Leadership Defined

Over the weekend, I was having an important conversation with my 5 year old son, Cole.  It centered on the topic of being nice (mainly to his 2 year old sister, Aubrey).  As our conversation evolved, we kept on going back to what it meant to be nice.  At first it was hard to think about that being nice was simply saying more than being nice.  All of a sudden we started developing a list of actions of what being nice meant.  

Not pushing

Hugging

Helping color

Reading to Aubrey

The more I thought about this on Sunday and Monday, I started thinking about our 6th grade.  At the beginning of the year, we talked as a 6th grade family that we were the leaders of the building.  As 6th grade students, we help develop a Stand Up culture for our new 5th grade students.  It is our year to really find our leadership voice.

I connected the conversation I had with my son to the important actions our 6th graders would need to think about in continuing to cultivate their leadership.  My son started with a very concrete thought, "Nice meant to be nice."

In talking with some of our 6th grade students today, I posed the question, "Is a leader defined by a title?"  It was inspirational to see their young minds hard at work processing this question.  In one class, a girl started talking about what 6th graders at CW should be doing.  This was a great "aha" moment as we started to connect the concept to leadership to action.  Just because our students have the title of "6th grader" does not make them a leader.  Our students began to think deeply about how their actions develop, but also model leadership to others.

I had our students "step inside" what a 5th grade student is seeing and feeling right now.  I had them journey back into their year last year.  Believe it or not, our 5th graders are developing the actions to become 6th grade leaders at CW.  Some of our students remembered watching the actions of the 6th grade last year.

This powerful image helped to solidify the need of our 6th grade to lead through their actions.  Our 5th graders look up to them and see the messages their actions transmit.  If our 6th graders stop to pick up a piece a trash, or straighten their boots by their locker, or model the hard work of being a visible thinker...our 5th graders notice.  

Not only do our 5th graders notice...they aspire.  They aspire to continue the culture of leadership that is being developed every day by our 6th grade.

Today was a great reminder for our 6th grade that just by being in 6th grade does automatically qualify them as a leader.  It is their actions that demonstrate their leadership!