[M.K. Thompson]Leadership demands sacrifice

In December, 2008, an editorial criticizing the way leadership is handled in secondary education appeared in the KAIST Herald. The KAIST Herald is produced by an exceptional group of students who take a call-it-like-you-see-it approach to issues. Their understanding of the situation isn`t always complete, but their views are always interesting.

In the editorial, Yurim Park wrote: "The concept of leadership seems to have become the keyword of the century or perhaps these few decades as educational institutes all over the world have reevaluated their curriculums so that leadership cultivation is a top priority amongst the many traits they seek as a successfully educated person."

Despite participating in tutoring and community service activities, sports teams and drama productions, he does not believe that the leadership that he was taught was "humble and self-sacrificing."

In many ways, the criticism is valid. Leadership has become a commodity in the college admissions process. It is a currency that can be exchanged for awards, opportunities, and internships. These can then be used for graduate admissions, job interviews, higher salaries and promotions. Is it any surprise that leadership is viewed as a mercenary activity at the high school level?

College admissions officers and interviewers have noticed the effect. A colleague once remarked that today`s applications "would make you sick" with all of the activities and awards. Students are forced to participate in more and more competitions and seek more titles (captain, president, founder, etc.) to keep up with their classmates in an epic game of credential inflation. And like grade inflation, this game does nothing but reduce the value of their work. What was once extraordinary is now expected and even necessary. No learning, personal growth, or self-awareness is actually required.

It gets even worse. In high school, the need for student leadership is relatively small. Schools are typically well-managed and most "leadership" is done within student activities.

Correspondingly, the responsibility of a student leader is relatively small. The penalties for failure are small or none. Failure, after all, is part of learning. The potential rewards for leadership are high and the number of leadership positions available is relatively small. So there is great competition for those positions, but little respect.

As a result, there is a growing trend toward using luxury packaged leadership and service programs to fulfill service requirements, especially among wealthier students. For a little over $3,000 you can participate in a 14-day student "leadership in conservation" program in the Galapagos Islands. The trip includes five mornings of "community service" at the tortoise breeding center just outside of Puerto Aroya. The rest of this trip involves snorkeling, kayaking, horseback riding, shopping and visits to popular tourist destinations. Similar programs boast 60 hours of community service credits. Who wouldn`t want to go?

Unfortunately, a real volunteer position at the Darwin Research Station is a minimum of six months, requires professional credentials, and expects you to cover your own expenses. (If you really want to help the tortoises, donate online at: http://www.darwinfoundation.org.)

The numbers of reports of forged, fabricated, or otherwise questionable or deceptive leadership and community service credentials are also on the rise.

Less grievous, but perhaps more distressing is the fact that even top students today can`t always explain their leadership and service activities. They can tell you what they did and what they learned, but are often hard pressed to explain why they did it and whom they have helped. They are doing the work, but missing the message.

Leadership education is intended to help students rise to the occasion when a genuine leadership opportunity presents itself. It is intended to help them recognize when something truly needs to be done and to have the skills and the strength to do it when no one else will. But leadership and service outside of high school can be very different from what these students expect.

In the real world, the problems to be solved are often very difficult and the stakes are usually high. There always seem to be more problems to solve than there are people to solve them. People complain that "someone" should do something about the situation, but "someone" never seems to include them. Soon criticism flows quicker than accolades. Funding is always in short supply.

True leadership is rarely a guaranteed net gain. It requires sacrifice - your time, your effort, your skills, and sometimes your money. It requires faith that your investment will make a difference in the lives of others. It requires courage to be willing to try.

Leadership can bring out the best in people, but only when there is an occasion to rise to. Otherwise, it degenerates into a meaningless game of getting the most valuable credentials for the least amount of work.



Mary Kathryn Thompson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She can be reached at mkthompson@an.kaist.ac.kr. - Ed.