10 Lessons Learned as Jaycee President

I recently finished my term as president of a wonderful organization called the Naperville Jaycees. It’s a young person’s organization, one’s whose purpose is to develop leaders through community service and in Naperville; it currently stands as one of the largest and most prominent organizations in the city. I can’t tell you how grateful I was for the experience as I learned so much from being the president, and now have successfully used those skills to lead my employees and teams. In one of my last newsletter articles I wrote as president, I shared with the organization the 10 lessons I learned and today, I am sharing that with you.

 

10 Lessons Learned as Jaycee President

1. The culture of your organization (or company) is everything.

It is imperative that the leader dictates that culture. You set the energy based on your own enthusiasm and drive and your organization or company will often follow your example.

2. Remove bad apples immediately.

One negative in the group can affect the entire team; remove that person immediately before it affects everyone. It is your responsibility to be a leader, not everybody’s friend.

3. Stand for something and don’t be too political

It is much better to have half of your team dislike you but everyone respect you than all of your team like you, but nobody respects you.

4. Give your team credit for success, but accept responsibility if there is failure.

It’s your responsibility to lead the organization; therefore it is your responsibility to take the heat when it is necessary and give praise when it is due.

5. Always have a strong team of advisors

There is no way you will have the answer to everything and it is much easier to rely on the opinions of those that have gone before you than you try and figure it out yourself.

6. How you deliver a message is equally important as the message itself

It is important to challenge opinions, propose great questions and have great debate, but the poor tone and delivery of your message can mask the message itself.

7. Candor is so important in an organization.

Don’t be afraid to tell people what you think, as long as you say it with the proper delivery, it will benefit the organization in the long run.

8. People will try to bully you, as a leader, it is responsibility to stand your ground.

Everybody is watching so if you don’t stand your ground, people will lose respect and others will take advantage of your weakness.

9. As a leader, you need a close and trusted circle that you can rely on to tell you if you are doing something wrong, or to confirm your actions and direction is appropriate.

Reaffirmation that you are doing the right thing is important as you take the road less traveled by. And if what you are doing is not correct, you need to trust your close circle to be honest with you.

1. Have fun doing it and make sure your team has fun as well

People will work far more efficiently and effectively if they have fun doing what they are doing. As a leader, it is your responsibility to make things fun

 

Bonus: Never let your emotions get the best of you

You can’t make intelligent decisions when you are clouded by emotions

So my closing remarks are simple, leadership can only be built through experience. You can read all the books you want but the ability to apply leadership principles cannot be done without the experience to do so. What I learned in the Jaycees has helped me manage employees, deal with interns and truly learn the difference between leadership and management. I encourage everyone to go out there and get involved with some organization that will allow them to experience an opportunity to excel other than what they are doing right now.