Five Easy Steps to Becoming A Leader
Admit it. When you cannot sleep, you channel-surf. You keep your finger tight on the button of your remote control, and you flip quickly through the hundreds of channels on cable television. You see snippets of those late-night infomercials that promise to change your life. Sometimes the offer is to help you burn belly fat or make perfect pasta every time (though frankly, it’s because of the perfect pasta that many of us have belly fat!) Many times the promise is to help you “take charge of your life,” “set and reach your goals,” and “to be the leader you were meant to be.” The promise comes with books or DVDs, and it often comes with a hefty price tag.
Good news, readers! We can help you be the leader you were meant to be. You will learn how to inspire others to act. You will have others listening to what you say and doing what you ask them to do. You will make a difference in our world. What you won’t have to do is to buy anything in three easy installments of only $29.95 on your Visa or Mastercard. In fact, this project will bring money into your hands, which you in turn will be giving to a very worthy cause. What is this project you ask? Being the captain of a team for this year’s AIDS Walk in Delaware.
This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Delaware AIDS Walk. Over the years, the AIDS Walk has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for HIV prevention and treatment services in Delaware. Originally a fundraiser only for AIDS Delaware, the Walk has grown to include community partners such as the Delaware HIV Consortium, and each year’s Walk now benefits a number of different HIV/AIDS service providers throughout the state. The AIDS Walks are successful in raising community awareness about HIV disease, as well as raising money to fund critically needed programs. However that is true only if people walk the walk and bring donations. That’s where YOU come in as a Team Captain. The more teams in the AIDS Walk, the more people we have walking and the more money that is raised. It’s that simple.
So let’s get started.
Step 1: Say “yes” to yourself. Not surprisingly, self-affirmation is the foundation to being a good leader. You gotta own your new role! So repeat after me: “I am going to put together a team for this year’s AIDS Walk.” Did you say it out loud? I thought not. Try it again, with feeling: “I am going to put together a team for this year’s AIDS Walk!” Now do something about it.
Step 2: Put your goal into writing. It has been shown in various studies that writing down your goal significantly increases the chances that you will meet your goal. That’s why you need to register right away on the AIDS Walk website. It puts your intention out there in the universe, plus the website has a cool thermometer to help you gauge your success.
Step 3: Name your intention. Okay, maybe you don’t need to give a name to your intention, but you do need to give a name to your team. Here’s your opportunity to be as creative as you wish to be. While some team names are straightforward, others are inspirational, whimsical, or even goofy. Yours can be any of those things…except goofy. That one has been taken by CAMP Rehoboth’s team, captained by Sal Seeley. Their team name is G.O.O.F.Y., which stands for “Gays, Off Our Feet, Y’all”. Can’t you just hear Sal saying that with a southern twang?
Step 4: Invite others to join you. An AIDS Walk team doesn’t have to be huge, though we all know that bigger is better, right? Set a modest goal at the beginning, and then grow it as you go along. Why not ask five people to join you on your newly named team? You might extend your invitation to a group of which you are already a member, such as your Saturday night poker group or your garden club. Or you can mix and match team members from people in different parts of your life. Why not ask a co-worker, a family member, a neighbor, a friend from synagogue, and that cute guy from Facebook to join your team? We compartmentalize our lives enough already; integrate portions of your life on your AIDS Walk team! The more, the merrier!
Step 5: Give others the opportunity to support you. Many people think this step is the hardest one. In truth, it is the easiest. You’ll be surprised at the generosity of others. They are out there, waiting to give. They are just waiting to be asked. They will sponsor you in the AIDS Walk out of the concern for the cause, out of their love for you, or both. So ask them! Mention your AIDS Walk Team in your casual conversations, at the water cooler, during cocktails, anywhere. If an electronic ask is easier for you, you’ll be glad to know that the AIDS Walk website can help you send appeals via email (and help your donors give money securely online if they wish!)
The bottom line is this. Do you want to take charge and be a leader? Then take these first five steps now, and finish up with a lot more steps in this year’s AIDS Walk. The AIDS Walk in Rehoboth Beach will be held on Saturday morning, October 8th, with check-in at 9 a.m. and the Walk itself beginning at 10 a.m. Hope to see you there!
Glen Pruitt is the Associate Executive Director of the Delaware HIV Consortium and a member of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors. He is also the local coordinator for the AIDS Walk in Rehoboth Beach. Email Glen Pruitt or call him at 302-562-2553.
AIDS Walks in Delaware will also take place in Wilmington on October 1 and in Dover on October 15.