COLUMN: Leaders are managers
Dear Jeremy Wooden,
Thank you for expressing your concern about the roles played by the Associated Students of Utah State University and the President’s Leadership Council. We applaud your use of The Utah Statesman as a public forum.
We concur with your opinion that members of these groups “render meaningful service to our school.” However, we wish to challenge some of the points you felt were most valid.
The purpose of your letter was to distinguish between the functions of leaders and managers. You suggested that members of ASUSU and PLC fall into the latter category.
We disagree.
You proposed these two concepts should never be confused. But, as you defined them, we deduce they overlap. You said, “Leaders inspire and teach while managers attend meetings and give tours.” Does this mean leaders do not attend meetings and managers do not inspire? Leaders are inevitably managers, though not necessarily vice versa.
How often are leaders called upon to act in management roles? ASUSU and PLC members sit on committees, make phone calls, give tours, organize events and plan retreats. At the same time, they provide community service, lobby for the university’s interests and show undying school spirit.
Yes, our officers are managers. But, they were chosen to be and undoubtedly are our leaders. Your run-of-the-mill managers don’t rally at the State Capitol, hold public conferences and contact Governor Leavitt and the legislators to protect Utah campus diversity from diminishing due to the new residency bill. Our leaders’ responsibilities don’t end when everyone else has gone home for the day. They don’t have a clock to punch, nor do they get paid for overtime.
Those who know this last year’s ASUSU President Steve Palmer will say he is determined, goal-oriented, respectful, eloquent and perceptive. They’ll say he is a leader. President Kermit L. Hall, as you mentioned, exhibits these qualities, coupled with experience. The President’s Ambassadors of PLC are his right-hand students. They may not have yet attained his level, but they learn from him what it takes to better the university and themselves in the process. They are leaders.
Members of ASUSU and PLC don’t do their jobs just to get them done. They do them to make a difference. PLC members aren’t obligated to perform community service, but they take the initiative to complete food drives and send money to orphanages. They have assisted Habitat for Humanity and the Red Cross. They won’t accept the status quo.
Our officers inspire us as students to get involved in the university. They sport our school colors. They are the first ones to be at the games and events. They sell USU to prospective students to increase our prestige and diversity. They inspire us to get involved in the community at large. For example, ASUSU President Celestial Starr Bybee launched a campaign to get students to vote in community elections last semester.
Members of ASUSU and PLC are relentlessly willing to sacrifice a massive amount of their time and energy not because they want a scholarship or the recognition, but because they honestly care about the university. They are motivated, dedicated and willing to take the initiative to make something of themselves and of USU. How many of us are committed to that kind of service?
We all know the best way to lead is by example. The ASUSU and PLC members set the precedent for leadership. Much of the fun we have and many of the memories we’ve created are made possible by the efforts of our leaders. To say they are merely managers is to insult these efforts and ignore the ideals they uphold. When the rest of us fall short, our leaders are there to pick up the slack.