If you aren't putting anything in then you're not going to be able to take anything out. If you don't keep learning as a leader you will soon come to a place where you have nothing to offer your followers.

GuideToOnlineSchools.com has compiled a list of 111 learning strategies. They write...

Let's face it, sometimes real life is just too much. We've all been there, staring at the face of our boss or professor, knowing words are coming from his mouth, but hearing nothing, absorbing nothing, learning nothing. Well, we'd like to help you out with that. We've compiled the best 111 tricks to keep you on top of your intellectual game. With these tips, you'll remember more, come up with better ideas, and be able to communicate your thoughts better.

Their list of learning strategies are simple and straightforward. It's the kind of list that you can look at and kickstart your own learning immediately. Here's the last 10 in the list...

102. Practice
Practice makes perfect--it's as simple as that.
103. Always carry a notebook
Good ideas come at random times and having a notebook means you'll never forget them. It will also help organize your thoughts and help you remember things by writing them down.
104. Read a lot
Reading stimulates all sorts of regions of the brain and helps you become a better learner.
105. Problem-solve whenever you can
When you run into roadblocks, problem solving techniques can help you work through.
106. Role play
By working through real-life situations, you'll be able to more fully understand your ideas.
107. Collaborate
Working in groups allows you to share ideas and get ideas from others.
108. Try to enjoy learning
It's much easier to devote your time to something you enjoy. so get your head in the game!
109. Review
Regularly review what you've already done, so you don't forget later.
110. Find examples
Find examples of your finished product, and you'll get a better idea of what you need to accomplish.
111. Take notes
     Take notes, so you can remember questions and ideas later.

Once you've read the list, don't simply nod your head in approval...get out there and keep learning. It will raise your leadership to a whole new level.

1. You need to know the people around you. Develop relationships with those with whom you need to communicate. You need to get to the point where you know them so well that you identify their preferred means of communication. This cannot happen if you lead from afar. You need to get in close and know the people around you.

2. You need to take the time and give the effort to go above and beyond in your communication. Granted, sending out a mass email is easy and does not take very long. But is it the best way to communicate? Nope. Take the time to relevantly communicate with people in ways that will truly get the message across to them. Give the extra effort to reach someone the way they want to be reached. By going above and beyond to communicate relevantly, you will reap a harvest of understanding, accuracy, timeliness, and response.

Am I willing to take the time and effort to communicate relevantly with those around me?

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Kenton Lee works with student leaders on a daily basis and is committed to helping them be relevant in all areas of life. Got a question for Kenton? Email him.

I believe that every person has the potential to make a unique contribution in service to both God and to the world. Each person is gifted to lead in some capacity. It starts with the ability to lead oneself and then transforms into the ability to lead others and focus on societal needs.

Warren Bennis said, "What is true for leaders is, for better or worse, true for each of us: we are our own raw material. Only when we know what we're made of and what we want to make of it can we begin our lives - and we must do it despite an unwitting conspiracy of people and events against us." (from the book, On Becoming A Leader)

Ask yourself: What assumptions am I making, both about my own leadership and the leadership capacities of those whom I work with?

Think About These Questions:
Why are you doing what you are doing? 
What is the reason? 
What is your motivation? 
What is your mission? 
Are you communicating a relevant mission to those around you? 
Who are you impacting?

Basically….What is the relevant mission (desired outcome) for you and your position?

__________________________________________

Kenton Lee works with student leaders on a daily basis and is committed to helping them be relevant in all areas of life. Got a question for Kenton? Email him.

Kenton has joined me in my work with student leaders on our University campus. Kenton was a superb student leader and now sits on the other side of the table. This year, Kenton has been working with our student leadership team and has been writing a series called, Relevant Leadership. I thought it would be great to share it with you through studentlinc.

Ware going to look at what relevant leadership looks like in our lives, on our campus, and as you guys go out in the future in your careers and what God is calling you to do.  But we will begin by looking at two questions: What is relevant leadership?  And where does it start?

Relevant: having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; having a bearing on or connection with; pertinent; to the point; meaningful;

Not a figurehead.

Not a disconnect.

Not out of touch.

Not going through the motions.
 

Relevant Leadership – leading while connecting – connecting while leading
 

Where does relevant leadership begin?  It starts with a foundation of service.  The most relevant, meaningful, pertinent, connecting thing that you can do is to serve someone. 

Philippians 2:1-5 says, "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus…"

Relevant Leadership = Servant Leadership

This is where relevance begins.  This is where leadership begins.  If you keep these things as a foundation – you will be a relevant leader this year, next year, and the rest of your life.

On a scale of 1 – 10 – how are you doing with this?

What is one thing you can do this week to improve – to raise your number just one spot?

Questions for Kenton. You can email him here.

I just returned recently from Vienna, Austria where I spoke to a Christian International School there. There were students from over 30 countries and a wide variety of nationalities. It was amazing to hear all of the different dialects and observe their cultural idiosyncrasies.

Fortunately, for me, everyone spoke English. Thus, I didn't have to overcome a language barrier. Although I did try to do my best not to be too American in the words and phrases I used (slang!).

I came away from the trip with a lot of great memories. For the purpose of this post, I simply want to focus on one simple observation...

People are people.

It didn't matter the culture, heritage, or birthright of any of the students. They had many of the same basic needs and desires that I encounter here in the US. While they experience those things in different contexts, there is a common thread of humanity that ties us all together.

People like it when you listen.

People like it when you show concern for their needs.

People like it when you are authentic.

People like it when you relate to them where they're at.

People don't like it when you're arrogant.

Leaders understand that there are some basic human needs that all of us share. We all like to feel special and significant. We all want to do something that's special and significant. Even though each of us lives these types of commonalities out in a million different ways - there's something basic about working with people.

Is there a group of students that you're having difficulty connecting with on your campus? Is there an individual who doesn't seem to relate well with anybody? Are you looking for more ways to get people involved?

I think it comes down to learning to interact with people in some of these basic ways. Ultimately, it's about learning how to treat each of the people you come into contact with as a person.

"We've got something wrong here, but we just can't put our thumb on what it is."

If you hear this, red flags should immediately pop up. You have a leadership issue.

It is the responsibility of a leader to put his or her thumb on it. Leaders have the ability to name a situation, to identify what's going wrong, to recognize what needs to change in order for the organization to move forward.

If there's a problem and no one can name it - then no one will know how to best deal with it. When you name something, you are better able to offer a prognosis.

For example, take your car to a mechanic and after a brief look over the mechanic says, "I know there's a problem but I just can't put my thumb on it. Let me keep it overnight." At that point, expect to be writing a $1700 check in the next 24 hours.

Visit the doctor and after the check-up the doctor says, "I know you're fighting something here, I just can't put my thumb on it." Now you're worried.

As a student leader, you will encounter a lot of problems and difficulties. You forfeit your leadership opportunity when you try to ignore these problems in hopes that they'll go away. Or if you try and run in the other direction, you'll find that the problems are still there when they turn around.

The student who recognizes and names the problem for what it is (puts his or her thumb on it) is the one who raises their level of influence in the problem-solving process. Your ability to identify the very things that are holding your group or organization back is a leadership trait.

Think about this...

1. Are there problems that your group or organization are facing and no one is sure what to do about them?
Maybe it's time to start putting a name to it and identifying the obstacles so you can better solve them.

2. Who is active in your group that seems to have this ability - someone who seems to have a good handle on things when you ask "What's wrong?"
Spend some time with them asking for their feedback and impressions.

3. When was the last time you looked past the symptoms of a problem and thought long and hard about the core issues?
A leader is a thinker. If you don't spend time reflecting, you won't have the capacity to put your thumb on things.

...now we'll step back and see who the real leaders are.

It's a simple test, really. You simply raise the bar and watch for those who work hard to get over it amongst everyone else who runs from it (or complains about it, or argues with it, or offers excuses against it).

It's called The Challenge Test. Gather a group of people who all claim to be excited and motivated and on board with the team and show them the mountain they have to climb, the problem they have to solve, and the level of excellence they're required to perform at. One by one, each person will show their true leadership colors.

Leaders are drawn to a challenge. Not only do they want to accomplish something personally, but they realize they can't accomplish something great on their own. They see a challenge and start to find ways to bring the right people around that will meet the challenge head on.

Others aren't so enthusiastic. Maybe at first they are. But after awhile - the heightened expectations, the necessity to stretch and grow, the venture into places they've never been before - it becomes too much for them and they bow out. It's not that they can't make the journey...they're just not the ones you want leading it.

Try it out yourself. Next time you're in a meeting or engaged with a group of people who all claim to be leaders - raise the bar...offer a challenge. Then sit back and watch their reactions. It won't be difficult to identify the leaders (those who think and act as leaders) as they emerge.

The Challenge Test is most evident for me around the time that we begin to transition our student leaders each year. Those who are leaving their student leadership positions are ready to move on (to the next challenge) and often begin to communicate some of the things they are frustrated with in their current position. What's remarkable is to hear from the students who are getting ready to move into these positions of leadership. They are motivated, excited, and full of solutions to the very issues that are frustrating the outgoing leadership. What one group sees as an obstacle...the next group sees as an opportunity. Part of it is simply the natural process of the transition each year. But the principle is still there...

A leader emerges when the challenge appears.

Think about your own response to the challenges that lie before you. If someone raised the bar would you rise to the challenge? Are you a problem solver? Do you hope that someone else will raise their hand when a difficult situation confronts your team? Are you growing more and more comfortable in your student leadership role?

The challenge has been issued...I'm just wondering if you'll be the one to lead.

...causes ripples that you don't have control over once you say it - for good or for bad.

Here's an example of the good...

A student whom I had contact with many years ago popped up on my Facebook account and left me a short message. It basically said:

"Remember that time we sat down and talked about how I should best be using my time. I thought about that again today and it is helping me with an important decision. Thanks!"

I was a bit humbled and taken aback by the message. I can remember a lot of conversations with people that have helped to shape me, made a positive impact on me, helped me in my situations. But here was somebody else recalling something I said that is helping them.

I must admit that I had a kind of good news/bad news reaction when I read it. The bad news first - I don't for the life of me remember having this conversation with this student. The good news - Remember it or not, it had a positive and LASTING impact on this person.

Here's what I'm taking away from this experience:

1. I may not remember everything I say, but somebody might.

2. I need to be saying the kinds of things that people might thank me for later.

3. I'll never truly know the impact that my words and actions will have - the ripples that flow from each experience.

4. I need to send a couple of notes to thank some people who've spoken wisdom into my life.

5. Facebook is a great way to connect and reconnect.

The timing of this release is noteworthy. In a season where people are nervous about the economy, wary of the threat of terrorism, and apprehensive about one's own position in life, this book comes to us with some much needed assurance and hope.

The premise of the book is simple: If we trust God more, we can fear less.

Lucado is a master at painting a word picture and making the reader feel like you're sitting down with him in a coffeeshop, listening to his stories and relating your own life circumstances within each narrative. He is adept at connecting appropriate lessons from the lives we encounter in Scripture to the lives we are living today.

In this book, he addresses the fears that people face: fear of not mattering, fear of not protecting my kids, fear of life's final moments, fear of what's next, and many more. Each chapter stands alone and serves as the basis for a great conversation around the specific fear that's addressed. In fact, the book includes a study guide in the back for use in a small group setting.

Published by Thomas Nelson, a portion of the book is available as a small, paperback booklet. It includes portions from five of the chapters and is a great tool to introduce someone to the concepts offered in the complete text.