When you accept a volunteer role in a booster organization, you are stepping into a position of leadership. Whether you serve as president, a committee chair, or a general volunteer, you lead others by your influence. Everyone has a leadership style – their own way of influencing others.

Sometimes we are blind to our own leadership style. We just don’t take the time to see ourselves as others see us. Often, it’s not intentional. We mean well. After all, we are passionate about the student program and we want the very best for our students. What we fail to realize, though, is that other parents are on the same journey that we are. They also want to play an active role in the students’ lives.

Let’s take a look at three leadership styles. Are you a hoarder, a delegator, or a collaborator?

As the parent of a teenager, you’re in one of the busiest seasons of life. There are many demands for your time, and you may feel as if you can’t say no to any of them. Every request that comes your way has its own merit. And while you want to help out with many things, once you’ve invested your time, you may feel empty and wonder where your time really went.

When You Say Yes to One Thing, You’re Saying No to Something Else

You may think you have trouble saying no. However, when you say yes to one thing, you’re saying no to something else. Without realizing it, you may be saying no to things that have a lasting impact.

In the prior two posts, we took a look at the why behind booster leadership. We have seen how it can benefit you, the individual, and how it can benefit students, instructors, and administrators. The benefits we’ve seen make perfect sense – there’s a logical reason behind each of them. However, the decision to serve is not always made from your head – it is often made from your heart.

Early in my tenure with the Blackman Band Boosters, I had an experience that inspired me to serve wherever there was a need. It was a decision I made from the heart. Here’s the story from my book, The Booster Leader: 35 Leadership Essentials for a Thriving Booster Organization.

In my last post, we focused on the benefits that booster leadership provides you, the individual. Today, let’s look at how booster leadership benefits students, instructors, and school administrators.

Benefits that Booster Leadership Offers Students

Teenagers have an innate need for acceptance and belonging. A great deal of their self-esteem comes from their association with a group. In extracurricular programs, teenagers learn to cooperate together for the greater good of the group. When the group succeeds, each individual feels the pride of their collective accomplishment.

Here are three major benefits that extracurricular programs offer students.

In his book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”¹ This is especially true in booster leadership.

Here I am with my daughter, Katelyn.

Hello, I’m Dan Caldwell, author of The Booster Leader: 35 Leadership Essentials for a Thriving Booster Organization. My goal is to equip you, the parent volunteer, to lead a thriving booster organization. When you are equipped with the right resources and tools, you can provide exceptional extracurricular opportunities for the students you serve.

I believe the success of any organization is a direct reflection of its leadership. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the essentials of booster leadership and how implementing them can transform an organization from mediocre to thriving.

So, what does it mean to thrive? Here’s Webster’s definition: