By Gracie Fairfax | Echo
This year, for the first time in my Taylor career, I donned a magnetic name tag. To outsiders it may seem to be a simple form of identification, but to Taylor students it might as well be an Olympic gold medal-whether or not we care to admit it.
What is so desirable about the name tag? Like many things in life, it's not what it physically is-it's what it signifies.
But what exactly is leadership? In the realm of Taylor University, we're talking titles, and this is where the problem begins.
Taylor's mission is to "develop servant leaders marked with a passion to minister Christ's redemptive love and truth to a world in need." I love this mission statement and believe Taylor provides a fantastic environment for students to develop personally and influence the world. The issue comes when people believe they aren't leaders until they snap on a magnetic name tag. I, myself, have bought into this lie.
There are Leaders and there are leaders: those who have a title and those who don't. The latter can have an equivalent-or possibly even greater-influence.
Before and during my Taylor career, I applied for a variety of leadership positions, and the majority of the time I wasn't given those positions. In most of these situations, I was told that I had great influence, but for one reason or another, I wasn't the person for the role. They hoped I'd continue to be involved and lead by example, but I would not be given the name tag. I left these situations discouraged, convinced I didn't have what it took to be a leader, convinced I was always one step short.
Despite my discouragement, they were right about something: I did have influence, even without a title.
What does the magnetic name tag really mean, and how do those without a title effectively influence campus?
Name tags themselves have a reputation on campus. The people who wear them are important, doing something right and usually well-liked by their peers.
But what about the influencers-those who lead without a name tag?
I've been on both sides. Currently, I sport the magnetic name tag, but for three years, I was involved in extracurricular activities without any grand titles. I participated in wing activities, did Airband, wrote for The Echo, worked for WTUR, studied abroad and went on both Spring Break and Lighthouse trips. Despite my involvement, there were times when I questioned why I didn't qualify for a name tag. What was wrong with me?
We place too much emphasis on magnetic name tag leadership and not enough emphasis on the many servant-hearted influencers all around us.
God has placed each of us where we are for a reason. When I wasn't given leadership positions, I've found other opportunities to get involved and to influence by simply taking part in (wait for it . . . ) community.
If you take a step back and think about your Taylor experience, you may find that your life has been impacted by a lot of name tag-less influencers-the unsung heroes of Taylor University.
Leadership is about helping others, not the shiny name tag.
This year, I'm working with TWO as a Global Outreach co-director, and I'm pretty excited about my role. But I'm also thankful for the long journey that brought me here, because I had the chance to take a step back and learn that leadership is not about me.
In my current role, I'm able to give others opportunities to get involved with world issues outside of Taylor. It's been a humbling experience to be trusted with a fair amount of responsibility, and I'm still figuring things out.
But I don't believe my influence has just begun. It began the second I stepped foot on campus as a name tag-less influencer.
