Leadership is an art.
Academic requirements are intricately balanced with time and energy spent on advancing the goals of one's student organization and fulfilling one's responsibilities as an officer or committee chair. However, students seldom reflect upon their experiences as a student leader to understand the 'why' and 'what' of their actions and how they feel about those actions. This is a critical part of being a leader that will strengthen leadership as well as the community. Old ideas and notions about leadership are changing from a leadership approach that is hierarchical and top-down to a contemporary approach that is relational, inclusive, liberating, and empowering. As a relational process, the leader must know his or her own values, strengths, and limitations.