I should mention that I thought a lot about ILCP and my perspectives on leadership during the last semester or so (more than usual, that is).  Despite my belief that leadership is something much, much broader than what most people consider it to be, I still had a slight fear that my chosen career would not provide me a great deal of opportunities for leadership and leadership development (since the practice of law is not historically known for that, nor are attorneys - we're more well known for arguing and being good writers, than being good "communicators" and "leaders").  However, I am pleased to report that I have found more than my fair share of leadership experiences thus far (albeit still in the school context).

As I mentioned, I am an Executive Editor on our Law Review , which means I am part of our six-person Executive Board (our Editor-in-Chief and us five Exec. Editors).  The Law Review is a highly selective and merit-based organization with about 75 members and a lot of great people.  Despite the intelligence we have on our Executive Board, there was an apparent (at least to me) dearth of leadership qualities and experience, including at the Editor-in-Chief level.  As a "3" (and the healthy, team-oriented one that I like to believe that I am!), I took this as a bit of a challenge.  As a result, I have been trying to actively "infuse" our Exec. Board with the type of leadership and through processes that are beneficial to an organization - namely, "big picture" thinking, considering implications on the organization that might be difficult to foresee, and effective conflict resolution.  I don't claim to be the cause of this, but I observed substantial growth in our EIC's leadership skills throughout the year.  The purpose of this anecdote is two-fold.  First, our EIC (who, as far as I can tell, had little or no leadership experience in her background) has encountered substantial responsibility and leadership opportunity where she may not have anticipated it.  And, I would argue that many people "stumble" into roles where leadership ability is useful, if not necessary, without necessarily expecting it.  Thus, it would have been great if she had some leadership experience and/or knowledge in her background (like the ILCP!).  Second, this is also an example where I have been able to utilize my leadership knowledge to help form and manage an organization (despite my lack of ultimate authority - i.e., not being the No. 1 person in charge).  I am very thankful that I have been able to "see" how our decisions (as viewed by the rest of the organization's members) impact the organization, from a leadership perspective.  I think that it has been helpful throughout the year. 

On a completely different "side" of my law school "life," I am the Managing Director of a free legal clinic in which patrons come and get limited amounts of free legal advice (namely in the areas of family and criminal law).  Again, although I do not think a position makes a person a leader, I do have the opportunity to manage 55 volunteers (40 students and 15 attorneys).  This is a particularly interesting opportunity because I manage less experienced law students and far more experienced, licensed attorneys, as well as a Board of seven student volunteers that makes the decisions for the Clinic.  I have been fortunate enough to be part of the Clinic's substantial growth in terms of patronage and volunteer capacity (both almost doubled in the last two years).  From communication and strategic thinking to delegation/empowerment and conflict resolution, my leadership knowledge has been absolutely invaluable to me in my capacity as Managing Director.  And, I can guarantee you that I would not be nearly as effective in this role without my background in leadership training.

Of course, the position (in any organization) has never been the motivating factor for me, nor my conception of what makes a leader.  Rather, it has always been about the purpose of the organization and the mission for which it strives.  Well, I am happy to report, that I have found two such organizations in law school that I believe in very much, and that I have had just a fantastic time providing my time and effort, as well as honing my leadership abilities. So, there's a couple of tangible examples of leadership opportunities when and where they might not be sought out, or even expected, in one's career.  I don't know if that helps you at all, but if I thought if I could provide even the smallest bit of "fuel" for the "fire" that you are trying to spread (i.e., ILCP), I thought I would give it a shot.  The moral of the story, as you know, is that you never know when your leadership skills will be useful (despite preconceptions about your career or chosen field), and leadership experience (or, at least awareness) significantly bolsters the "liberal arts" background that CSB|SJU does such a great job promoting.

-Peter Banick '09