The Community Insight Column will be a recurring feature highlighting ideas and insights from local community members.
 

Jeremy Mangrum, Superintendent of Elkins Public Schools
 

The concept of leadership is an interesting one that can be looked at in a variety of ways. In many ways, the success or failure of leadership or a leader of an organization depends very much on a person’s perspective or the lens through which that leader is viewed. I had a chance to reflect on this subject recently in my preparation to write this column.

Leadership is a skill that is in many cases very hard to quantify or measure. It is sometimes difficult to describe what good leadership looks like, and it is even tougher to teach someone how to be a leader. While that task may be hard, it is not impossible. Teaching students how to be leaders is doable, and is something we work toward every day in Elkins Schools. So when people ask me if leaders are born or made; my answer is, “Both.”

It is true that there are some young men and young women in our schools that are born leaders. They have that “it” factor that cannot necessarily be measured, but we all know it when we see it. They have the ability to inspire others, to shape others, to take others to new heights, and this ability seems to be very much innate.

However, not all leaders are born naturals. Others that will become leaders later in life in their families, careers, churches, and communities will do so because they were taught how to exhibit leadership when they were students in school. That is why the work of our faculty and staff every day in Elkins School District is so important. Every member of our organization understands how important his or her job is because we all know that we are shaping the future of our community, one student at a time.

Simply memorizing or being able to define a list of successful leadership qualities does not make a person a successful leader. Anyone can read about and remember that a good leader is confident, hardworking, innovative, honest, a strong communicator, humble, a problem solver, passionate, and resilient. Knowing the qualities that make a good leader and exhibiting those qualities through action each and every day are two very different things. It is our job as educators to model these actions and demand the same actions from our students. This is how we teach students to be leaders.

In my position as the Superintendent of the Elkins School District, I realize that the success of our organization is my responsibility. However, one of the most important skills of any leader is to select the right people and put them in positions to be successful. We have great employees in our schools. That group of people is ultimately what makes our school successful. We have a great school because everyone understands that students come first all day every day.