Who is a Leader?

Leadership is crucial in all areas of life, even if it just means that we are the leaders of our individual selves. There are many times when I naturally want to take charge, especially in group project settings -- not necessarily because I think I have the best ideas or the greatest skills, but because sometimes people just need direction and I am willing to be that person who suggests a silly idea or gets people to think on their feet. I know for a fact that I am awful at thinking on my feet. I also know that the competitive-side of me helps to get the ball rolling. Being competitive doesn't mean winning is everything or that it becomes about the goal and not the process. Quite contrary, I believe competitiveness gives people a will to try.

 

This quote is the perfect exemplary of just what a leadership is. Hardly ever is it who is the most intelligent or the most artistic or the most athletic. A leader is someone who gets others to believe in themselves. A good leader just needs a charismatic smile, an open mind, and the ability to work hard. 

 Gamma Phi Beta has truly shown me that you don't need a position or a title to be a leader. People follow people, and if you are the most optimistic in the room, the one who is there with arms wide open, then people will gravitate toward that person. But it's easy to get in the mindset that unless one has a title, that they can't be a leader or that people won't follow them. And it's even easier to feed off the negativity of a group, even if there is more positivity because that is all one can see. A leader must emerge from the darkness and help pull others out. I hope to work on motion pictures as my career, and I would love to try my hand at directing. With cast and crews of hundreds, being a leader is crucial but allowing others to help or suggest an idea is arguably just as important, and that is something I hope to master.