By Leah Spellberg
When I decided to come on the Nachshon project, I knew that I would be joining a group of people just like me who in some way wanted to become leaders in their Jewish communities. What I didn’t know before I came was how we would learn to become those leaders.
Within the first twenty-four hours of being in Israel, we had a session with Rabbi Cohen talking about the difference between a leader and a manager. A leader is someone who has passion and drive for what they are doing and will do whatever it takes to see their vision come true, and while a manager may also have this passion they are working towards someone else’s vision. As a group we wrote down words that we associated with being a good and bad manager or leader. The qualities of a good manager and leader that stuck out to me during this discussion were having good communication and enthusiasm for your work. While doing this activity I began to think about my roles at camp in the past few years and how I could use my experiences to answer what it meant to be a leader or a manager. This upcoming summer my role at camp will be the aquatics director, a manager of lifeguards and all aquatic areas. While I am technically a manager as it says on my contract, I want to be a leader for my staff and the camp community as well. I’ve seen the ups and downs of the program and know what it takes to make the job run smoothly while keeping everyone safe and happy. I can also make the distinction for myself that I am someone that wants to make a change for the better, and as a leader I can make that lasting impact on camp and on my community.
We also discussed the difference between a leader that goes through the journey with the help of everyone on her team, and a boss that is only looking out for herself in an attempt to get to the top. I know that if I want to inspire my staff to be the best, I need to show them how to do so and work just as hard, if not harder. A leader is someone who puts themselves at the same level as those they are trying to inspire, not someone who makes others do all the work. Being at the top and being in charge is not always the most impactful, but being able to help others, or acknowledging that you yourself may need help in order to do the best is what can make a difference. I hope that I can use all that we discussed to make myself a better leader in my community and to remember that I have an opportunity to be more than just a manager, someone who can make a change.
