We are all leaders in some capacity; it is the nature of what we do. At some point in your career someone has or will one day consider you to be their mentor. You may supervise students or other staff members. You may dream of one day being a President, Provost, or Dean of Students. In any of these scenarios it is what you do today and every day moving forward that will set you up for either success or failure. Anyone can be a leader, but it takes certain indispensible qualities and positive habits to become a great leader. To build great character you must create a habit of self regulation. In the words of Maxwell (1999), "Unaddressed cracks in character only get deeper and more destructive with time". 

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There will be times throughout your career you are asked to do things outside the scope of your normal responsibilities, but no matter what you are tasked with, it is important to give it your all. People want to follow leaders who inspire them, and a great leader shows commitment in their everyday actions. One quality everyone should be familiar with is communication. You must build rapport with the student leaders and organizations on your campus, because they will be the one's to help you communicate information to the general student body in times of crisis. These relationships are invaluable. It is also critical in times of crisis that you be able to discern what has actually happened and where the institution should go from there. To stay focused you must learn how to prioritize and delegate, so that you will be able to utilize your strengths and the strengths of those around you.

You must always ask questions and never be comfortable with the status quo. You must be competent enough to ask "why do we do this?" and "is there a better way we could be doing this?" You need to know your personal and ethical foundations and have the courage to say something when you disagree with decisions that go against them. This is why it is important to make sure your values align with those of the institution you work for. You must have the self-discipline to create new habits when your old ones no longer serve you or the people you lead. And above all, you must remember you responsibility is to the institution and the students it serves. The last thing I will leave you with is another quote from Maxwell (1999), "A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position".