In schools all over, it isn’t the student who is passionate about a given subject that gets chosen, but the one with the highest grade.  The reason is the high competition among students, and the perception that without a PhD, getting anywhere in the adult world won’t happen.  As a result, the incidence of cheating is way up, because integrity isn’t valued as much as high grades. Some may argue this, and yet the statistics support it.

Many students make the high grades without cheating, and there are good reasons for getting high grades and getting a PhD.  The point is that getting an A+ is a skill: learning how to write tests well, attending to what the teacher is looking for, being able to spot and fix errors in how the first 2 happened.

But that will never translate into leadership, because it’s all about discovering and doing what someone else wants. It isn’t about thinking creatively and independently; it especially isn’t about taking risks in getting something wrong.  And yet a leader is someone why does take risks, who is willing to fail in order to win the next time, and who knows that there is no way around that.

Both the A+ student and a natural leader know we can’t achieve anything truly alone. The difference between them is that the natural leader has an inner self-confidence that never sees failure as wrong.

This blog of Seth’s speaks to my soul – The transition to leadership .

What it takes to be a great leader

 

Quote of the Week

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
– John C. Maxwell

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Maryanne