Leadership skills and college by Angel

Leadership skills and college by Angel - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

In order to address the question at hand, one must first take a look at what are leadership skills. According to MindTools.com, a leader has the following traits: creates an inspiring vision of the future, motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision, manages delivery if vision, and coaches/ builds a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision.

When I read through the above leadership traits, I do believe they are necessary for college success. While I do believe they are necessary for success, I also believe there are varying degrees of leadership based on one’s life experiences, goals and access to resources. I don’t think one needs to be a really strong leader to be successful in college. A person should find the right balance for them.

Due to my slightly introverted and private personality, I may be someone that others may not consider to be a strong leader; however, I do posses leadership traits. I take my future and life goals seriously, but I may not always convey that to others. Some may see that as a weakness, but it is just my style. For example, I worked in an environment in which everyone always talked about the degrees and certifications they wanted and were working on. I didn’t share my educational goals with everyone, but I was also working on mine. I made sure key people were aware, like my supervisor and manager.

A college student does need some degree of leadership abilities. The college environment is great for obtaining additional education, but is different from the general elementary, middle and high school arenas. In college, on is held accountable for their actions, or lack thereof. In grade school, there are intervention techniques built into the system to help promote the best overall interest of the student. Students are gradually given more freedom and they move through the ranks. In college, leadership skills help to keep one focused on their goals. I began college a little later in life, as I was not financially able to go right after high school. From my personal experience leadership skills helped me balance my school goals with my life goals.