When I was a senior in Highschool I found myself flooded with dozens upon dozens of college applications and essays. My life seemed consumed with them at that point and looking back it's hard to imagine that was a couple years ago. Most of those essays were on my old computer and are now lost to me, however, the other day I found one that really stuck out to me. The prompt was to respond to the quote "Leadership is the ability to inspire and direct others in a manner that lets them accomplish more than they ordinarily would, either individually or as part of a team.” I found the response enjoyable and I thought I'd share it with you.

Leadership

A common argument today is where leadership comes from. Many believe that leadership is an inherent trait that one is born with, while others believe that leadership is a skill or an ability that can be refined and practiced. Those who believe the former use examples of great leaders throughout history like the great William Wallace as a showcase of what natural talent for leadership looks like. However, those who argue for the latter would say that leadership must be taught and learned through years of experience and would use examples such as General Custer as a bumbling fool who did not have the experience to lead. There are truths on both sides of the argument.

What makes a leader a leader is not their genes or their training but their followers. A leader cannot call him or herself a leader without people who will follow their leadership. Thus the quote “Leadership is the ability to inspire and direct others in a manner that lets them accomplish more than they ordinarily would, either individually or as part of a team.” is extremely relevant and that has never been more clear to me than this previous year. As a senior this year many of the groups I am involved in have said their goodbyes to the older members and now look to me and people my age for leadership. I’ve been cast into many roles as a leader throughout this past year and as my time for graduation approaches I can look back and see all that I have learned.

One of the most vital things I’ve learned is that if you are a leader you will be naturally selected to lead, a leadership position is not one you seize because it's not about power and control, it's about the people. If a group wants to function at their highest they will appoint a leader and the right leader will help the group function at its highest. As my time in many organizations that I have a leadership role ends, I look forward to the next few years and hope that college holds many new leadership opportunities for me to help others perform at their highest.