The one thing I will tell you about leading is that you must know what kind of Leader you are compared to everyone else. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses as well as that of your fellow classmates and use it to your advantage. There are times, I have seen first hand, when life or death situations were involved and the "So-Called Leader" dropped the ball or was unable to make the split-second decision to save asomeone's life or manuever elements to destroy the enemy. I have also seen brilliant leaders orchestrate the battlefield with impecible precision and accuracy. Sometimes people don't want to step up to the plate in fear of failing at a task and losing credibility amongst their peers or superiors. But you will never know what you are capable of unless you try. So when you see yourself in that situation again ask yourself if you can lead the group and accomplish the task better than anyone else andproduce a great finished product.

Also, Leaders need to know who they are, where they come from, as this builds your character as a leader. The values you were raised with define who you are. Everyone has values, but everyone's are different from others and your understanding of your values and attributes will give you more experience than others and willeventually give youpositions of greater responsibility.

Your skills are those things you KNOW how to do, your competence in everything from the technical side of your job to the people skills a leader requires. The skill categories of the leadership framework apply to all leaders. However, as you assume positions of greater responsibility, you must master additional skills in each category.

But character and knowledge — while absolutely necessary — are not enough. You cannot be effective, you cannot be a leader, until you apply what you know, until you act and DO what you must. As with skills, you will learn more leadership actions as you serve in different positions. Leadership is about taking action, but there's more to being a leader than just what you do. Character and competence underlie everything a leader does. So becoming a leader involves developing all aspects of yourself. This includes adopting and livingyour values. It means developing the attributes and learning the skills of a leader. Only by this self-development will you become a confident and competent leader of character. Being a leader is not easy. There are no cookie-cutter solutions to leadership challenges, and there are no shortcuts to success. However, the tools are available to every leader. It is up to you to master and use them.

Develop yourself into the Leader you want to be. Look at other Leaders, such as your teachers or someone you know, maybe even your parents, and take positive and negative attributes from them.This allows you to know what to be and what not to be like. Not everyone can be a Leader, some were made to be followers. But when you decide to take charge and execute your task with the precision and accuracy I was telling you about, make sure you are guiding them down the right path, for there is nothing worse than your "followers" losing confidence in their leader and that is one of the most difficult things to get back. On a positive note, if you show them your Leadershiop abilities and are capable of accomplishing anything, there is nothing they won't do withyou or for you.