Why Lead to Succeed?

Last month, we started a new group at Academy of Fine Arts that all registered students, ages 7 - 18 yrs can opt to be a part of. The group is about learning to be a leader in school, classes at AOFA and in the community, and is at no extra charge to participating families.

September was our first meeting and most of the meeting was talking about what leadership is and what qualities do we think a leader has, or brings to different events and situations. It was a very enlightening time for all in attendance.

So why offer children an opportunity to learn about leadership and develop leadership skills of their own? Because becoming a strong leader takes time. Just like growing from a child to an adult cannot happen, learning to be a true leader takes time to mature as well. After all, leadership is more than just making better choices or being a big boy or girl. Leadership skills of true leaders, tend to start to develop as a child and teen.

I was invited into leadership training when I was ten years of age. I was involved with lessons as a student when the head of the program approached my parents about me becoming more than just a student of the course. She explained that I would continue to learn and improve my skills in the course I was participating in, but I would also learn to assist the instructors, be a demonstrator and learn leadership skills as well. This lady, that saw something special in my abilities, started me on one of the most wonderful adventures of my life...... teaching and leadership.

Over the years, I have had many opportunities to listen to and be trained by some of the worlds greatest personal development leaders. Jack Canfield, Les Hewitt, Michael Gerber, Fran Hewitt, Darren Hardy, Les Brown, Dave Crenshaw, Jim Abrams, Jim Rohn,  Dave Rendall, Steve Chandler and Sam Beckford to just name a few. Each with their own specialties and viewpoints, have helped me to develop into a leader for many different groups and organizations. Their knowledge about personal development and leadership growth continue to influence my life.

Now it is time to share this wealth of knowledge and training with a different group, our students at Academy of Fine Arts. As I stated before, last month we learned and discussed what leadership is and what it is about. We also discussed qualities of a leader. This month, we continue the conversation and will learn time management skills that leaders use to stay on track. Other things we will be discussing is switchtasking/multitasking versus prioritizing, planning and scheduling. Because these are all skills that help a person to be in position to lead.

As the months go by and the group grows in skills, we will be reaching out to others in our classes, school, homes and community with projects to continue the growth of leadership. We will also be learning skills as to how to supports others on their leadership journey. And we will also explore challenging others in the group to explore how they can put their leadership skills to use outside of the group and Academy of Fine Arts/

If you, as a parent, is unsure about your child dedicating one Saturday morning a month to this adventure, I suggest that you visit with me or allow them to attend a couple of meetings to see what your child's response is to the experience. Registered students age 7 - 18 yrs may attend and participate. We do hope to see your child this Saturday at Lead to Succeed.


Mary Myers is the owner and director of Academy of Fine Arts in Woodward, OK