1st Quality of a Good Student Leader – Have VISION!

“They have to have a vision for what it is they want to do in that role. So many students get into leadership roles and have no idea what they want to do with it. They don’t think about it or consider it. Most students get into leadership roles because of popularity. Once they get it they have no idea what they want to do with it. And all they do is just parrot what they’ve seen before instead of saying ‘Hey, this is something I’m going to make my own.’

“If they would take some time to plot a vision or even plan out the whole year either by themselves or with their board of officers, they’ll find that their group is more successful and that they would have a much better experience because of that.

“That way they’ll be proud of their accomplishments when they look back instead of saying I wish I had done this or done that. They often then just pass it on to the next person who is just a clueless as they were. Taking the time to really plot a vision for what they want for their organization is really important.”

The 2nd Quality of a Good Student Leader – Be OPEN and LISTEN!

“They have to be open and listen to other people. While the board may sit down and set a vision or a direction, you still have to know what the members want – the people who are not in those leadership roles. Because that’s who the organization really is. They have to remember that they are members too, so they have to think about it from that perspective and it can’t be my way or the highway.

“This is not a movie like “Roadhouse” with Patrick Swayze where if people don’t agree with you, you just beat ‘em up. That doesn’t work in campus organizations. They have to listen to what the people want and through that they’ll communicate the vision they have set. If people don’t agree with your direction, that may mean that the student leaders are not effectively communicating the vision they’ve created.

“So the more buy-in you get from the membership, the more successful the vision will be as well as the members, seeing that the boards members are open and willing to listen they’ll be more supportive of what the board is intending to do. Even if they don’t initially agree, if they can at least see that their voice was heard then they’ll be more accepting of that.

“And as a subset of that for students and student leaders is that just because people don’t implement your ideas does not mean they didn’t listen to them. I’ve seen situations in student organizations where just because members’ suggestions weren’t implemented they felt that no one listened. That may not be the case. Many times you are heard but a different direction was selected. All members have to be willing to accept that. Give them a fair hearing and hopefully they’ll be more accepting of the direction the group wants to go.

“The leadership, by listening to other ideas may come up with ideas that their leadership team has never thought of. Many times the person who came up with a new idea is then put in charge of it. Not only were they listened to but they we given a leadership role. This is one good way to build future leaders.”

The 3rd Quality of a Good Student Leader – INVOLVE and MOTIVATE your MEMBERS!

“They must have the ability to involve and motivate their members. I hear all of the time, when making presentations, that the biggest problem is getting people involved. They need more than just sign-up sheets or asking for a show of hands – because it’s always the same people stepping up. You have to be willing to go ask the people who don’t sign up or raise their hands to get involved.

“As a student leader you have got to be willing to step out and ask people to do something. If you directly ask people face to face to get involved it’s harder for them to say ‘no.’ Ask people DIRECTLY to get involved. That even goes for those who miss meetings. Let them know they were missed either face-to-face or with a note (not email, not text or a Facebook post or tweet). Physically mail something and make a personal effort to involve people.”

VIDEO BONUS:

 
The 3 qualities of a good student leader according to…

Victor Collazo, Student Development Coordinator, Valencia Community College, “The City Beautiful” Orlando, FL

1. Servant Leadership – Service, community Service and “Having a true servant’s heart.”
2. Natural Skills – “Motivation and time management are really important.”
3. Dedicated to their studies – “The first word in student leadership is student.”

Reginald Lane, Student, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY

1. Be a good listener.
2. Be Humble.
3. Be willing to work with everyone and accepting of everyone’s differences.