Integrity, Courage and Soul

Leadership Traits for the 21st Century by Alvin W. Holst

Aristotle is quoted as saying “A man could not claim to know a subject unless he was capable of transmitting his knowledge to others, and he regarded teaching as the proper manifestation of knowledge.”
A person is a reflection of his or her learning experiences with others since birth. Many feel trapped in a world where they have no control but feel others control them. Feeling trapped and not in control is at the base of all negative life experiences that is continually reinforced in every new generation, often in a more severe form.
Recognition and acceptance of this negative acculturation is the first step of rebuilding one’s life to live positively and successfully in a negative world. A life where others apply negative control tactics in rearing and educating others makes things worse over time. Positive life skills can be learned where helping others to be free of another’s control and in charge of their own destiny can be learned at any age. Your life will change when you can imagine a world where “bullying” is replaced by helping others to be independent as you have become.

Alvin W. Holst

Alvin Holst is a retired educator of varied experiences over four decades. His first eight years of education was in a one-room country school in Meade County, South Dakota: Farview School. High School was in Vale, a rural school of 34 high school students. He received two B.S. Degrees from Black Hills State University, originally known as Spearfish Normal School. The M.S. Degree is from the University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. The Ph.D. is from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. His career began in 1958 as a teacher of math and science in junior high schools. Nine years of science teaching was in Wyoming and South Dakota. Ten years was spent as a junior high school administrator in Wyoming, Arizona and South Dakota. Two years of experience as a district level administrator in Curriculum and Instruction in South Dakota. He also served as a part-time adjunct faculty in education for South Dakota State University for four years. Fourteen years as college professor of education at Chadron State College, Chadron, NE, retiring in 1997 as Professor Emeritus. He conducted many workshops in staff and human development.