The big 10 leadership skills

“On every journey it is important to establish your destination, or else you will never arrive. In life, that destination should be the manifestation of your greatest hopes and dreams. These become our goals. To arrive at our grand destination, it is important to establish smaller goals that will carry you to your dreams. Set your goals for the day, month, year and life you wish to attain. “

Steve Edwards, Cox Health CEO and Leadership School Advisory Board member.

“A person that takes initiative will make a situation better by positively impacting the culture without being told to do so by another person. Initiators seek opportunities to improve, persevere through adversity, and are decisive with their actions. Utilizing initiative requires intense preparation, problem solving skills , networking, volunteering for additional responsibilities in a team first environment.”

Jeremy Wilson, Parkview High School Counselor and Leadership School Advisory Board Member.

“To inspire and motivate your team, you must be passionate about the work and show others this by your actions. By modeling this behavior and being involved, you inspire others to join something greater than themselves. A leader motivates by creating milestones, offering encouragement, celebrating successes, and just being present to show your value of the work being done.”

Dr. Matt Hudson, Executive Dean at OTC and Leadership School Advisory Board Member.

“The ability to communicate is essential for every facet of life. Parkview Leadership School teaches students to communicate in writing and face-to face, including capstone presentations to peers, teachers, administrators, and civic leaders. These skills give PLS graduates an amazing advantage as they head into college, the military, or the workplace.”

Martha Crise, OTC Professor and Leadership School Advisory Board Member.

“As leaders, we need to constantly be looking for individuals with leadership qualities and abilities. Those abilities can be extremely evident but also might have the potential to be developed in an individual. It is our job to recognize and cultivate that potential so that future leaders are encouraged to grow and emerge.”

Dr. Nicholas Sanders, Leadership School Advisory Board Member.

“Serving selflessly, which is giving of oneself and doing for others without the expectation of recognition or reward, is essential to leadership by building shared relationships, inspiring trust and faith in others and creating lasting bonds with the community. It is also a powerful way to experience real joy and fulfillment.”

Andy Faucett, Owner of Bambino’s and Leadership Advisory Board Member.

“We were designed to create. Advancements in the way we live and the way we socialize are driven by new ideas that were once believed to be out of reach. Leaders take us to these places where the human spirit shines. A leader need not be artist or scientific to think creatively. A leader must simply be willing to ask — what if? — and then take us to that place of new ideas.”

Billy Kimmons Architect +Principal Hood Rich Architecture, and Leadership Advisory Board Member.

“Ethical decisions are, quite simply, those decisions you make when no one is watching. And those types of decisions occur far more often than people think. It’s not just the big decisions that we make, but it’s also those day-to-day little decisions that you make that affect others, but they may not know it for a while—if ever. As the former Mayor of Springfield, I had numerous advisors around me, doing what advisors do: giving lots of advice. However, when the time came to actually make the decision, my office got pretty empty. To paraphrase Harry Truman, “The buck stopped here.” Whether your ethical framework is grounded in religion or a more secular concept, each person has to constantly draw a line what is ethical and what is not. As a former Mayor and as a Parkview graduate, I am very glad that “Making Ethical Decisions” is one of the Ten Leadership Skills of this program.”

Bob Stephens, former Springfield Mayor and Leadership School Advisory Board Member.