RD&T contributing writer, L. Wayne Smalls, discusses leadership in the time of a crisis. Leaders must be strong to rise above the current challenges.
Leadership is a phenomenon that has been around since the beginning of time. There have been leadership gurus of different eras all around the world; some of whom have bolstered theories about leadership that many of us have adopted and incorporated into our own leadership styles today.
Throughout our lifetimes, many of us started learning about leadership as early as elementary school. We joined organizations like the Cub Scouts, WEBELOS, and Boy and Girl Scouts. We went to college and joined social clubs and fraternities where we started learning about becoming socially conscious and connected to our communities. Eventually, we moved on to the workforce; either in corporate America, the military, or even entrepreneurship, armed with the ideals of making our marks in the communities we live in and the world-at-large. Ambitious leaders continue to improve themselves by going to leadership workshops, conferences, and other forms of professional development to hone their leadership skills. This is the call of a leader.