John Maxwell Leadership

John Maxwell, a well known author on leadership, believes that “leaders must be close enough to relate to others but far enough ahead to motivate them.” Section leaders are the people looked to first for what the band directors want and how they are expected to accomplish those directives. Great section leaders provide clear directions to their section on what is expected of them. Section leaders must be able to relate to, understand, and communicate with both the band directors and their section. Through my experiences in leadership both in and out of school I will be able to lead my section.
Relatability is a requirement for section leaders because it allows them to connect more deeply with the members of their section. The section members want a leader that they can see part of themselves in - even if it something as small as a shared interest in a tv show. I learned this while mentoring a class of freshman through the Students Active In Leadership(SAIL) program at the high school. The freshman in my class had to see that I was just as wacky and technically challenged in life as they were before they would respect my leadership. Simply forgetting how to play a video or comparing homework loads made …show more content…
I understand and feel driven to perform to the best of my ability as a marching band member and hope to share that passion and understanding with the section as a leader and mentor. As a senior, I have been or am in their marching “shoes”. If I am selected for section leader I will engage the freshman and urge them to stay in band. I will try to make all members of percussion feel like essential members of the team. The more unified we are the greater the desire to do well as a unit. If each section performs their best, the overall band performance will be enhanced. I look forward to communicating your desires with the section in a way that will drive us all to