At Gap Year, we pride ourselves on growing leaders, and we always seem to start with a great foundation. Each year, we are blessed with a great group of students who were –more often than not—the best and the brightest in their high schools, and they come to us eager to learn and grow as individuals.
And that’s where community comes in.
A lot of aspiring leaders make the mistake of being inward-focused with an “I’ve got this!” attitude. While it is certainly good to have confidence and drive, it is also crucial that they surround themselves with others who can build them up and help get them where they want to be.
Sometimes, the most promising leaders are afraid to admit when they don’t have all the answers. They take the “fake it ‘til you make it” approach to leadership, and sometimes it works. But those insecurities or inadequacies always seem to rise to the surface, and their influence or leadership potential can suffer because they weren’t completely honest – with themselves or with the people they serve.
At Gap Year, we are very intentional about engaging in community and coming together as a whole – not just developing individuals. The fact of the matter is none of us have it all together, and ALL of us need others to help, guide, lead, support and lift us to new and different levels of leadership.
Leadership is as much about realizing and admitting shortcomings as it is overcoming them. It’s not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. Taking the path of least resistance won’t get you very far, and the road to success is full of potholes, U-Turns and other obstacles that we need help navigating over, under and through. The sooner we can all understand and accept that, the more effective and influential we will be.
So, you don’t have it all together? Congratulations… You’re on your way to being a better leader.
For more information on Gap Year and our other Impact 360 Institute programs, click here.