Going to college can present a lot of unique opportunities. There are often countless clubs, teams, friend groups, and cliques that exist on a campus, and it can be overwhelming. But if you're so lucky to find yourself in a club or team that you're really passionate about--and I do mean really--maybe you'll grab that opportunity and eventually be placed in a leadership position.
Being a leader has a lot of pros: people will look to you for guidance, you'll have a bigger impact on your community and school, you have the potential to be popular, you can use the position to engage people that you may not have met otherwise. The possibilities are endless.
But there are some things to watch out for.
It's easy to get caught up in your position, especially if it grants you any sort of power. Getting caught up in a power hungry climb to the top is generally a huge red flag, and might be a sign for you to step back and look at why you want to be a leader. If you want it bad enough, you can respect that your power is not absolute, and can humble yourself when the time comes.
Letting your ego get in the way is an obstacle that you will have to face as a leader. When you're given power it's easy to think that you're the man – people wouldn't have voted for you to be president if they didn't think so, right? Wrong. Having good ideas doesn't mean that you will be loved and worshiped, so don't act like it.
Let yourself delegate tasks. Taking on too many tasks can get overwhelming, and it's easy to get burnt out in your respective club or team. Give your peers (yes, they are your peers) responsibility for themselves and for the group, and hold them to it. Being a leader doesn't mean you do everything yourself. It means you own up to what your responsibilities are and allow others to have them as well.
It's okay to be wrong about some things. It's okay to not be the best at every single aspect of your club or sport. You may not be the fastest, you may not have the best voice, but the sooner you can understand that those aspects are only part of what a complete package as a leader is. You don't have to run world record races to pat your teammate on the back. You don't have to have a Grammy-winning voice to sit and talk with your club member about their day. You don't have to score every goal in a season to pick up your opponent when you knock them down.
In general, being a leader is a great way to step outside of your comfort zone. Take that risk, and when you get to that spot, respect yourself, your club, your sport, your peers and your friends, and let your passion do the rest.
