Volume 1, Issue 6
Dear YLI Supporter,
Youth Leaders International is proud to present the sixth issue of the Leaders' EZINE for your enjoyment.
The past month has been somewhat hectic for many - the Life Skills Training portion of the YLI experience has just finished in Cambridge, and, thankfully, all of them are safe after the tragic bombing of transportation systems in central London. This has been just another example of the need for good leadership in our world; Leadership that hopefully you will be able to provide. We ask you all to remember all those who have perished in the bombing and pray for the injured and their families.
If you are interested in writing for the Leaders' EZINE, please feel free to email the EZINE staff at yli.ezine@leaders.org.
Many thanks to those who contributed the Leaders' EZINE. I'm certain you will enjoy this sixth issue,
Mr. Charles J. Hall
Editor - Leaders' EZINE
yli.ezine@leaders.org
______________________________________________
Natural Resources of the World
Gustavo Barahona – Tegucigalpa Chapter (Class of 2006)
Honduras, as a tropical country, possesses numerous wild forest areas where animals, large and small live. Due to the type of weather that prevails in most of these areas, explorers have discovered new species of animals which were thought non-existent. One of the most known and famous wildlife reservations is called La Mosquitia. The weather conditions here and the unexplored terrain do not permit human establishments to thrive. Large animals such as the boa and the wild boar prevail in the background of this natural paradise. Thanks to the international organizations such as the UN, this region has been declared a mankind patrimony. A word of advise to all you is to protect and realize that rain forests and other natural resources will allow us to survive and for future generations to thrive.
A perfect way to achieve this goal is by recycling and employing reforestation programs which will permit a balance in nature.
The oceans of the world are everyday being depleted of their marine life and will soon run out. This problem at hand will only lead to starvation and exhaust of all available resources for mankind to use for their benefit.
All of these problems have come due to the increased need for more technology and ways to exploit all resources. With efforts from multinational companies and developed countries this problems have been reduced and a new way of thinking has come to play an important role in maintain a healthy and thriving Earth.
______________________________________________
A Chapter's Saga – Part 2: Taking Care of Business
Hannah Rice-Gossage – Montreal Chapter (Class of 2006)
To read the first part of the saga, please refer to Leaders' EZINE (Volume 1, Issue 4) from May.
Well, the anxiety soon came to an end (as did the donuts, which was rather horrifying for at least Adjani and I). The meeting lasted an hour and a half and was the longest time of my life. I hardly said anything, so I believe that made the time pass much slower for everyone. Father Simonton truly ran the meeting and definitely intimidated the better half of us (that is everyone except Charles). The assembly was basically an in depth explanation of YLI, the rules, the history, the requirements, the parliamentary procedure. Oh that sneaky little parliamentary procedure. I have heard its lovely modest name muttered from that meeting on, despite the persistent mocking of Adjani, Elizabeth and I. I believe I speak for all of us when I say learning we could not say; "aye" in response to a moved motion was the most depressing news of the meeting (perhaps of my life). Meeting after meeting Charles attempted to explain to us the importance of parliamentary procedure, how much easier the meetings would be if we could just learn to follow it, but I think Charles learned quickly that nothing would ever be easy with this particular group. We are all argumentative, we are all annoying as hell, and we all like to have food at our meetings. These three small things brought us closer together in the end and we were all able to form a very…interesting…bond.
I was of course completely nervous about everything. I found it was happening all too quickly. I was surprised at the lack of time we had to get everything together. Suddenly there were things that needed to be signed (WHAT?!?), money that needed to be gathered that we didn't have, biographies that needed to be written (to this day I believe Elizabeth is the only one who has completely written one). The Montreal chapter was formed officially in April and we were leaving in less than three entire months and none of us (again, with the exception of Charles) knew what was really going on (although, we were very good at pretending). I was so happy to be finished with the first meeting. I felt so unorganized and stupid and was happy to let Jim and Charles run the others as they pleased.
Suddenly Charles was coming to meetings with minutes from the previous, which really threw me off the edge. How we dreaded the day when it was our turn to actually concentrate on what was going on in the meetings. I always finished what work needed to be done, I was always at the meetings on time, but I still wasn't completely aware of what I was getting into and I don't think I really accepted the needed responsibility until I returned from the WLC (but we'll get into that later, kids). I was never worried about being so confused, because I knew everyone else was as well. And I like to believe everything will work itself out in the end, which it did and we got to Washington in one piece (which continues to surprise me). But there was still a serious lack of donuts (that's what it all comes down to in the end).
To Be Even More Continued in Part Three: "Which Doesn't Have a Witty Title Yet, But Don't Worry It Will Someday."
______________________________________________
Different Views of Leadership
Meilescu Simona - Turnu Severin Chapter (Class of 2006)
What does leadership mean? Which are the qualities of a leader? Are there only good leaders? These are some questions I often ask myself, because I really want to be one of them. That is why I am very interested in my future and my own development hoping that one day I will be able to make a difference in this world. Basically, this is what this paper is about: leaders and how to become one.
In every each of us is the possibility to become a leader. We are born with this right and we should take advantage of it. A leader is not only the president of a country or of a big company, it is the person who is the best in his field, has strong beliefs and want to change something in good. Maybe you think that if you are born in a poor family all the doors are closed for you and you should resign. But this is not what a real leader does. For example, Jairos Jiri is a Zimbabwean born in a society which at first did not seem to offer him too much. He was illiterate but still he believed in himself and his ideas and made a difference: he started one of the biggest organizations for rehabilitating the physically handicapped in Southern Africa. "Jairos Jiri's life clearly demonstrates that you do not need an impressive title or position in order to be a leader. You don't need lots of money. You don't need to be affiliated to one partisan political group or the other.
You need a cause. This is the meaning of life." Jonah Mungoshi also thinks that it is very hard to name the qualities of a leader, because there is no prototype. They just have to find solutions for the current problems or the needs of their times.
Most of the times leadership books are based on the experience and accomplishments of people socially acceptable who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in their field. But this is not totally right. Depending on each ones point of view, a person can be considered either a good leader or not. For example, Atilla the Hun is generally seen as a tyrant, a barbarian who took decisions in total disregard with the accepted principles of conservation. Still, he is recognized for his qualities and attributes as ones of a leader from any generation. Atilla had strict view concerning a leader's strengths. He always put n top loyalty, continued by courage, desire, emotional stamina, physical stamina, empathy, decisiveness, anticipation, timing, competitiveness, self-confidence, accountability, responsibility, responsibility, credibility, tenacity, dependability and not least stewardship. He thought that ambition should not be put on this list because the ones who are too ambitious want to acquire all these qualities too fast and they forget the most important part: "leadership takes time, learning and experience to develop." He had some strict rules he always obeyed during his life and this was the key of his success. First of all discipline was very important in his kingship and he didn't mean by that a loss of individuality, but he thought that "discipline builds the inner confidence of our huns". He always had high standards and expected for his subordinates to reach them. Atilla encouraged creativity, freedom and innovation and he used rewards only for great accomplishments, because he thought that once used with them, a Hun will not make something without a reward. He din not see in every opponent an enemy, because he knew that he could learn a lot from every human been and so he never underestimated them. He used to listen to the Huns' opinions and tried to take the best decision and never let his responsibilities on the hands of another. Unbelievable is that he used these ideas hundreds of years ago and these still work and we should give him credit for that.
After all, leadership it is just about winning. You do not have to get all the credit in a situation, but you have to learn to get the best of it. You have to be prepared to win, you must really want and believe in it and for that there is a whole wheel of characteristics you should have. First of all, you should have a lot of self-esteem, you must be powerful and the ones near you should definitely see you as a strong person. "If you respect yourself, regardless of what others may think of you, you have high self-esteem." Although it is quite important the others' opinion concerning yourself, you should be more attentive to your character than to your reputation, because this is what you really are and it is more important what you think about what you do than what others think about it. But if you want to be a real winner, you have to complete the circle of life and be satisfied of yourself in every branch of it. You come closest to a life of fulfillment when there is a balance in all the areas. But often this is not happening and this imbalance does not give you the permission to win. You should have your goals clearly stated and you should know exactly what you want. Another important thing is the attitude you adopt in life. "Negativism is your worse enemy". You have to believe in yourself and always think very positive so that nobody and nothing could make you leave your path. Once you discover your mission in life and know exactly what and where you have to do, the attitude towards education changes. You become eager to obtain information and knowledge that could help you grow. One of the most important disciplines from the wheel is the ability to communicate successfully. This part has strict rules you should always obey. For a better comprehension and a guaranteed success you must be polite, positive, attentive, well-groomed and you should never interrupt. A basic thing you should know is that 80% of a successful conversation stands in listening, observing and determining the other person's point of view, while only 20% of it involves your talking. The key is to make the other feel important and make him believe you really appreciate him or his ideas. For a perfect balance and for you to feel complete, family and personal relationships play an important role in your life, because if you have problems at home all you will be thinking of are these ones and you will not be able to confront other situations. After you solve these problems you can have a better professional life and get into more projects and even take part of community or charity programs, because "it is more blessed to give than to receive". And not finally, for a better spirit, there are three other fundamental things: leisure, spiritual and physical fitness.
I first started to think seriously in becoming a leader a year ago, when I participated at the World Leader Conference in Washington DC and I had the opportunity to listen to true leaders and people who really succeeded in their lives. It impressed me most the speech of Ray Pelletier, the author of "Permission to win", that really gave us strength and determination. He first taught us to be positive, to enjoy life and make every situation a pleasant one and not least: to dream, because "if you can dream it, you can have it". Staying with leaders and learning from true ones really helps you becoming one, but you also have to work with your motivation skills or the public speaking.
Put simply, leadership is about developing the skills, values, attitudes and beliefs that help you do a better job of helping others accomplish shared goals. There's no denying the fact that being a leader is hard work, and it requires a lot of emotional and physical stamina. But without seeking leadership opportunities, we fall far short of unleashing the enormous human potential in all of us. So go out there and advance both your career and your life by becoming a stronger leader.
______________________________________________
Phrase of the Month
Many thanks to the dozens of you who contributed to the phrase of the month. The following is the phrase "What does that mean?" translated into 15 languages thatYLI members were able to provide. Enjoy!
English - What does that mean?
Spanish - Qué significa eso?
German - Was bedeutet der?
Russian - Что это означает?
Norwegian - Hva gjør det gjennomsnittet?
French - Que signifie-t-qui ?
Dutch - Wat betekent die?
Portuguese - O que isso quer dizer?
Italian - Che ciò significa?
Hebrew: Ma ze omer/ma hamashmaut?
Romanian- Ce inseamna asta?
Italian - Que questo significa?
Tagalog: Ano ang ibig sabihin niyan?
Dutch: Wat betekent die?
Bulgarian: Кокво този означавам?
Kiswahili - Ni saa ng'api?
If you have trouble seeing the Greek, Russian, Hebrew, Chinese, or Japanese characters, please visit www.microsoft.com to install the language packs.
