It’s fairly common to hear the phrase “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink,” however, the main focus on the phrase is that a person cannot force another person to reach success. Although this part of the phrase is important, my key insight stems from the first half of the phrase.  Taking the initiative to lead someone that may not be asking for a leader is a vital conclusion I drew from various coursework and experiences outside of the classroom. Introducing opportunities to people who may not be in the position to create opportunities themselves is also an imperative aspect of creating opportunities for others to be prosperous. Throughout various experiences at USC I realized that leading a horse to water was an essential part of my successes and development.

A large part of “leading a horse to water” is simply taking the initiative to invite someone or a group of people to participate or taking away obstacles that prevent them from participating. In POLI 363, Southern Politics, the class discussed the effect of the abolishment of Jim Crow laws and women’s suffrage on voting turn out.  Democratic realignments of 1876 to 1904 and again in the early 1930s in the South were a result of the mobilization of disenfranchised groups to vote and participate in the political system. The removal of Jim Crow laws as well as women’s suffrage is an example of an obstacle being eliminated so that a group can participate and achieve success. I learned that recognizing disenfranchisement and acting upon it will help to lead and guide. Attached is a copy of my notes covering these changes in the political system. 

As a mentor for the athletic department my job is to lead my students to success. Sometimes this means coaxing students to move along a little faster and other days it takes showing a student a course of action in order to achieve their goals. In an effort to academically guide my students, I created a final exam study plan to encourage studying outside of our sessions in order to be fully prepared. Below is a sample study plan that I created to mimic a former student’s study plan. Part of success is also forming a trusting relationship between me and the student. It is vital for me to show how much I care for each student and give them the confidence to confide in me and trust that I will guide them in the right direction. Trust is the currency of leadership and without it, I could not begin to aide in directing students in the right direction. Although I Ied my students in the direction of success every time I meet with them, it is important to recognize that I may lead them in the right direction but it does not mean that they will “drink”. This is one of the greatest challenges I faced as a mentor. 

As I progressed in leadership roles, I found the principle of taking the initiative to “lead a horse to water” was prevalent in my experience as a New Student Orientation Leader.  Orientation leaders are the front doors to the university. They are the first people that welcome students into the university and are the facilitators of potential friendships and impressions of what the next four years of their lives will be. As an orientation leader I opened up the first opportunities for incoming freshman and provided an environment for them to develop relationships with fellow classmates as well as future professors. I pointed them in the direction of help and directed them towards what it takes to make the most of their experience at Carolina. Attached above are photos of me leading my orientation small groups. The time with my small group was the opportunity for me to give them the tools to be prosperous at the university. Despite providing them with plentiful information and giving them the most positive experience possible, it is ultimately up to the student to take the resources and turn them into opportunities.

For example, one of the students in my small group, Ian, was second guessing his major after visiting with the college of pharmacy for the first time. During the meeting, he did not think that he could be successful in the classes required to get into pharmacy school because it was too academically rigorous. Even though I only knew him for a day as his orientation leader I was faced with the challenge of giving advice and advising him in the best way that I could. I told him that there was never going to be an easy path to a goal worth pursuing and that there was a way that he could spread out his classes so that they would not be as overwhelming. After our conversation, he decided to continue to pursue his path in pharmacy. Although I steered him toward his goal during the short time, I do not know if he continued with pharmacy or if he is doing well today. This is a primary example of how I lead someone to accomplish a goal but ultimately only he could carry out the actions it would take to find success.

Creating opportunities for others is a skill that I developed through the variety of out of the classroom experiences as well as through course work. Whether it was planting a seed of opportunity for new students entering the university or spending the semester guiding student athletes to reaching academic success, I learned that finding or forming chances for achievement for others was the true meaning of leading a horse to water.