Tarrant County Commissioner Roy C. Brooks told students at Leadership Experience Summit Nov. 18 on Trinity River to understand what leadership is.

“I didn’t come here to give you all a list of how to be a leader,” he said. “Learn to identify justice and, as you change, so is the world.”

The summit was designed to help students recognize the importance of leadership for their futures and learn how it will help them achieve their goals.

Robert Muñoz, vice president of continuing education services, gave his definition of leadership and compared and contrasted that with how famous leaders define it.

Leadership is the position or function of a leader, a person who directs or guides a group on a journey, he said. In other words, leadership is giving advice, love and support.

Muñoz asked the students if they had ever seen themselves as leaders at some point in their lives. One student said he had seen himself as a leader when he mentored a fellow student of his to help stand up to bullies. 

“He was getting beat up, spat on and made fun of constantly in front of teachers who never did anything about it except telling him to stop being a baby,” he said. “But I felt it in my heart that I could do something about it, and I did. Every day, I kept him away from those heartless and cruel bullies and told him that he must not let those boys keep you scared from being the man you are.”

Leadership is an important and common aspect of life, Muñoz said.

“As a leader, you develop relationships,” he said. “You give someone directions and they go off.”

Muñoz quoted a famous line from Vince Lombardi, a former NFL head coach of the Green Bay Packers, who said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Muñoz said Lombardi’s point was that he only wanted them to do one thing and that is to succeed.

“Lombardi said that to his players to keep them focused on one thing and one thing only,” he said. “And that’s winning.”

Muñoz said that while he was growing up in El Paso, Texas, and was in college and graduate school, he was always being led on a path by leadership.

“I’ve always listened,” he said. “But I had to get better.”

In his view of leadership skills, Muñoz said he really liked the leadership skills of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

“Despite what is happening up there right now, I think he’s a great leader,” he said. “There’s a reason why he was head coach for over 40 years.”

Brock High School student Cody Harrison was impressed with Muñoz‘s speech.

“I learned a lot,” he said. “I really enjoyed it when he explained how famous people used leadership when it was a football coach or an Army general or leader.”

Fort Worth Eastern Hills High School student Daniel Lampkin attended the speech and said he felt blessed.

“Leadership means a lot to the community and prepares high school students for future opportunities and gives us advice,” Lampkin said.