LEADERSHIP
Leadership isn’t learned in class

We’ve been told being a leader is good. We’ve been told it’s what all the cool kids are doing today.

The university has shoved down our throats how great it is to be a leader. We’ve heard the mission statement more times than we care to admit. For those who haven’t had to hear it sometime today, it says, “To educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community.”

Even the university’s vision statement says TCU has an emphasis on leadership development.

As a result, leadership classes are full. Actually, they are overflowing as names continue to be put on the wait list.

About 300 students this semester are sitting in classrooms, talking with peers and attempting to learn what it takes to be a leader.

And while they are “learning” how to be leaders, there are numerous other students on campus actually being leaders.

Whether they are the president of a club or serving as a mentor for a child, these students are the leaders of today. They are the ones already out there working to make a difference in the school and world.

And many of them probably didn’t spend time sitting in a leadership class.

It’s time for people to understand that being a good leader doesn’t mean just sitting in a classroom. Leadership doesn’t just come from books, lectures or group activities.

It comes from working with others and learning about those people. It comes from making decisions, making mistakes and then moving on.

While the university trains the “leaders of tomorrow,” it’s time someone gave some respect to the leaders of today.