What Leadership Looks Like for a School Organization or Club

As illustrated in previous articles, there are so many valuable skills and lessons to be learned by participating in school clubs and organizations. As an organization leader, you have the ability to see things from a different perspective.

By Al Dickenson — June 5, 2023

Tags: club leader, extracurricular, leadership roles, making an impact, resume building, student organizations, team building

What Leadership Looks Like for a School Organization or Club

Being a leader of a group of people, whether at the high school or college level or beyond, is one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of life. If your life is anything like the average person, you will shift in and out of leadership and followership roles. As such, learning some key aspects of serving in a productive, servant leadership role and knowing what can be gained personally and professionally could be valuable for anyone entering high school, college, the workforce, or a new role.

Learn Leadership Skills

As illustrated in previous articles, there are so many valuable skills and lessons to be learned by participating in school clubs and organizations. You can learn about the inner workings of a business, develop your portfolio or resume with writing samples, presentations, financial decisions, and more, or you can make friends and build connections that will last a lifetime. But one aspect of being a member of a club or organization comes for those who serve as the leader of the group (note the highlighted; even as a leader, you serve others as a member of the group).

As an organization president, founder, editor-in-chief, or similar role, you have the ability to see things from a different perspective. Speaking from my own experience, when I served in other roles at my college's student newspaper, The SWORD, I did not see all of the intricacies of what the editor-in-chief does. I knew they had the final say in what went into the paper, but only when I approached that first publication date did I realize what power that was. There was trepidation in me and my decision making — not because I was not confident, but because I knew what that power was and what it meant to publish something for the world to see. There are so many other facets to leading a group of people in an organization, however. Everything from budgeting to resource delegation, assigning projects to managing initiatives can be challenging. In my case, I worked with a reliable group, capable of ideating next steps and fulfilling assignments, all while effectively communicating and asking for assistance when needed. As they say, a leader is only as good as his team. What happens when the team is better than the leader?

It means you have done your job.

Watch and HELP People Grow

There were many things I loved about serving as The SWORD's Editor-in-Chief: writing great content to make an impact on readers, inform them of what was happening on campus and far beyond, and leave a trail behind for historians of the future to follow. Another was starting new programs and adjusting our model during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are so many things, it would be hard to keep track. However, my favorite part of being an organization leader was to see how the team grew. Everyone exceeded expectations. As a group, we fulfilled each other's dreams of professional growth while strategically advancing the organization.

There are few things in this world better than seeing how people want to develop and then doing your part to help them grow in that capacity. By sitting with them and listening to their hopes and dreams, you can easily become inspired to help build that project to bring their wishes to fruition.

Further a Legacy (and Develop Your Own)

You have to let go. While it can be one of the hardest parts of leadership, if you have done your job correctly, it can also be one of the easiest. When you ascend to that position, whether by choice or not, you assume the duties of all the previous leaders. They rest on your shoulders now. Embody what you have learned from them — good or bad — and take those steps to lead your organization or club to success. As you approach leadership decisions, think about previous choices that were made. Are there things that you can improve on, be they large or small? Are there different programs, projects, or initiatives that your predecessor wanted to accomplish, but for whatever reason(s), could not? If so, can you fulfill these shoes and create something meaningful in their stead, and in your own leadership position? Think about what you will leave behind when you leave, as well. Not only about the things you accomplished as a leader through projects and programs, but also what you accomplished by identifying and showcasing the strengths of the team you were a part of. It is not only about the legacy you leave behind, but how it will grow in the future, with the assistance of others.

Here are a Few Additional Leadership Tips:

Listen to others: though you may be "the leader," chances are, most everyone else in the group is there for a reason. They may come up with the most brilliant ideas, and those ideas can lead to fulfilling the three main points above. That is what happened to me when I asked for and listened to feedback from others.
Engage with them outside of the club, organization, school, or project. In school, it may be easier to do this: you could have a class with them, run into them on campus, or share a friend group, among other things. Once you get into the working world, it can be a little more difficult, as everyone has their assigned duties and sticks to them a little more closely. It is vital, however, to build connections within your group. Cultivate a workplace of prosperity and collaboration, not hostility or toxicity.
Enjoy the moment. It can be easy to get wrapped up in a sense of what the future will hold or what people think of your leadership or personality, but ultimately, living in the moment will create a better sense of belonging for everyone.

Al Dickenson

Al Dickenson graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with bachelor’s degrees in history, communication, and English. He currently serves as an editor for an international equine practitioners’ magazine in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his hometown, where he lives with his wife.

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