At some point during your lifetime, you've probably had a teacher or authority figure tell you that you have the qualities of a leader. I know that I've had professors throughout the entirety of my collegiate career telling me how adept I am to leading; never once did I trust them.
What is your definition of a leader? Previously for me, I figured a leader was someone who is assertive, risk-taking, fearless. This is someone who knows exactly what they want, how they want it, and how to get it. They are steadfast and unshakable. These are certainly not qualities that I see in myself, nor are they qualities someone else would immediate report to see in me.
So, what were these people talking about when they called me a leader? Following my train of thought, they're just crazy people. They weren't though; they were right. I am a leader. Rewind the tape to a year ago; I joined an organization which promised to facilitate growth in the social, spiritual, and personal arenas of my life. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, I am all in. Membership is low, morale is even lower; due to lack of interest, I am offered the position of student leader. Like I said, I'm all in. As the year continues on, I attend more regional and national events for the organization which ignited a spark in me to continue to grow myself as a leader. More than that, I came in contact with so many incredible leaders, each of whom led in a very different way.
Fast forward to approximately a month ago, I register for an event with the organization that is solely purposed on building our skills as leaders. Part of the preparatory materials was to take an assessment that forecasted our skills as leaders. Nervously, I completed the assessment fearing that this would populate information that I was indeed not a leader. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
As a leader, my strengths are as follows: Connectedness, Development, Restoration, Individualization, and Empathy. The very things I thought made me a follower are what make me a leader. As part of the event, we discussed how these things affect our leadership skills. Where I previously thought that my desire for connectedness made me far too "personal" to effective leader, I was shown that this allows me to understand team member's strengths in order to guide them to the position where they would thrive. In my empathy, I was worried that I will feel too much and be afraid to hurt people's feelings, I was made aware they being sensitive to other people's needs and emotions will help me maintain control of situations.
Moral of the story, we are all extremely dynamic people. In our dynamism, we have strengths, weaknesses, things that make us unique. Part of that predisposes up to achieve whatever we set our minds to. For me, I wanted to be a leader, I wanted to make a difference. I feel that I have. In the future, listen to the people who build you up, achieve the lofty goals you set for yourself, understand that you are fearless, powerful, and capable. You're a leader.
