As the summer draws to an end (woah, that was quick), I have finished my fourth year of bar tending down the beach. After my last night at work, my coworkers and I decided to celebrate another summer by going out after our shift ended.
It was a really great night where everyone shared his or her stories from the summer. We talked about the highs and the lows of working our jobs, and shared where each of us will be heading in the fall. At one point in the night, we started talking about our boss, Derek.
Everyone there agreed that Derek is a great boss to have at the restaurant. We all shared perspective on why Derek is awesome at what he does. I realized by the end of the conversation that he possesses all the qualities of a great student leader on a college campus. Within our restaurant, he builds a community where everyone feels welcomed, connected, and engaged. Here’s what makes him a solid 5 on the dance floor of food and beverages:
- He is a down to earth guy who doesn’t consider others “below him”, even though he is the Food and Beverage Director of the resort. He has the “we’re all in this together” mentality, and charismatically pulls the team to work with him. When leading an organization, great student leaders often rally the troops around themselves when planning an event. Great student leaders aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and do the grunt work with other team members in the organization. You’ll constantly see Derek running food, getting ice to the bar, and greeting guests.
- He makes you feel valued on the team, by letting you know that he appreciates you coming in to work a double shift for that person who was sick. He recognizes contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. Student leaders make others feel valued in many ways. Often it’s the little micro-actions such as having a team MVP award each month, or saying “thank you” for the hard work done by someone. There have been multiple times when I’ve worked a busy, twelve-hour day, and at the end of the night Derek comes up to me with a plate of food to eat and says, “thanks for working hard today.” He probably doesn’t even remember doing this, but I really appreciated it and needed it at the time.
- He knows how to put his foot down in certain situations, allowing him to deal with conflict when it arises. When someone has arrived late to work multiple times or has made mistakes ringing orders in properly, he takes the time to simply ask why they are coming up short in certain areas, and then makes it a priority to fix the situation. The best student leaders play to win, by maximizing their resources to finish what they start and exceed expectations during the semester. They constantly ask their team “why?” and then “how can we improve?”
When defining what type of great student leader you’d like to be, look at the leaders within your own life, and mimic their best qualities. I know I’ll mimic Darek, and hopefully I can build that community within my own organization where everyone feels welcomed, connected, and engaged.
