Effective leadership begins with the individual. Until a person is self-actualized, external relationships and communications are often unpredictable and potentially flawed. The paradox is that young people need exposure to situations that require them to lead, in order to develop individual skills that will enable them to be successful group and community leaders. Effective student leaders step out and risk failure because they know failure and disappointment are a normal part of growth. They work hard to learn "about" leadership and welcome opportunities to hone their skills "for" leadership. Students come to school from many directions. Their paths are often full of barriers to realizing their full potential. Sometimes they have been taught through poor examples exactly the opposite of the basic individual traits essential for good leadership. On the other hand, some arrive with highly developed ideals and at least moderate confidence levels. The question for instructional leaders is how to take each student from where he or she is to the next step--or better--to fluency (effective leadership) regardless of the starting point. Effective leadership imbues certain characteristics. This article discusses how educators and programs can work to develop those qualities in students so they may go on to become all they can be.