Being a leader often means that you are the one that everyone sees as the organizer and planner of events. As we all know, it takes a team to pull off any large scale event or production. I remember when we used to do winter plays and each site would be responsible for something (props, costumes, ticket production/program, potluck menu, etc.). Without the effort of the team, none of those shows would have ever happened.  

I think of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and beaming parents with the curtain opening. It was these very events that built and connected our team internally. Though we disagreed on ideas or ways of going about it, in the end we all knew it was larger than any one of us. It was to celebrate the efforts of the kids in our program. That synergy helped us to put on 4 or 5 productions over the years. 

I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago at our annual Lights on Afterschool Celebration to kick off the month of October. At the event, and afterward people came up to thank me for organizing it, and how nice it was to come. I immediately told them it was all of us, our team, our partners, all having a voice and a part in the planning. That is a core part of leadership, to recognize others even when they are not there to hear.