THE student leadership team at Euroa Secondary College took advantage of learning about the realities of leadership styles in tight situations when they hosted local MP Annabelle Cleeland last month to a session on what it takes to be a good leader.

Ms Cleeland told the students that leadership was not 'about the badge' or titles but was concerned with improving the lives of others.

"There are different styles of leadership, and what it takes to be a great leader actually is not really the honour or the crown; it's not about being in charge," Ms Cleeland said.

"It is everyday style leadership on how to improve people's lives or the role you can do to help others."

The students learned about the four leadership styles recognised in business and community: authoritarian, democratic, laissez-faire, and inspirational and the identifying traits that each has.

The students then conducted an exercise of being in an hypothetical dire situation.

"You are on a sinking ship, you have to get just two items - what are those items?" Ms Cleeland said.

"The exercise had nothing to do with those two items but about how you got to that result in a high pressure situation.

"So, who took charge, who used communication, and who nurtured people more?

"In identifying a leader, it is not necessarily the extroverted person but often the quieter supporter in the background."

Ms Cleeland said that children often ignored the 'rock stars' and other famous people as leadership role models and instead found inspiration elsewhere.

"The most beautiful thing when you start to look at who's a leader in your life, it is your parents or your teacher or your coach - the everyday mentors who want you to be a better person, and that's the guts of it.

"It's about how you improve others' lives in a role of service."

Ms Cleeland commended the students for taking on an enormous responsibility at a very busy time of their lives and told them to enjoy the time and understand that they do not always have to keep pressure on themselves.