What Define a leader?

By Benny Agosto, Jr.

What Defines a Leader?

Many books and articles have been written about leadership. We have studied leaders of the past and attempted to learn from their mistakes and their accomplishments, in order to make us better leaders and successful members of our community.

As I continue to work as president of the Houston Bar Association, I strive to become the leader that the bar needs at this time. We are improving many aspects of what we do and how we communicate with each other, from communications with the State Bar, to our ancillary organizations, to our partners and funders that allow us to do the great work the HBA does on a day-to-day basis.

However, I am driven by the fact that we must not rest on our laurels, but strive to ever improve in the work that we do. As the 150th anniversary of the Houston Bar Association draws near, I am reminded of the early leaders of our organization and wonder what lessons we can learn from them. How do we define leader? Is it the person in front, or the person serving as the lead, one who takes charge of a particular group? Leadership can be a title, a position, or it can be seen in one’s work and effort.

I believe the Houston Bar Association has a special opportunity to create leaders to allow us to move forward into greater heights. This year, one of my pillars as president has been building leaders.

We are accomplishing this by revamping the HBA Ambassador program. The Ambassadors, a great example of the success of our HBA young lawyers, are poised to present four distinct programs on leadership. These programs will educate, and hopefully motivate, young lawyers to excel in their profession, but also to challenge them to become leaders at their firms and in our community.

Through our education department, we have planned programs for leadership training at various CLE programs for women lawyers, young lawyers, and even for the seasoned lawyers. Please watch for those announcements and don’t forget to sign up to attend.

I want to close with my attempt to answer the question posed above: What does it take to lead well?

For many years I have tried to answer this question. I have developed my answer with an acronym—PWCP. P-Plan: You must plan to succeed. If one is to become a leader, one must plan the steps very carefully. Remember that as a leader people will follow you, so be prepared to lead. W-Work Hard: No one will ever complain that you are working too hard. To become a true leader will take hard work. However, as you work hard, make sure nothing is left behind in your sometimes lonely road as a leader. Always remember to take care of your office life, family life, and personal life. C-Commit: To become a successful leader, one must be committed. An uncommitted leader will certainly fail, but a committed leader will find a way to meet and accomplish the goals they have set. P-Pray: With all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, sometimes wellness gets put at the back of the line. As a leader, you must learn to make time to sit down and pray or meditate in the matters that are greater than the work we are doing. I believe in the power of prayer, so I close by reminding you to not only take care of your business life and family life, but also your personal and spiritual life. In the end, your turn as a leader, and life in general, will be more enjoyable. Strength of character and endurance are essential ingredients to making great leaders. Most of us have more fortitude than we realize. Bring it to the surface by writing down your goals, facing your fears and obstacles, and setting forth to do things you have never done before. Become a leader, and lead well. “ I believe the Houston Bar Association has a special opportunity to create leaders to allow us to move forward into greater heights.

”

What Defines a Leader?