The most valuable lesson I took from C-SPAN's "Students and Leaders" programs was a deceptively simple, yet fundamental understanding of what leadership actually is. Many of the national leaders that spoke are living emulations of the priceless characteristic we like to call leadership, such that the classic ideals they professed rang with unsullied wisdom. I have read many things about leadership and even gone to a few leadership workshops, but listening to living examples of it made the same old lectures inspiring and penetrating. Perhaps Tavis Smiley said it best when he firmly asserted,

"There is no roadmap to being a leader. Leadership is given to you." We often think of leadership as glamorous, but the harsh reality remains that being a leader does not necessarily suggest unwavering support. At times, it demands we go against the odds, or take a stand for our own convictions even when they conflict with the ideas of others. It is this sincerity and alacrity to act that infuses one with the strength to guide others. Sometimes it is about chasing a vision that others have given up on. Many people say that leaders are those special people who have a vision; I maintain that everyone has a vision, but not everyone has faith in their dreams. Even for the people that are public servants, it is clear that they want to see a change and are willing to work for it to happen. After all, how can one stand up for others without first standing up for himself?

I was particularly impressed by some of the female speakers. I took from them that sometimes being a leader is just about walking one's own path, like Congresswoman Norton who involved herself in the civil rights movement before standing up for the District of Columbia, of which she is still a guardian today. Or Justice Sandra Day O'Connor who even from a young age had a deep-seated urge to do something unique. Dreams of being a cowgirl were gradually replaced by intentions of being one of the few women in the justice system. What strikes me the most is how by keeping their desires alive these women have managed such outstanding accomplishments in their lifetimes. Perhaps it is not the vision, but merely having the courage to dream that makes someone a leader.

Another significant aspect I did notice with each of the speakers is that they did not expect to become leaders, yet by working tirelessly towards their goals they gradually gained support. One cannot decide to become a leader; it is not necessarily a decision, but often a phenomenon. Most importantly, I was reminded that leadership does not have to be something grandiose. The ability to be a leader is available to everyone, regardless of social status. At times, it simply means being sincere in the midst of insincerity, or having integrity in the face of decadence. It is having devotion-to a vision, or to society in general-and not giving up.

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