By Ric Thomas:
The S4S Leadership Conference was a great opportunity to learn from and speak with real leaders from academia, industry and the community. What I realised was that each of us possesses leadership potential. Many of us unknowingly act as leaders in sporting, activist and community groups.
In a tough employment market, where many of my nursing-student colleagues are vying for so few new-graduate positions, getting involved in sporting, community, and other groups can afford an opportunity to develop leadership skills that are highly sought after by potential employers.
My Top 5 take away messages:
1. Seek established opportunities to learn and grow as a leader (charities, activist, social or religious groups etc… Look at the on campus clubs and in your community).
2. Create new opportunities if the ones you want don’t exist yet!!!
3. Reflect on your current and desired leadership skills. Find ways to develop them
4. Seek out a mentor (a current leader) to guide you
5. Qualifications get you to the door and experience gets you to interview, but what you consciously make of each experience to guide, teach and lead others, will stand you apart from the rest and get you the job you seek!
Ric Thomas, Nursing Student, WSU Parramatta
BACKGROUNDER:
The Australian Student Leadership Association was founded in 2007 by University Of Wollongong leadership students. The Students National Leadership Conference (S4S) is run annually with the purpose of informing and enabling students to become better leaders through a variety of themes and topics. The ASLA has a partnership with Australian Defence Force Recruiting.
Visit westernsydney.edu.au/studentvoice for information on Student Campus Council leadership positions at Western Sydney University.
