Our Key Leader Experience by Arlington Echo 2010 Attendees

by Nicole McDermott (link to CapitalKeyLeader@gmail.com)

The following are student responses to the question posed at the end of the Key Leader weekend, "What did you learn?"

- This weekend, I learned to have more faith in people.
- One thing I learned this weekend is active and attentive listening skills.
- To take a step back in certain situations and let others experience a leadership moment when it's their time to shine.
- I have learned that I am more myself when I live by the Key Leader values and when I am a servant leader.
- I learned how to climb walls! Teamwork is necessary in order to perform hard tasks.
- I have learned that working with people I don't know isn't all that hard.
- To understand others - encourage their leadership
- Learning and growing as a leader is never-ending
- I have learned to come out of my shell and not be afraid to speak up, when I want to.
- Listening skills
- The meaning of teamwork - I learned what it is and how to build. I also learned the importance of it and what it means to everyone.
- I have learned that being a service leader is not about yourself. It is about listening and guiding others to accomplish a service.
- I reflected on my behavior and learned that I need to be more patient with people.
- One thing I have learned this weekend is how to become a great leader.
- Being a leader doesn't just mean to better yourself, but to better others.
- I learned to practice patience and be less judgmental.
- I learned to be more open-minded and talk to more new people because you can make good friendships.
- One thing I have learned this weekend is how easy it is to make new friends when you're alone.
- One thing I have learned this weekend is that you can be a leader in spite of your background, IQ, and social status. In order to be a leader, you have to just love what you're doing.
- This weekend I learned what a true leader is, how to get out of my comfort zone, and how to be enthusiastic about everything I do.
- I learned that I don't always have to be the leader/dictate and to let others take that leading role.
- One thing I learned this weekend is that everyone has personality differences, but those differences always add to the group. So no one should be excluded.
- One thing I learned this weekend is that I need to be a better listener.
- To have confidence in myself and trust others because no one is alone.
- The thing I learned this weekend is how to trust people.
- People will never follow you unless you follow them as well.
- To better organize a group of people to accomplish tasks.
- One thing I learned this weekend was not to be afraid to take risks. When you take risks, it may lead to great things and become a huge impact in your life.
- I learned so many things, but probably the thing I needed to learn the most was that I really need to always respect all of the opinions and personality styles of everyone in my group and that my mission is to encourage others to become better leaders.
- Trust is a large part of leadership.
- One thing I have learned this weekend is that I value happiness and need to start making decisions based on that instead of what others will think.
- One thing I have learned this weekend is how to work with others and accomplish tasks more effectively.
- Be a service leader
- I have learned how to be a more active listener when communicating with people.
- How teamwork really grows
- I learned how to work better with different personality types.
- I learned that I have a collaborator leadership style and how to work with others as a collaborator.
- I have learned to talk outside my comfort zone and not let anything hold me back. J
- Being a leader takes a lot. It takes integrity, respect, and more.
- This weekend was amazing. I have learned to step outside of my comfort zone and make new friends. I've met so many amazing people here.
- This weekend, I have learned that a true leader must put the group's goals above his/her own.
- I learned that in order to be a good leader you have to be a good follower first.
- The thing I feel is most important out of all that I learned is why I do the things I do and how it connects to what my values are.
- I learned how to trust in people and in myself.
- I have learned to not let the fear of embarrassment or anxiety get in the way of taking risks.
- How to be a Key Leader
- I really need to thank people for the small things they do, such as holding open a door.
- I learned how to help others in my group with their different personalities.
- One thing that I learned this weekend is how to be a better collaborator.
- One thing I have learned this weekend is that all people have different personalities and that to be a better leader I need to listen carefully and understand that all people comprehend things differently.
- I learned that respect comes from ethics.
- This weekend, I learned that one of my strongest and most cherished values is respect of others and I was glad to learn that.
- This weekend I learned that it's important to stay true to who you are and to not let my fear get I the way of taking risks.
- Not to judge people before you meet them
- Respect all values!!!
- I have learned that when you grow, make sure you don't outshine anyone, and to let them grow as well.
- One thing that I have learned is that friendship is a value I try to live by.
- I have learned that a leader needs to believe in him/herself in order to be successful.
- I learned about friendship and how to better myself through many different actions.
- People can be leaders and followers at the same time with an open mind.
- I learned that to be a true leader, you must sometimes let other people control the group even if this is counterintuitive.
- To trust those who are in my group
- Don't be so quick to judge others.
- I have learned that a good leader cannot just delegate responsibilities and control a group. A good leader has to listen and learn from their followers.
- I have learned so much about being a Key Leader. I learned how to work with people with different personality types. I know I can use this in my Key Club back home!
- I learned that when in a group, communication is a big key. While communicating, you have to be calm and clear and one should talk one at a time because it helps everyone listen. 
- I have learned how to be a better servant leader, be more confident in myself, and to stay true to myself.
- I learned that I am a collaborator and what I need to do to work better as a group.
- I have learned that a Key Leader has service leadership, integrity, growth, respect, community and excellence.
- This weekend I learned about different personality types and how to work with each one. It was really interesting and I have a lot of knowledge to take back home.
- This weekend I have learned that even though I may be shy I can still be a leader and help other people.
- How to be more outgoing and speak up and share my ideas even if I think they won't use my idea.
- I learned that being a positive and effective leader is all about respect and putting yourself in others' shoes.
- I learned that a leader can be outspoken in a positive way.
- Service leadership has five pillars that provide the basis for being a successful and respected leader.

These responses were taken from written student responses at the Kiwanis Key Leader weekend at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville, Maryland, facilitated by Dr. Wendy Fraser. 83 students (73 student attendees and 10 student facilitators) attended this Key Leader weekend, ranging from 8th - 12th grade and coming from various backgrounds in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.  20 of these students were not members of Kiwanis Family through Key Club or Builders Club.

There will be two Spring 2011 Key Leader weekends - more details TBA. For more information, please contact Capital District Key Leader Chair Nicole McDermott at CapitalKeyLeader@gmail.com or 703.829.5481. Search Capital District Key Leader on Facebook and like it! Visit www.youtube.com/CapitalKeyLeader and watch live student testimonials about the quality of the program.