Decide, Discover, Defy: Inspiring the Next Generation of Student Leaders

When Student Leaders Reignite My Own Leadership

This week, I had the privilege of speaking to a student leadership group in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Every time I stand in a room with young leaders, something steady and hopeful rises in me.

There’s an energy in those spaces that can’t be manufactured. It’s curiosity. It’s courage. It’s that quiet question sitting behind so many thoughtful faces:

“What kind of leader am I becoming?”

And I never leave those rooms the same.

The Gift of Watching Leadership Begin

These students are at the beginning of their leadership journey. They don’t yet carry titles with decades behind them. They aren’t navigating board politics or institutional fatigue.

But what they do carry is potential.

They are deciding — sometimes for the first time — whether they will step forward or shrink back. Whether they will lead from pressure or from purpose.

That decision matters more than any résumé line ever will.

Leadership begins within, long before it’s ever a title.

And that’s exactly what we talked about.

Going the Extra: Decide, Discover, Defy

My message to them centered around what I call going the extra — not doing more for the sake of doing more, but becoming more intentional about who you are becoming.

I shared the Decide–Discover–Defy framework from the presentation — a pathway that applies whether you’re a student officer or a seasoned administrator.

1. Decide

Leadership doesn’t begin with opportunity.

It begins with a decision.

A decision to show up differently.
A decision to take ownership.
A decision to stop waiting for permission.

Readiness isn’t a feeling. It’s a choice.

When students decide to lead — even in small moments — they shift from reacting to their environment to shaping it. That shift changes everything.

Clarity creates confidence. Alignment makes it sustainable.

2. Discover

Once you decide, you begin to discover.

You discover your voice.
Your strengths.
Your patterns.
Your values.

You learn that confident doesn’t mean loud — it means clear.

For so many of the students in that room, the breakthrough wasn’t about learning how to command attention. It was realizing their natural strengths already carry influence.

Your story isn’t random; it’s a roadmap.

Discovery is where self-awareness becomes power.

3. Defy

And then comes Defy.

Defy the pressure to blend in.
Defy the narrative that leadership must look one specific way.
Defy the belief that you have to perform to be respected.

Leadership isn’t earned by status — it’s cultivated through self-awareness, alignment, and consistent action.

When students defy misalignment early, they build a foundation that will serve them for decades.

They learn to lead with dignity. To communicate with clarity. To build boundaries that honor what matters most.

That is leadership that lasts.

Why Speaking to Students Re-Energizes Me

After thirty years in education, I’ve seen systems at their best and at their most strained.

But when I speak to students, I see something else.

I see possibility.

I see leaders who haven’t yet hardened. Leaders who still believe integrity matters. Leaders who are open to building rhythms and rituals that sustain real leadership instead of relying on willpower alone.

It reminds me why this work matters.

Authentic leadership creates lasting impact.

When young leaders learn early that leadership should feel like them — only steadier — they carry that steadiness into classrooms, offices, and boardrooms.

And when they do, entire systems shift.

The Future Feels Hopeful

I left Hattiesburg feeling energized, not because the students applauded or took notes, but because I watched decisions being made in real time.

Quiet decisions.

Courageous decisions.

The kind that change trajectories.

Our future leaders don’t need louder messages.

They need clearer ones.

They need to know that leadership doesn’t start at the podium — it starts in their presence.

And if they can learn to Decide, Discover, and Defy now?

The future is in good hands.

With integrity and encouragement,
Dr. Stephanie Duguid

Learn more at www.drstephanieduguid.com and begin your journey toward courageous, confident leadership today.

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My new book, Exponentially Elevate Your Leadership Impact, is designed to help you reflect, strengthen, and empower your leadership journey — one intentional step at a time.

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