LEADERSHIP IS ALIVE AND WELL

Monday Message from Jerry Houston, President and CEO of HPISolutions

LEADERSHIP IS ALIVE AND WELL

Recently, I was watching the early morning news and a piece came on about an amazing program called S.T.E.P. which invites high schoolers to apply to the organization to participate in wilderness leadership experiences in their sophomore year.  During senior year of high school, selected kids, based on their grade point average, demonstrated leadership at school, and in the community, take a trip devoid of any of life’s creature comforts, including cell phones, tablets, PCs, etc. over a three-week period.

The trip being reviewed was to the Alaskan frontier.  Two students were interviewed and displayed amazing poise and confidence during the discussion with local TV celebrities.  The kids are challenged to “rough it” and find ways to survive in the environment.  Different participants display their ability to step up and lead during the experience.  Problem-solving and critical thinking were among the skills utilized.  They learned that they had to work together to overcome the harsh environment, all while lugging around 48-pound backpacks.

One student talked about managing a situation where a bear was involved, and another described a solution for using the bathroom, exclaiming, “Moss is mother nature’s toilet tissue.”  The lessons these young people learned were incredible and more important, both felt that after the Alaska experience anything was achievable. I wonder how each of us “grown-ups” would have fared?

We are never too young to learn, and never too old.

Have a Great Week!