Power. Wealth. Prestige. Popularity. These are words that one might associate with being a leader. These are words that society often associates with being a leader.

Love. Humility. Encouragement. Servanthood. Honesty. These are words that I associate with being a leader.

This year I have the privilege of being a co-lead for my university’s chapel drama team. When I was a youngin’ I didn’t talk in school. And now here I am co-leading a drama team. A drama team. This is something I never would’ve imagined happening. When my application was accepted, I was interviewed, and was chosen for the situation, I felt under-prepared (to say the least). From being the girl who had to go to counseling during school days because she didn’t talk to anybody to being the woman who now gets to see talent in others and call it out is an incredible thing and I am beyond words thankful for this opportunity.

However, I feel much more equipped to lead a drama team than when I first got the position last spring. Only after a trying summer did I come more into realizing what it means to be a leader. Over the months I learned more about God, myself, others, and life. The things that I know today about leading only do I know from experiencing what I did over the summer—and it wasn’t easy. Yet it was worth the pain.

Here’s five things I’ve learned about stepping into leadership:

1. Allow people to show you their true selves

If people don’t feel comfortable displaying the essence of them to you, something might be done differently. Of course things could be said about personal preference and how private a person is, but if they feel like they have to intentionally become a different person around you just so you will accept them, there’s definitely something wrong. Make sure if they venture to tell you something about themselves, you don’t shut them down. Put on your listening ears (we all learned this in kindergarten) and actually pay deep attention to them.

2. Encourage them

You might be the only one who sees the good in somebody. You might be the only one who encourages their passions or talents or sees something they’re good at. If you don’t recognize the beauty of those around you and tell them, they might go throughout the rest of their life never knowing that they are valued and unique and talented. I challenge you to notice somebody and tell them. Call them out.

3. Leaders aren't any better than those they're leading

Leadership should be from the back. Leaders should get down and dirty with those that they’re leading. Leaders should be the first to step in and do the things nobody else wants to do. (My favorite illustration of this is Jesus when He washes His disciples’ dusty stink feet). Just because somebody is leading a group of people doesn’t make them any better or worse than those people. It’s a give-take relationship on both sides. Both learn from each other, both help each other. Leaders are not higher than those around them, but they are at the exact same level. We’re all human.

4. Be authentic

We are, like I just stated, all human. We all make mistakes. We all fail at things. It’s important for those we’re leading to know that we make mistakes as well. We often want those around us to believe we’re perfect human beings that never get anything wrong, but this is so far from the truth and if we give those we’re leading this mentality, we aren’t serving them right. If you mess up, let them know. They aren’t perfect, you aren’t perfect. We all need to understand this. Once we’re vulnerable with each other, we’ll be closer.

5. Shape leaders

I believe we’re all born with a seed labeled leader embedded in us. Sometimes this seed takes root and grows. Sometimes it doesn’t. Everybody, whether they believe it or not, has the potential to lead. It’s our job as leaders to shape these people in all their potential leadership-ness. We need to call the leader out of them and make them see how much they can actually do. We need to guide them and live life with them and speak into them and build them up. We do this so they might do the same for others.

Remember that we’re all human. We all have a seed of leadership just waiting to bloom. And none of us are better or worse than anybody else.

Those ideas alone should shape our perspectives and thinking for the better.