Leadership is relationships.

Leadership is influence.

What do the two have in common? Character. Where does character come from? Habits. And habits come from intention. And vision is intention.

“Thoughts become choices, choices become actions, actions become habits, habits become character and character is your destiny.” – Stephen Covey

The core of NSLC is the “Distinctions of Leadership” according to our NSLC handbook. They are…

1. Leaders have a powerful vision.
2. Leaders are committed to their vision.
3. Leaders live by values that are consistent with their vision.
4. Leaders are inspirational & empowering.
5. Leaders embrace change.
6. Leaders take risks.
7. Leaders are responsible and accountable.
8. Leaders are expert communicators.
9. Leaders see all obstacles as opportunities.
10. Leaders develop leadership in others.

The “Distinctions of Leadership” in Freddie’s own words. Titled, “The Ten C’s.”

1. Clarify your vision
2. Commit to your vision
3. Character is to vision as chicken is to egg
4. Coach Carter
5. Change is inevitable
6. Challenge accepted
7. Control what you can control. Take initiative!
8. Collaborators are expert communicators
9. Connect the dots
10. Cultivate leadership in others

So what?

Why are these important to me? Each year the National Association of Colleges and Employers complies the top ten skills that they demand from high school students applying for colleges and employment. Here are a few…

• Ability to work well with others
• Communications skills (written and verbal)
• Problem solving skills
• Oh and… Leadership!

Now what?

“Start with Why” – Simon Sinek

Get clear – reflect on why you are here at NSLC? Maybe you are interested in Medical School, Boston, or meeting new people. Get clear and reflect on your why. Be intentional about your time and who you spend it with. It’s been said, “The two things people want are more time and love.” Well we haven’t invented a time machine so when one of you invents that more power to you! But we all want love and I’m not talking about cuddle love, I’m talking about the kind of love that we are heard, seen and/or appreciated. Said differently…

“I’ve learned people forget what you said, people forget what you did but people never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

“We get out of life what we put into it. The way we treat others is the way we ourselves get treated.” – Ben Carson

Where do we start? Your vision. Complete the vision statement below.

I (insert your name) am committed to (insert doing action word) a NSLC experience that is (insert two having words, what you want to have while here) by being (insert being words, how will you show up).

A leader never asks folks to do something that they wouldn’t do themselves. For example,

“I Freddie Silveria am committed to influencing a NSLC experience that is welcoming and challenging by being caring, curious and consistent.”

Moving forward my intention is for you to discover who you are and how you show up using leadership sessions that give you opportunities to evolve. Furthermore, I intend for you to connect your experiences here to ‘real life’ scenarios. To quote the legend, Robert Pruitt, I want us to be able to answer how does this leadership session connect to my vision for my NSLC experience, my career, and my life?