What does it mean to be a leader? When applying to jobs, polishing resumes and even having conversations with relatives, all anyone wants to know is what leadership roles you’ve held. It’s not only had you held them though, but most importantly, how you’ve been effective in said leadership role. Today students are pushed more and more to be considered leaders, and to run programs, meetings and organizations, yet if everyone is a leader, what differentiates one from the other?
One of my favorite quotes about leadership comes from Colin Powell, a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He writes,
"Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership." -Colin Powell
So what does it mean to be a leader? From my perspective, a leader is someone who leads in all aspects of life. Yes, it's becoming easier and easier to claim a position of leadership, especially in an age of inclusion, where everyone "deserves a chance", but that being said, just because someone is in a leadership position does not mean they are the most fit to, well, lead.
Someone who is a truly effective leader leads in all aspects of his or her life. It’s not about bossing around someone in the office, or telling your peers what to do simply because you’ve been put in charge. No. It’s about leading by example through every situation. A true leader is someone who is approachable, not just with their projects, but someone that their peers can come to in times of confusion, in times of pride, and in times of help.
In my humble opinion, a leader is someone who doesn’t take total charge, but holds their head up, takes the responsibility, and makes a difference. It could be the difference in a sporting event, the difference for a community, or a difference for one person. Someone in a leadership position has been given power to make change, no matter how big or how small, and utilizes that ability not in a way to strengthen oneself, but rather strengthen everyone around them.
As I approach the second half of my college career and start looking forward, I realize that in order to succeed, I need to be my own leader. I need to lead myself through the challenges ahead. I know that I will have many bad leaders along the way steering me in the wrong direction, but also many strong leaders, lifting me up, and pushing me forward on my journey, just as I hope I can someday do for someone as well.
