Notes to RAs

• Just replace “Terps” with your school mascot.

• Put your room number on the last slide of text

• The pictures at the end correspond to key phrases in the text slides

• Order does not matter

Thank you!Teddy PowersRA, The University of

MarylandQuestions?

tpowers@umd.edu

Tips on Being a

Leader of Terps

Figure out what you’re good at, and then get

better at it. Richard Bach said, “Ask yourself the secret of your success. Listen to your answer,

and practice it.”

Be a role model. A leader is one who does not only lead in certain situations but lives his or her life as an example of strength, dedication, and purpose.

Live with passion. People are attracted to people with emotional vitality, and will want to follow you. People run away from fires but toward

people whose hearts are on fire.

Do not give in to negativity. If something is wrong, work to fix it. The world is a mix of good and bad. Leaders accentuate the good and strive to

reduce the bad.

Work harder than anyone else. Thomas Edison said,

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-

nine percent perspiration.”

Maintain an unwavering sense of conviction.

Believe in what you say. Say what you believe.

Never be afraid to do the right thing, even if it is

unpopular or difficult. The Bible says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due

season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Listen to others and try to block out your thoughts

when actively listening to others.

Tell the truth. Dishonesty is a sign of

weakness.

You are not weak.

Be willing to start at the bottom in a student

organization. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “If life

makes you a street sweeper, be the best street

sweeper you can be."

Stay humble. When you are successful, give

yourself a self-five in private, but never

broadcast your ego to others.

Be confident. Look the part by keeping your head

up and shoulders back. Act the part by believing in what you do and where

you are going.

Acknowledge and encourage others’

successes. Let others know when they are doing

well, and urge them on when they are struggling. The Dalai Lama said, “If you want others to be

happy, practice compassion. If you want

to be happy, practice compassion.”

Do not use curse words. When you are in true

pain, swear words have been proven to reduce your pain. Otherwise, cussing only lessen

others’ respect for you.

Figure out what your weaknesses are so that

you can consciously improve on them. The

Koran says, "If you don't have the capacity to

change yourself and your attitudes, then nothing

around you can be changed."

Follow through with what you say. A Jewish proverb says, “Do not be wise in

words – be wise in deeds.”

Do not be afraid to fail. Imperfection breeds

improvement. Confucius said, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we

fall."

Fill yourself and those around you with self-

fulfilling prophecies about future successes. Saying

goals aloud will help make them so.

Have a sense of urgency. While the length of your

life is unknown (but finite), your (insert school

name) experience will likely only be four years. You do not have any days

to waste in life and especially in college.

Consciously try to put yourself in unfamiliar

situations to learn about people different from you. A leader is someone who can lead not only those

who look and act like him or her, but everyone.

Stop by (YOUR ROOM #) to talk about what

organizations might be good for you, and ways to

maximize your successes in any group. I want to see everyone succeed, and I

want to help you get there.

Role model

Heart on fire

Good and bad in world

perspiration

Sense of conviction

listen Don’t swear

Tell the truth

Dr. Martin Luther King

Stand up straight

weakness

confucius

Unfamiliar situations

The University of Maryland