Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper
Emerging Leader – An identification Crisis
Posted by Oct 19, 2009 1 comment
Ms. Ruby Lopez Harper
When my manager at the time approached me about applying to be an Emerging Leader Council member, my first thought was “Why?”. I was a coordinator at the city arts council; what in heaven's name could I possibly bring to the table? And what is an Emerging Leader? Well, her answer was simple: “What is your title at the theatre?,” referring to the community theatre where I volunteer. I responded “President of the Board of Trustees, why?” “That makes you a leader.” I had to really think about that – and not just that, but the fact that I enjoyed organizing folks and helping people make connections. That I was active on the state level in support of community theatre. That I was an active member of the artistic community and people (for whatever reason) listened to and spoke with ME about stuff – challenges in their theatres, needs in their community, finding people to fill positions… It was like a whole new world opened up, and I was suddenly looking at myself with new eyes. I never considered myself a leader; I think most “leaders” don’t. They do what they do because they can’t do things any other way. It’s intrinsic, base. Pre-programmed and hard-wired. And that is the challenge of perpetuating a concept of the "Emerging Leader". How do you convert people who just are "leaders" into Leaders who identify themselves by that title and recognize who they are and what they bring to the greater community?
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