Life is full of a few leaders and many followers, but even fewer EFFECTIVE leaders.

In this class, we explore what truly makes a good leader, from my own experience through 30+ years of running my own business and managing teams of people as a VP or C level executive.  The basic principles of leadership are so valuable to be taught at a young age to set a good foundation.  This class strives to do just that, to present complex interpersonal leadership concepts to the young student in a way that they can grasp and make use of these life changing principles. 

In a nutshell, effective leadership has two requirements:

1. First be a follower. By learning to follow well, we learn to lead. By being willing to follow well, we earn the respect of others through our solid character.  Learning to follow is the prerequisite to leading. In fact, I had a rule in promoting for 30+ years of business... anyone who desperately wants to lead, cant... not yet.. not till they master the art of following.

2. Inspire, not require.  Good leaders inspire their followers to do their best, a good leader empowers the followers to achieve beyond their own expectations. A poor leader leads by force, by requiring submission.  The art of leadership is in inspiring, not requiring. 

These two base principles are presented along with six other principles that bring success as a leader. 

Much of the content for this class is from the series of books by Patrick Lencioni, author of bestselling business leadership and team books.  This class does not directly follow any of the books, but the concepts presented here in an age appropriate manner are based on the truths of Patrick's books, mixed with my own experiences of leading many teams, sized from 2 to 100. 

This class is an interactive whiteboarding session, with expected participation from the students. Because of the nature of this class, there will be an expectation for each student in class to actively participate to some degree.