Leadership Myth #2 (of 5) - Leadership can't be taught, it's a personality trait.

(this is the second of 5 daily posts expanding on the recent blog post by John Erdman)

Myth #2 - Leadership can't be taught, it's a personality trait.
There are all sorts of Camp Leaders. Some are quiet and strong, others are loud and crazy. Each is important. There is no one personality trait that defines "a good leader".

Reality #2 - Leadership is a set of skills and behaviors that can be learned.
What are some of the skills and behaviors that make someone the best camp leader? I recently took a poll on facebook, and here are some of the responsibilities from the greatest camp counselors in the world:

• Get campers to wake up
• Set expectations for camper behavior (then handle inappropriate behavior)
• Recognize positive behavior
• Dry homesick tears
• Love unconditionally
• Kill any unwanted spiders (or at least get someone else to do it...)
• Figure out a way to make everything fun
• Make every kid feel special
• Show 15 year olds that they are in fact "not too cool"
• Answer upwards of around 100 questions a day
• Teach and show campers that there is no such thing as "can't" only "won't"

How many of these things are something you have done already? How many were abilities you born with and were able to do at age 4, 12, or 17? You can learn to do these, and so many more. Given the right support from your peers and other camp leadership... you can be a leader and make a great impact on kids this summer!