The first conference of its kind, LEAD began in Lewis-Sebring Commons with a speech by a leadership trainer, Ed Gerety. It then branched into various workshops in Converse Hall that focused on skills such as delegating tasks and accessing campus resources. Participants also received a manual detailing useful information for campus leaders, such as recruiting members for organizations and reserving rooms on campus.
The idea for the conference sprang from observations in 2004 made by Director of Student Leadership and Engagement Karen Lee and former Assistant Dean Sam Haynes.
“We realized that both of us were often answering the same questions from students in regards to how things worked on campus, where to get funding, and questions related to leading student organizations and starting student organizations,” Lee recalled. “We thought that a training for student leaders might be a useful thing for Amherst students.”
Through a friend, Lee learned of Gerety, who, at age 22, established his own company to help others reach their leadership potential. He now travels throughout the United States, Canada and Europe giving workshops. He began his presentation with an interactive game that introduced the audience members both to him and to each other, and then continued on blending humorous anecdotes with motivational messages to inspire the audience to become better leaders on campus, in the community and in the world.
In one particular instance, Gerety recounted his experience visiting a class of first-graders, one of whom was a boy named Chip. To show Gerety what the class was doing, Chip led him to a windowsill lined with flowers growing in milk cartons.
“‘Everyone in the class was given one seed and the teacher said we better not eat it because we’re not getting another,’” Gerety chuckled, recalling the boy’s speech. “I held up the milk carton to check if Chip’s name was on the bottom of it, but there was no name on it... ‘Tell me Chip. How do you know whose is whose?’ He looked at me, this little first grader [and said], ‘Well we don’t, Mr. Gerety. We just take care of everyone’s.’”
Gerety emphasized that people often do not remember the most important values of life and are only reminded when they lose a loved one. Mixing his messages with humor, Gerety teased the audience, proclaiming his love to one member and having another call his mother on stage to tell her that he loved her. Both events illustrated his belief in the importance of telling other people exactly how you feel about them, the way young children do.
“We sometimes forget to be grateful for all of the things that we have in our lives, all the opportunities that lie before us,” Gerety said. “The only time we remember is when we lose someone close to us. You know as well as I do that it is at those moments that we are truly reminded of what is most important in life. We reflect and say to ourselves, ‘I wish I had called that person more often, or written that person more letters, been more kind, more patient. Maybe I wish I had told that person those three simple words that are the hardest words to say or the most important of all.’”
He also encouraged the audience to make daily efforts to perform acts of kindness for others without the expectation of a reward. Moreover, he cautioned audience members that their words, no matter how casual, have a deep impact.
“It’s not just our actions but also our words that mean everything,” Gerety explained. “It’s about honoring our word. Remember the words of Frank Outlaw. ‘Watch your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Watch your words. Your words become your actions. Watch your actions. Your actions become your habits. Watch your habits. Your habits become your character. Watch your character. Your character becomes your destiny.’”
Despite the fact that it was the first ever conference, participants were inspired by Gerety’s message and found many of the workshops helpful in their daily lives, said Michelle Johnstone ’12.
“I actually really liked it,” said Johnstone. “Some of the workshops were hit or miss, but mostly they were a hit. The stress workshop reviewed things I already knew, but the delegation workshop taught me a lot. It gave me tips on how to delegate well and communicate. I thought Ed Gerety was an amazing speaker; he had a lot of control over his inflection and his presentation. He was really passionate about what he said and he was really confident. It was very inspiring.”