Contact: Allison Matthews
Photo by: Russ Houston
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman, who in 2009 became the youngest mayor in the city's history, spoke to the largest group of Boys State delegates in a decade Sunday [May 25] at Mississippi State's historic Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall.
More than 380 rising high school seniors from across the state are gathering this week [May 25-31] at Mississippi State to learn about state and local government and the electoral process. The university was selected in 2013 as the host campus through 2015 for Mississippi's American Legion Boys State, the nation's premier program for teaching how government works, developing leadership skills and nurturing an appreciation for the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Wiseman helped kick off the week of activities designed to let the boys hear first-hand from some of the state's top governmental leaders about their experiences and leadership insights. MSU Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Gilbert also spoke Sunday afternoon to welcome the group to campus.
Wiseman led an interactive discussion, frequently engaging the audience with questions and comments about characteristics of leaders. He said a true leader has to have faith and hope, and be able to see possibilities. Leaders cannot be afraid of a challenge, he added.
"You know what you believe, and you know what you're trying to accomplish. You have to have the courage to do it," he said.
Wiseman said a leader is more than just a person with direction; inherently, a leader has to have followers. The best leaders set a direction based on strong values and create a vision for what they would like to accomplish. Validation of leadership comes through setting goals and objectives which should be specific, measurable and achievable, Wiseman said.
"The most effective tools you'll ever need as a leader are goals and objectives that are rooted in values," he added.
In addition to giving the boys advice about how to exhibit strong leadership, Wiseman also told them a few things to avoid as a leader, such as using coercion. He said collaborative leadership and coalition building are the most effective means of accomplishing leadership objectives, and the process of leadership should always be respectful.
For more information about Boys State, visit www.msboysstate.com. For more information about MSU, see www.msstate.edu.