FLP

Leadership and Reflection 

Leadership is an ability that cannot be easily defined. Whether it is a characteristic that people are born with or a skill that takes years of crafting to master, each person has their own interpretation of the word. Having known the dictionary definition of “leadership” for years, finding a distinct and sentimental meaning for the word was tremendously hard. First I had to understand myself. Why do I stand in front of people and talk to them? Why do I want my words to be heard? Why do I care? These questions were not only the key to understanding myself, but crucial to discerning what “leadership” meant to me. I stand in front of people and talk to them because I am not afraid. My thoughts are important no matter how wrong or right I am. I’m not scared of rejection or approval. When I talk to those people I want my words to linger, have my words be something to think about. I want to be both a muse and an adversary. To excite people’s minds and to ignite passion in all that they desire to achieve. Helping people attain their goals is what I want for them. That’s why I care.Ultimately, leadership isn’t something people mean to do. It’s a natural instinct people take up under certain circumstances. The setting of examples and doing things for others that don’t ideally affect the person modeling leadership. It reminds me of the Jesuit mission to serve.Serving others has never been problematic for me. Whether by serving at a Thanksgiving Drive, spreading homeless awareness at Operation Michael, being a captain for my basketball team, a leader for our school’s improvisation group, or volunteering at the hospital, I’ve never had trouble extending a helping hand. If I can serve others and have the effect of being a leader without trying to be commanding and domineering, then I’m happy to know that I’m leading for a good cause.In high school, my school gave the freshmen a retreat to learn about leadership and show them that, even at a young age, they too can display leadership within our school. On this retreat I was chosen to be a senior leader. On the retreat, I noticed that a lot of the freshmen in my small group were nervous and insecure about how they could make an impact as a leader. One even asked me, “How can I be a leader? I’m not outgoing. People don’t even notice me.” This troubled me. How can one demonstrate leadership and not hold the basic characteristics of a leader? Well easy. Leaders don’t have to be all powerful and mighty. They can be gentle, shy, obnoxious, indecisive, rude, exuberant, and pretty much anything. Leaders shouldn’t hold stereotypes. The reasons why leaders are leaders are because they don’t have to change themselves to change others. Leaders take their strengths and apply them to help others achieve their goals. I told the girl that people can’t change who they are but can change how they deal with situations.Leadership is an ability that every human being possesses. Whether born or sculpted, we are all capable of being great leaders.