1. Leadership Curriculum: SDLP – Human Environmental
Animal Team (H.E.A.T.)
Ramces Luna – Director of Leadership Development
MISSION/CONCEPT:
The concept of the program is to build a unique leadership experience where it focuses around
“Innovative Service” and positive activism while implementing leadership practices. We will be focusing
on what they will learn this year as this program is to change every year as more innovating and unique
practices are brought onto the table while keeping the basic leadership concepts and our niche.
VISION:
We see passion in every H.E.A.T. member and those affected by our innovative service feel it
too. The vision we see is the development of leaders who are able to see their own unique vision for
themselves and their community, from local to global.
At the Smith Leadership Distinguished Program we believe in the passion of our members and ambition
they have to make a difference, locally or globally, in humanitarian work, environmental projects, animal
welfare, and promoting positive activism.
INNOVATIVE SERVICE:
To define “Innovative Service” I would first have to present an example of what it means in
action. Many organizations on Earth Day simply go out in the Quad and promote Earth Day by giving out
eco-friendly products to people that pass by the quad. However, instead of that, H.E.A.T. does things a
little more out of the box. We host the first ever, “H.E.A.T. Stock” that brings in local artists, venues that
fall under eco-friendly products, and a festival completely made to catch awareness and give back to the
Earth in full appreciation. That is a prime example of “Innovative Service.” To put it simply, just like
service, it provides help/aid in whatever it may be, but with twist, the service being provided is turned
into more than just a small volunteer event, but transformed into a creative way to keep helping from
local levels to global levels. Inspiring others to keep service creative and effective as much as possible.
Lesson 1: Self-Awareness/Self-Realization
For the first lesson we will be opening with focusing on our self-awareness and self-realization.
We will be exploring what we each individually have in our strengths and weaknesses, but not the basic
“I’m not good at math” or that sort of aspect, we want to explore what makes you feel great and what
tires you. Those are your strength and weaknesses. We will also be exploring how each of us individually
have our motivations and what challenges we enjoy amongst more topics.
Lesson 2: How Do You LEAD
In this lesson we dive into what type of leader you are. As many great leaders in our time have
proven, we all have different approaches in creating change. Being leaders within H.E.A.T. we hope to
learn your style as soon as possible so that we may provide whatever resources needed when it’s your

2. time to lead. In order to explore as much of what kind of leader you are, we’ll take a several of tests
such as the True Color test, Emotion Intelligence, and so on.
Lesson 3: Using Your Resources
Being a leader within H.E.A.T. has a lot of perks, but the best part of H.E.A.T. for leaders like
yourself is that we always provide the resources that you need in order to carry out your service project.
A part of being a leader is knowing what resources you have and how to use them properly. We also
dive into setting goals and timelines for our personal goals and service goals.
Lesson 4: Innovative Service
Introducing a new concept within our service organization is the concept of “Innovative
Service.” While we have “Positive Activism” in which is the fundamental ideal H.E.A.T. is built around,
this new concept concentrates on how H.E.A.T. and its members work. We are teaching you about
leadership and so much more, but at the end of the day you will take on the leadership style in which
you exceed and carry H.E.A.T.’s ideals in your own way. While promoting positivity in all of our projects,
we tend to get creative and wild with our projects, which capture the attention of many and brand our
organization and what we’re about.
Lesson 5: The Global Leader
Yes, our community here in San Marcos is of great importance and we do enjoy having you
create and use your newly acquired skills while practicing “Innovative Service,” but surely we can do
more than just San Marcos. In this lesson we acknowledge leaders who have taken their ideas and vision
onto a global level and how you as a leaders can do the same. Many of the steps to get on a global level
will be a reflection of the information previously taught in order to come together as one.
Lesson 6: Organizing Your Team
While we believe in each and every one of you and have strong faith that you are great leaders
who can create change that does not mean you should work alone. Building a strong team isn’t just the
end of it, but organizing them into what they best excel at and sharing a same vision is essential in order
to create impactful change. This lesson doesn’t simply go over team building basics, but what it means
to work as one and where titles stand for you and your team.
Lesson 7: 70/20/10
We all know the saying, “You learn more from experience,” we all know that tips and tricks help
from people before us, and we all know that there’s some stuff that we learn in class that actually helps
us. With that in mind we push that rule in this lesson. The 70/20/10 deals with three very important
aspects of becoming a great leader, but being able to actually use it effectively is the tough part. Using
resources, knowing our leadership style, and incorporating H.E.A.T.’s ideals, your projects that you make
are your true leadership training.