Leadership

Leadership

Leaders are made every day, weither you are reading about it in the newspaper or hearing about it on the news, everyday a new leader is found. For some, leadership comes easy, for others it is something they must learn as the go. A leader is not only someone who is in charge of a military corps or the president of the United States, a leader can also be someone you grew up with or maybe a teacher from your old high school. There are many leaders out there, some may be well known around the world, while others are known only by the few people that looked up to them as their leader and they each have their own ways of being a leader.

I interviewed my grandfather on what he thought a leader was to him and this is what he had to say, " A leader to me is someone of great importance. Someone who shows integrity, responsibility, and fairness. A leader is responsible for his or her actions, deeds and words as they are the example for which everyone will follow." I agree with his statement fully. A leader is someone of great importance, maybe not always great importance to the country or even to the city he/she may be in, but a leader is always of great importance to someone who thought of them as a leader. I agree also that a leader should show integrity, responsibility, and fairness to all who follow him/her. This is a huge part in being a leader and also to be responsible for their own actions. These are all great asspects of being a true leader.

My mother also had some to say on what she thought leadership meant to her. She feels that a leader is, "someone who has earned my respect, therefore I will value their opinion and judgement. The characteristics that I believe a leader should have is the ability to make correct and prompt decisions on a moments notice." I also agree with everything my mother has to say on her beliefs of what a leader should be. A leader should be a person who has all respect from his/her followers. How can you lead your people if you do not gain their respect? In addition to what my mother said about a leader always making correct and prompt decisons on the spot, I believe that is true too and I also think that a leader is someone who can handle pressure and stress to a great level and be able to make those decisions on their own and to the best of their ability. Who wants a leader who cracks under pressure all the time and can't make decisions on their own? Not me.

For my third interview I talked to my boyfriend Jake Willis who attends VMI. He gave me some great thoughts on what he thought a leader was more from a military aspect. Here is what Jake had to say about a leader, "A good leader is someone who should be able to take a situation they have been given, analyze the problem, and complete the tasks in a most efficient way through the use of subordinates. Leaders lead by example, lead from the front, and leaders earn respect of the peers/subordinates by giving them respect in return. To get