If you had to elect a new world leader, who would you select from the following candidates?
 
Candidate A: Associates with ward healers and consults with astrologists, has had two mistresses, chain-smokes, and drinks eight to ten martinis a day. 

Candidate B: Was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college, drinks a quart of brandy every evening. 

Candidate C: Is a decorated war hero, a vegetarian, doesn't smoke, drinks an occasional beer, and has had no illicit love affairs. 

To most, the answer seems fairly easy. Like many of you, Oakland student-athletes elected Candidate C at their sophomore leadership and involvement workshop on Monday, Oct. 14, led by Jeremy Heinlein, Oakland University's Coordinator of Leadership and Service Programs, and Ghazi Ghazi, student leadership consultant. 

Heinlein used this opening activity to help student-athletes think about how much weight certain characteristics carry in determining the perceived worthiness of leaders. By the way, Candidate A is Franklin Roosevelt, Candidate B is Winston Churchill, and Candidate C is Adolf Hitler. 

Understanding the lesson in the opening activity, student-athletes worked in groups to define and draw their ideal leaders. Similarities among groups included leaders being those who are both visionary and positive. 

"Leaders need to be positive because if the leader is positive then the followers of said leader will also be positive and help inspire action," said Parker Wasielewski, swimming and diving athlete from Livonia, Mich. "Leaders need to be visionary as well because when things get tough, a leader without vision will crumble under the pressure; whereas a leader with vision can weather the storm because they have an end goal in mind." 

Student-athletes also had the opportunity to reflect on their personal values – values they freely chose, values they deem as uncompromisable, and values they live by every day. The task provided: narrow down a list of more than 120 values to 5. 

"While the list of 120 words seemed to be a tad overwhelming at first, it was interesting to see that within that list, a diverse group of student-athletes could relate to each and every word in one way or another," said Sidney Rayba, softball outfielder from Rochester Hills, Mich. "The final words I chose (family, independence, creativity, knowledge, and optimism) all hold a special place in my soul and are things I try to implement into my every day life with the choices I make." 

The activities Heinlein and Ghazi walked participants through focused on helping student-athletes reflect on and build their leadership identity.

"In order for a student-athlete to understand who they are as a leader, they must understand what makes a great leader standout and the values they use to support their decision," said Heinlein. "Once a student has defined their core values, they have taken the first step in building their leadership identity. 

While no one group's definition of a leader was the same and no student-athlete had the same five values as another, at the end of the night, student-athletes walked away with the same understanding of leadership – leaders are not perfect.  

"The most important lesson I learned was that leaders don't always have to be perfect to be effective," said Wasielewski. "This was important for me to learn and understand because I'm not always the perfect athlete or student, but knowing I can still be a great leader even though I have flaws is empowering." 

Rayba echoed these sentiments saying, "A leader can make mistakes and fail numerous times, but it's the way they pick themselves back up and motivate their team that will make them that much stronger. Everyone has leadership qualities within them." 

For more information on student-athlete development workshops, please contact Ashley Stone, Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Experience.  
 
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