Thinking About

Great Leaders

"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
-John Maxwell

Consider a time when you were a leader and answer the 3 questions below:

  • Were you anticipating change? Did you look around the corner?

  • What was your diversity measure? Were you only watching/listening/engaging with people who were similar to you? Like minded?

  • Did you embrace a larger change or did you hold back and stay with what you knew and what was comfortable?

Think beyond the 3 questions:

  • What factors were present that made you a leader?

  • Do you like it when everyone agrees with you?

  • Do you personally dislike change?

  • Is it scary to be the outlier? What is challenging about being the person who is asking your group/team/ committee/workplace to do something no one else has?


Being a Leader is More Than Commanding

Simon Sinek explores in this video some aspects of leadership that don’t always come to mind when we think of the leaders in our world, work, school and life.

How important is it to trust those who lead? Consider the following questions and record your thoughts on a piece of paper or create an audio recording of your responses

Think about a time when you were part of a larger organization (work, school, team, etc.).

  • Was it important that you trusted the person in charge to take care of you?

  • Did it matter that you saw them making sacrifices or working hard as well?

  • Do you think you worked harder or did more if they seemed to care about your well-being as well?

Kluane Adamek

Yukon Regional Chief Kluane Adamek urges others to follow in the legacy of her people by putting more women at the table and encouraging them to seek spaces where their perspectives can create the biggest impact for a better tomorrow.


In Kluane Adamek’s TED talk she spoke about the importance of having different voices at the leadership table. Take some time to think about diversity in leadership and work through the following questions:

When you think about leadership in your community or the world:

What voices do you think are being left out? Ignored? Considered less valued?

What voices do you think we need to hear more from?


When we think about leadership do we have an image in our mind? Think about the following questions and make some notes for yourself:

•Do we think that it’s a special group?

•Do we think we need higher education to be leaders?

•Do we consider who may be left out of leadership roles?

•Do we consider how different leaders can approach problems with diverse mindsets?


Image Resource: https://unsplash.com/