Juliana Mink | Contributing Writer
On Wed. April 14, Samford professor Courtney Haun led the last installment of the Leadership Lunch Series. The talk, “Rocket Launching Leadership,” focused on the cultivation of a crucial characteristic for any successful adult: leadership.
Haun herself has been pursuing leadership since she was a child, even if she did not initially realize it.
When she was young, Haun said that she wanted to be an astronaut, but upon learning the risks of going to space she quickly decided perhaps she didn’t necessarily want to become an astronaut.
“I grew to realize throughout high school and then college that what I really wanted to do was become a leader,” Haun said.
But leadership is discussed so often that sometimes a specific definition is hard to pin down. Haun describes leadership as “the culmination of skills, behaviors, and abilities a person or people have to guide individuals or organizations towards a set goal or mission.”
Haun explained what traits make a good leader.
“Although not set in stone and dependent on the position and situation, some of the most important characteristics of a good leader include being honest, inspiring, forward-looking, and competent,” Haun said.
Haun believes there is no better time for students to cultivate these characteristics of a leader than the present.
“To influence globally, you’ve got to start locally – with you,” Haun said, “I believe that developing leadership skills early on can help prepare students to make a larger influence later on in their careers.”
