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Whether you agree or disagree with their views on gun control, these young adults demonstrate that idly sitting by and waiting for change will not accomplish it.

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The shooting massacre of 17 people this month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., not only reignited the debate over gun control but also launched a group of teenage activists.

Students from the school have given dozens of interviews, gained hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter and visited the White House and the Florida state Capitol. They've challenged senators and congressional representatives on live television and gone viral in videos of their pleas to prevent another slaughter.

Here are some key figures in the #NeverAgain movement.

Emma Gonzalez, 18

Gonzalez, a senior, gave an impassioned speech Saturday at a Ft. Lauderdale rally for gun control.

"Every single person up here today, all these people should be home grieving," Gonzalez said. "But instead we are up here standing together because if all our government and president can do is send 'thoughts and prayers,' then it's time for victims to be the change that we need to see."

"They say no laws could have prevented the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred," Gonzalez later added. "We call b.s."

At a CNN town hall Wednesday, Gonzalez pressed National Rifle Assn. spokeswoman Dana Loesch on whether she believed it should be harder to obtain semiautomatic weapons and modifications, like "bump stocks," that make them fully automatic.

"I don't believe that this insane monster should have ever been able to obtain a firearm, ever," Loesch responded. "I do not think that he should have gotten his hands on any kind of weapon."

Kelsey Friend and David Hogg. Mark Wilson / Getty Images

David Hogg, 17

Hogg, a senior who directs the school's television station, interviewed other students about the shooting while they were under lockdown.

In a widely seen interview on CNN the day after the shooting, Hogg implored lawmakers and the president to take action.

"We're children. You guys are the adults," he said. "You need to take some action and play a role. Work together, come over your politics and get something done."

Hogg, who now has more than 140,00 followers on Twitter, has become a leading face of the student activist movement. Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, he criticized President Trump for asking why Democrats hadn't passed gun control legislation when they controlled both houses of Congress under President Obama.

"You're the president," he said. 'You're supposed to bring this nation together, not divide us. How dare you."

During the shooting, Zeif, a senior, exchanged text messages with his 14-year-old brother, Matthew, who was in a classroom one floor up. Matthew's teacher, Scott Beigel, was shot dead after ushering students to safety. Sam later shared the exchange on Twitter, where it was "liked" more than 150,000 times.

"I didn't plan for them to go viral," Zeif said at the White House meeting with Trump. "I just wanted to share with the world because no brothers, or sisters, or family members or anyone should ever have to share those texts with anyone."

Zeif lost Joaquin Oliver, a friend he described as "practically a brother."

"I turned 18 the day after" the shooting, Zeif told Trump. "Woke up to the news that my best friend was gone. And I don't understand why I could still go in a store and buy a weapon of war."

Julia Cordover, 18

Cordover, the senior class president, told Trump at the White House meeting that she hoped a compromise could be reached to prevent further mass shootings.

"I was lucky enough to come home from school, unlike some of my other classmates and teachers. And it's very scary," she said.

Cordover called Trump's move to ban bump stocks "a step in the right direction," but said there was more work ahead.

"I'm confident that you'll do the right thing," she told the president.

Cameron Kasky, 17

Kasky, a junior, was part of a group text that began after the shooting and became a way for friends to support one another and discuss how to respond to the violence.

Those students went on to start the "Never Again" movement. Kasky has said the name was his suggestion.

He also started a GoFundMe page that has raised nearly $2 million for the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., on March 24 and for sister marches across the country.

"Angry, scared, confused, grieving, and sick of the NRA fostering and promoting this gun culture," says Kasky's Twitter profile, which has grown to have more than 150,000 followers.

Cameron Kasky, who survived the school shooting: "Sen. Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA?"
Rubio: "People buy into my agenda, and I do support the Second Amendment" #StudentsStandUp https://t.co/ucmVB74g1C
- CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 22, 2018

On Wednesday, Kasky got into a heated exchange with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at the CNN town hall, where he repeatedly asked the Republican if he would refuse donations from the National Rifle Assn.

"So, Sen. Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA in the future?" Kasky asked.

"The answer to the question is that people buy into my agenda," Rubio replied. "And I do support the 2nd Amendment. And I also support the right of you and everyone here to be able to go to school and be safe."

Jaclyn Corin, 17

Corin, a junior, hid in a classroom during the shooting. Afterward, she helped organize a bus trip for dozens of classmates to the state Capitol in Tallahassee to rally for gun restrictions.

"I knew that I wanted to change something," Corin told the Naples Daily News. "I'm the type of person, when something bad happens to me, I can't just sit back and cry and go in a ball. I like to speak out and I like to act and distract myself from pain."

Students teared up as they watched the Florida House of Representatives vote down a motion to consider a bill to ban assault rifles. The vote in the Republican-dominated House was 36 to 71.

Kyle Kashuv, 16

A self-described Republican and Trump supporter, Kashuv told CNN after the shooting that he still supported gun rights but believed there should be some restrictions.

"We have such a limited government that should not be totally reliant on ... the police. We should be able to defend ourselves as citizens. I still totally believe that, but I think that there should be a limit to who could acquire such weaponry," he said. "If you're not of the right mind-set, you're not mentally stable, then you should not be able to acquire that."

Kashuv traveled to Tallahassee with his classmates. "Something has to be enacted to make sure this never happens again," he said in an interview on the bus.

He created his Twitter account, @KyleKashuv, during the trip with a one-word bio that reads "#MDSstrong."

Ariana Klein

Klein, a junior, called Trump "a great leader" at the White House meeting on Wednesday and urged ideological enemies to talk more with one another.

"I just want to say that everybody right now is so stuck on what they believe, that they're not even listening to what other people believe. We need to listen to the other points of views," she said. "We all need to realize that we all have different points of views and that we need - this solution is not going to be a singular thing. It's going to be multifaceted and it's going to be created by a collection of different people working together."

"And we all have to realize that we all have our opinions, and together we're going to be able to work to a solution. And this is not just Parkland anymore; this is America. This is every student in every city, everywhere. It's everybody. It's not small. It's everything."

Alfonso Calderon, 16

Calderon made headlines after giving an impassioned speech during a televised news conference as students rallied in Tallahassee. He defended students against critics who said they were too young to understand politics.

"We will not be silenced. It has gone on long enough," he said. "Just because we are kids we are not allowed to understand but, trust me, I understand. I was in a closet, locked for four hours with people who I would consider almost family crying and weeping on me begging for their lives."

"I understand what it's like to text my parents, 'Goodbye, I might never ever get to see you again. I love you.' I understand what it's like to fear for your life. And I don't think we should ever be discredited because of that. I don't think we should ever be silenced because we are just children."

Lorenzo Prado, 17

Prado, a junior, was near tears as he spoke at the same Tallahassee news conference and described hiding in his school's auditorium sound booth and getting pinned down after a SWAT team mistook him for the shooter.

"SWAT comes in, and I thought they were here to rescue me. But then as I go down the stairs, I find out that I was wrong," he said. "I found out that they thought it was me that killed the 17 people. I go down the stairs, they tell me to put my hands up. I, being the fool that I was, tried putting my phone back in my pocket. They demanded again, and I, not trying to be one of those news stories of someone dying wrongfully because they refused to put their hands up, I just dropped my phone at that moment and kept going.

"When I went out those doors, I had six SWAT members pointing their guns at me. I was tossed to the ground. I was unjustly cuffed and held at gunpoint for the degrading and depreciating action of the disturbed individual Nikolas Cruz. I was then put in a corner with a policewoman guarding me. I knew any move I made would be the end of my life. Throughout the entire event, I only felt two things: I felt fear, as I did not know my future. I did not know if I was going to be let go. I did not know where the terrorist was.... The second thing was guilt."

Lane Murdock, 15

Murdock doesn't attend Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, but she said the violence there prompted her to call for a national high school walkout on April 20 that has gained hundreds of thousands of followers and supporters on social media and through a Change.org petition. The date marks the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado that left 13 people dead.

A sophomore at Ridgefield High School in Connecticut, a 20-minute drive from Sandy Hook Elementary School, Murdock hopes teenagers around the country will take part in the walkout to honor those who have died in school shootings.

"We're neutral. Some people who are trying to help and support us naturally assume we're politically aligned. We want April 20 to be a day of solidarity for the lives lost. It's about paying our respects," Murdock told the Hartford Courant. "But we also want it to be a day of discourse. Adults fight on the internet, in the press, in politics. A lot of kids don't, and it's because we're open to listening."

A youth movement of the Women's March called EMPOWER is also pushing for a national school walkout at 10 a.m. March 14 among "students, teachers, school administrators, parents and allies." The group is suggesting those who walk out stand in silence for 17 minutes, one for each person who died in the Florida massacre.

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These are the Florida students behind the movement to end gun violence

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The shooting massacre of 17 people this month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., not only reignited the debate over gun control but also launched a group of teenage activists. Students from the school have given dozens of interviews, gained hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter and visited the White House and the Florida state Capitol.

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It is not necessary to accomplish ever job by yourself, but surround yourself with competent individuals who know how to do the job and inspire them to do it best.

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Both a transformational and servant leader, King inspired others to dream of a future during oppression while serving his community.

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I struggled with the idea that my leadership style did not perfectly match any one style, but rather moved based on my audience. With some coworkers I have learned that they expect equivalent exchange, others could be inspired, and others just needed to have support. It is possible for multiple leadership techniques, with a core set of beliefs, to complement each other rather than create ambiguity.

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Somewhat unpopular, I believe there is still merit in being aware of the audience and situation with which one is working, and that methods of communication, and therefore leadership, can be more flexible than rigid

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Transactional  vs. Transformational leadership.

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Transactional  vs. Transformational leadership.

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Balancing rewards and consequences is weighed against inspiring others to achieve.

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A local organization committed to raising awareness of Autism and assisting the community in supporting members with Autism.

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The leader is part of the team.

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This chapter begins by describing team leadership as a dynamic approach to leadership that does not necessarily reciprocate the leader-subordinate process that is exhibited with other types of leadership. The leader-subordinate type of leadership that has been seen in previous chapters is not necessarily wrong, but the team leadership approach does not build foundations on that sort of relationship between leader and follower. Within the team dynamic the leader is undoubtedly an individual, but it's not always a set individual. Each situation that the team is faced with overcoming necessitates different skills or knowledge. In these situations the certain members of the team that have the appropriate skills or knowledge will step forward and be the leader. The team-leadership process enables all members of the team to exhibit leadership in different situations. While the member is in the leader position, the leadership is still not communicated through an authoritarian type style. Northouse defines a team as an interdependent group of individuals similar to a task force that work towards a common goal and share common interests. Being interdependent means that the contributions of each individual member of the team are equally necessary and that the leader in any certain situation is not superior to other members of the team. The team leadership dynamic does not discriminate between the leader and the other team members. This differs from the traditional leadership model of leader-centric interactions or leader-subordinate, as mentioned earlier. Instead, the team leadership model is based upon, team-centric or team-leader interactions.

The basic goal outcome for all team-based operations is high team effectiveness. If the team cannot achieve a high level of team effectiveness then is reflected upon the leadership of, not an individual, but the leadership team as a whole. Northouse states that the effectiveness of a team is contingent upon the leadership strength present amongst the members. This has to do with whether or not the team members have the abilities and knowledge necessary to navigate certain situations as well as the understanding of when it is appropriate and inappropriate to step forward and use those abilities and knowledge. When a majority of individuals within the team have these characteristics about them the overall leadership exhibited by the team is high and this is reflected by high team effectiveness. In each situation that warrants leadership the individual that steps forward is faced with many factors both external to the team and internal to the team that dictate what sort of action to take. Externally the leader must take into account the overall environment and context that the team operation is surrounded by. This is done through actions such as negotiating support, sharing information, and networking. The internal factors that a team leader must consider have more to do with task and relational aspects. Actions that a leader would take to provide for these task and relational needs would be, for example, focusing on goals and maintaining standards for task focus, and building commitment and managing conflict for relational focus.

I feel that I can relate to this chapter mostly because of the organizations I've been apart of in the past and the organizations that I am a part of now. In many situations that we are faced with it would seem that there is always different people who have the appropriate skillset for the task. When there isn't a set leader in a position and those people are enabled to step forward and contribute what they have to offer, the goals of effectiveness are met much more easily.

How can we differentiate between situations where the team leadership approach is appropriate and situations where a more leader-centric approach is needed? To me, it seems that in leadership situations like, for example, the president and his cabinet the president is obviously the authority and, although he needs input from different cabinet heads, will be the final word on any decision. I wouldn't the team-centric approach would be appropriate for this leadership situation.

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This chapter begins by describing team leadership as a dynamic approach to leadership that does not necessarily reciprocate the leader-subordinate process that is exhibited with other types of leadership. The leader-subordinate type of leadership that has been seen in previous chapters is not necessarily wrong, but the team leadership approach does not build foundations on that sort of relationship between leader and follower.

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Robert Greenleaf found servant leaders elevated others, meeting their needs so they could then meet the needs of the organization.

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While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase "servant leadership" was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said:

"The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions...The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.

"The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?"

A servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the "top of the pyramid," servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.

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What is Servant Leadership? - Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership

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While servant leadership is a timeless concept, the phrase "servant leadership" was coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay, Greenleaf said: "The servant-leader is servant first... It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.

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Matthew Eriksen, 2005

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VICKI ZAKRZEWSKI | AUGUST 21, 2013

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If you're a school leader, you have problems to solve: bullying, teacher burnout, disengaged students, casual vandalism and litter, and cultural and socio-economic differences, among others. Big issues that affect a lot of people.

© asiseeit

Researchers have found that a positive school climate can help solve a lot of those problems. Studies find that it decreases absenteeism, suspensions, substance abuse, and bullying, and increases students' academic achievement, motivation to learn, and psychological well-being. It can even mitigate the negative effects of self-criticism and socioeconomic status on academic success. In addition, working in this kind of climate lessens teacher burnout while increasing retention. All really good stuff!

But here's the catch: Creating a positive school climate is really, really hard to do, as any principal will tell you. People have minds of their own, and you can't make them feel peppy and optimistic on command. It takes elbow grease and much care to implement, simply because human motivations and needs are so complex. Here are some research-tested tips to get you started.
What does it look like?
Let's take a moment to paint a picture of positive school climate. When you walk onto a school campus, you can immediately get a sense of the school climate by watching the interactions between people and noticing the school's physical environment.

Do the teachers, students, and school leaders seem happy to be there and are they treating each other with respect? Is the school clean and orderly? Are the bulletin board displays sending out positive messages? Are students engaged in their learning?

In 2007, the National School Climate Council spelled out specific criteria for what defines a positive school climate, including:

Norms, values, and expectations that support social, emotional, and physical safety.

People are engaged and respected.

Students, families, and educators work together to develop and live a shared school vision.

Educators model and nurture attitudes that emphasize the benefits gained from learning.

Each person contributes to the operations of the school and the care of the physical environment.

So while creating a positive school climate is not easy, it's also not impossible.
Three steps to a positive climate
When building a positive school climate, it's important to remember that there is no magic formula-much will depend on the leaders' values and vision and how much everyone else gets on board with those things.

It starts with trust, which researchers say is an essential prerequisite to a more positive climate. The following steps are in part designed to build trust, mainly by giving teachers, staff, and students some say in the process-and leaders who guide the process must never miss an opportunity to prove themselves trustworthy and to facilitate trust-building between stakeholders.

Here are some research-based suggestions for school leaders on how to start cultivating a positive school climate:

1) Assess the current climate. You have to know where you're starting from in order to know where to go. And for those on your staff who might be less-than-enthusiastic about creating a positive school climate, asking them about their current experience will help get them on board because they'll feel like their voice is being heard. Also be sure to include everyone's voices: teachers, other school staff, students, parents-and your own.

There are a number of ways to assess your school climate. The Safe and Supportive Schools website provides a list of validated survey instruments -some of which are free. However, I would caution against relying on just a survey.

According to Edgar Schein, one of the foremost organizational psychology experts, a survey will not reveal people's underlying assumptions and beliefs which have a profound effect on the school climate-and those are what you need to understand in order to effect real change. On surveys, people can interpret the questions differently. For example, the statement, "I believe this school is headed in the right direction" could be interpreted in a myriad of ways. Also, it is very difficult to know which questions to ask on a survey and how deeply a person feels about a particular area.

Schein suggests meeting in small groups to examine together the school's climate. He outlines a simple method in his book The Corporate Culture Survival Guide that is easily adaptable to schools. (Note: researchers consider climate and culture to be two different constructs. However, the National School Climate Council's definition above combines the two.)

Individual interviews are also another way to get a sense of the school climate, and should be conducted by someone outside the school to ensure honesty and impartiality, e.g., a consultant or local grad student in organizational psychology.

2) Create a shared vision-but start with personal visions. Research suggests that bringing everyone together to create a shared vision of the kind of climate they want increases the likelihood that the vision will actually be carried out. But according to Peter Senge, director of the Society for Organizational Learning that originated at MIT, a shared vision must emerge from our personal visions-otherwise people won't be committed to the shared vision.

Senge defines personal vision as "a specific destination, a picture of a desired future" that is rooted in a person's values, concerns, and aspirations. For example, part of my personal vision is wanting schools to be socially and emotionally healthy places for everyone which comes from my deeply held belief that human beings thrive in positive environments.

So before creating a shared vision together, ask everyone to write down his or her personal vision. You might even have them read the section on personal vision in Senge's book, The Fifth Discipline. To ensure student participation, have teachers guide students through this process.

When you're ready to create a shared vision, it's important to create a safe space where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas. I highly recommend using a positive approach to discussion such as World Café or Appreciative Inquiry. That way, positive emotions are generated, which will help to cultivate trust amongst group members and also make everyone's thinking more creative and flexible. Be sure to include the students in whatever way possible.

3) Work together to carry out the shared vision-and make it fun! Creating a positive school climate is an ongoing process that never really ends, but it's a joyful one. However, if you find your school off to a slow start, you might try one of these simple motivating ideas that will give a quick boost of positive emotions:

"Behind Your Back." Click here for this fun twist on gossiping that can easily be done at the start of class or before a staff meeting. One participant at the Greater Good Summer Institute for Educators told us that when her school did it at a staff meeting, some long-held grudges between staff members were healed.

Gratitude Board. Provide places in the hallways and the teachers' lounge where people can post notes expressing their gratitude for each others' actions. Gratitude has the wonderful effect of helping us feel more connected to one another and also gives us a boost in our own self-worth-both important aspects of a positive school climate.

While it may seem like a lot of work, the tremendous benefits of a positive school climate far out-weigh the time and effort required. And, while researchers haven't measured it yet, I would guess that a positive school climate can also bring the joy and fun back into teaching and learning. Who wouldn't want to be part of a school like that?
Throughout this next school year, watch for articles on more specific, research-based ideas for building a positive school climate.
Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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If you're a school leader, you have problems to solve: bullying, teacher burnout, disengaged students, casual vandalism and litter, and cultural and socio-economic differences, among others. Big issues that affect a lot of people.

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Current models expand beyond the three or four style systems with which I grew up, including social learners, solitary learners, and natural learners

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I did not find the EIQ test provided with the course very informative and decided to try others. This one is not free, but it provides a wealth of information, including suggested methods of improving weaknesses.

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For decades, a lot of emphasis has been put on certain aspects of intelligence such as logical reasoning, math skills, spatial skills, understanding analogies, verbal skills etc. Researchers were puzzled by the fact that while IQ could predict to a significant degree academic performance and, to some degree, professional and personal success, there was something missing in the equation. Some of those with fabulous IQ scores were doing poorly in life; one could say that they were wasting their potential by thinking, behaving and communicating in a way that hindered their chances to succeed.

One of the major missing parts in the success equation is emotional intelligence, a concept made popular by the groundbreaking book by Daniel Goleman, which is based on years of research by numerous scientists such as Peter Salovey, John Meyer, Howard Gardner, Robert Sternberg and Jack Block, just to name a few. For various reasons and thanks to a wide range of abilities, people with high emotional intelligence tend to be more successful in life than those with lower EIQ even if their classical IQ is average.

This emotional intelligence test will evaluate several aspects of your emotional intelligence and will suggest ways to improve it. Please be honest and answer according to what you really do, feel or think, rather than what you think is considered right in this test. Nobody is there to judge you, just yourself...and besides, there are many trick questions.

Read every statement carefully and indicate which option applies best to you. There may be some questions describing situations that you may feel are not relevant to your life. In such cases, select the answer which you would most likely choose if you ever found yourself in such a situation.

After finishing this test you will receive a FREE snapshot report with a summary evaluation and graph. You will then have the option to purchase the full results for $9.95

This test is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or for the treatment of any health condition. If you would like to seek the advice of a licensed mental health professional you can search Psychology Today's directory here.

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For decades, a lot of emphasis has been put on certain aspects of intelligence such as logical reasoning, math skills, spatial skills, understanding analogies, verbal skills etc. Researchers were puzzled by the fact that while IQ could predict to a significant degree academic performance and, to some degree, professional and personal success, there was something missing in the equation.

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The Wizard and the Warrior suggests that leaders play roles within an organization.

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Leadership Principles from Jean Luc Picard

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Leadership Principles from Jean Luc Picard

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Alex Knapp, 2012

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And then complete the mission

And make himself a better person

Bring peace to the galaxy

And do it for free

Oh yeah, that's what Captain Picard would do."

- from "What Would Captain Picard Do?" by Hank Green
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the model of a great 24th Century Starfleet captain. On his watch, the crew of the Enterprise successfully defended humanity against the judgement of the Q-Continuum, defeated the Borg, prevented the Romulans from installing a puppet government in the Klingon Empire, and encountered countless new species.

Although Captain Picard's style was very different from Captain Kirk's, he was also an incredibly successful leader. Here are five lessons in leadership that can take away from Picard's voyages as you take your organization on its journey to boldly go where no one has gone before.
1. Speak to people in the language they understand. (Or, it's okay to threaten a Klingon.) "In my experience, communication is a matter of patience and imagination. I would like to believe that these are qualities that we have in sufficient measure."
One of the key challenges to Captain Picard during his voyages was the problem of communication. Even in an era where universal translators could translate virtually every language imaginable, communication is more than just a matter of language. The different races that Picard encountered had their own cultures, customs and values. In order to work effectively with them, he mastered the ability to communicate with them on his own terms. When he was challenged by Klingons, he had no problem getting back in their faces and swearing at them. In Klingon culture, that's how one earns respect. When he was confronted with the Sheliak, who refused to grant him more time to resettle colonists on a planet they wanted, he wrung concessions out of them through their hyper-detailed, legalistic manner of negotiation.

Perhaps no episode, though, demonstrates Picard's willingness to put himself in someone else's shoes than "Darmok." In that episode, Picard and his crew meet with an alien race known as the Children of Tama. Although the ship's translators could make their words comprehensible, their speech wasn't, because it was entirely structured around metaphor and allusions to their myths. Noting this, the Tamarian captain kidnapped Picard and marooned them both on a world where they could face a common enemy. Over the course of their struggles, Picard was able to learn and understand the Tamarian language, paving the way towards greater understanding between the Tamarians and the Federation.

Perhaps one of the key skills for any good leader is the ability to empathize and understand the people they work with, both on their team and outside their organizations. This is especially true in a globalized world. People bring to the table not only their skills, but also their experiences, personalities, and cultures. Understanding those cultures and experiences enables you to effectively communicate.

2. When you're overwhelmed, ask for help.

"You wanted to frighten us. We're frightened. You wanted to show us we were inadequate. For the moment, I grant that. You wanted me to say 'I need you.'? I NEED you!"

One of Picard's constant foils was Q, a near-omnipotent being whose judgments of humanity bookend both the first and last entries of the TV series. One particularly memorable episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation was "Q Who?" where, in a fit of pique, Q sent the Enterprise light-years away from their location, where they made the Federation's first contact with the Borg. The Borg are a race of cybernetic beings that share a collective consciousness. When they encounter new worlds, they assimilate the planets' technology and people into themselves. Their technology was years ahead of the Federation, and it became clear that there was no way for the Enterprise to win the battle and save themselves.

So Picard asked Q for help, which Q granted.

That's a hard thing to do. Especially in our individualist American culture, where there's a level of expectation that you solve your problems on your own. That sort of independence is far from a bad quality - indeed, the ability to be independent is an important skill for leaders. But equally important is having enough self-awareness to know when you're overwhelmed, when the odds are against you and when you know you can't win the battle by yourself. In those situations, a prudent leader will ask for help.

That's something that seems obvious, doesn't it? But how many of us have refused to acknowledge that we need help at some point in our lives? How many of us have been on teams led by someone who was out of their depth but unwilling to seek out any guidance? It takes a great deal of confidence to admit that you need help. As Q said to Picard after Picard asked for help, "That was a difficult admission. Another man would have been humiliated to say those words. Another man would have rather died than ask for help." How many of us have been on doomed projects because the project leader was too proud or too blind to ask for help?

When the time came, Picard wasn't afraid to ask for help. That allowed him and his crew to fight another day - and on that day, they did defeat the Borg. When the time comes, a good leader will have that same confidence to ask for help so that they, too, can fight another day.

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Five Leadership Lessons From Jean-Luc Picard

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And then complete the mission And make himself a better person Bring peace to the galaxy And do it for free Oh yeah, that's what Captain Picard would do." - from "What Would Captain Picard Do?" by Hank Green Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the model of a great 24th Century Starfleet captain.

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My high school band director taught us that leaders do not have to be at the front of the line, they just have to be part of it.

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Leaders are actively engaged in the school, not standing over it. The development of professional learning communities builds confidence, challenges others to grow, and encourages sharing in a common vision.

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His passion and integrity were contagious to the rest of the crew, pushing them to excellence and inspiring confidence. Jean Luc Picard overcame obstacles others believed impassable.

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Research for this model was conducted by asking individuals about their best leadership moment and identifying common themes. Read this book for the practical application of continuously verified observations.

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Leaders actively participate in and commit to a campus vision. By doing this they demonstrate that they believe in the vision and are willing to work with others to see it achieved.