The last season that a student leader experiences is the Separation season. This season is a time of letting go. You find yourself at the end of your time as a student leader and beginning to look forward to (anticipation season) the next thing.
Everybody leaves. It just depends on when and how. Most of those two things is up to you.
The best and most successful student leaders leave when their position, their commitment is over. They leave when they're supposed to leave.
Unfortunately, not every student leader sticks around and leaves when they're supposed to leave. They resign. They quit. They step aside. Whatever you want to call it or for whatever reason - they don't see things through to the end.
But this article isn't for them - it's for you...the one's who are gonna be there to hand the keys to the next person.
When it's time to leave, there's some things you can do that will put the icing on the cake of your student leadership year. There's a few ideas that I have that will allow you to leave responsibly instead of with regret.
1. Say Thank You!
Take these last few weeks of your student leadership year to thank all of the people who have helped you, encouraged you, inspired you, motivated you, and worked alongside you. If you were a student LEADER this year, then there are people whom you've LED that need to hear your appreciation. If there isn't anyone you can think of...well...you might want to reflect on what it means to be a student leader.
2. Celebrate With People!
It's time to party. Spend some moments reflecting and remembering all of the things you accomplished with the people you accomplished them with. Hand out some crazy awards to all of your team mates. Gather all of the pictures and videos from the year and watch them again. Share all of your inside jokes one more time.
3. Invest In The Next Leader!
Your student leadership year is a chapter in an ongoing story. The work of the person who served before you impacted your year in certain ways. Your investment this year will effect the next person. One of the best questions you can ask yourself in preparing the next person is this: What do I know now that I wish I knew a year ago? Whatever the answer to that question is will be the very things you need to share with the new person.
As you step away from your position, make sure you take some time to reflect on the lessons you learned. Write down your insights. If you were to do it all over again, how would you do things differently? Are there areas where you leave your position better than you found it?
And remember, if it wasn't the best experience, that's okay. Every opportunity to serve in a student leadership position can teach you something. A student leadership position is a laboratory for you develop your own leadership skills and experience. Just make sure you do the hard work of looking for the lessons and working to not repeat some of the same mistakes.
Flickr credit: RU4SUN2
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