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                   A LETTER TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS



                                             BY MICHELLE L. RAYMOND

         Why do adults ask kids what         or  having  no  plan, shift  your  thinking towards   Many  adults  are  unaware  of these  things, yet
          they want to do when they          something that can serve you better now and in   some are running companies whose staff are at
            grow up? To get ideas!           the future.                        the mercy of their blind spots.
                                             Here are four things to consider as you move into   Self-awareness is  the secret ingredient to
               hat you choose in terms of your school   the next season of your life:  knowing what your purpose is.
               subjects, the university or college you
         Wwill attend, and your career will not   Know thyselF                  leaDership
         define the rest of your life. And if you think it does,   The  pressure  and  requirements  for  choosing  a   Leadership is a big theme in school, particularly
         then perhaps you need some guidance because   career path during your high school years are   as you draw closer to Matric and titles become
         who you are as a person, how you choose to   enormous  and,  quite  frankly,  absured.  Unless   prioritised: Head Boy, Head Girl, Prefect, Student
         respond to situations in life, and how you treat   you have been mentored and groomed for   Representative Council, etc.
         others is far more important than any job title or   the road ahead, choices are often made from
         profession.                         limited exposure to the world and only partial   There is so much information about what
                                             knowledge – knowledge of self, that is. Do you   leadership is, and yet it is still misunderstood.
         I can count on one hand the number of people I   (as a 16- or 18-year-old) know who you are or   To  understand  what  leadership  actually is, it  is
         know who, after school, knew what they wanted   where your strengths lie, and how to use them   sometimes necessary to first know what it is not.
         to do and are still doing it – and are happy.  to your advantage? Do you know your areas of   •  Becoming a leader is not a popularity contest.
                                             development and your gifts? Are you aware of   •  Leaders  are  not  in  charge  of  others  –  those
         Instead of stressing about having a 10-year plan,   the opportunities that lie before you?  are managers. You can be a manager without


                                                                                       BLUE VALLEY NEWS • Issue 6 2021• 33
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