Leading by Example by Ashley

Leading by Example by Ashley - May 2024 Scholarship Essay

Elliot stood with his weight on his right hip and his arms crisscrossed in front of him. His eyebrows were so tightly scrunched together that I thought they might get accidentally stuck that way. He glared at us performers on the stage. He was equally frustrated and panicked. Elliot had done something ambitious, and very admirable. He decided to self direct, and perform in a musical showcase to serve as a fundraiser for his local community theater, which has become a second home for all of us. He cast his friends in this production, and we were about a month away from opening. “It looks awful, I’m honestly embarrassed to put this on stage. I recorded a clip of rehearsal. Let’s watch it back, I’m going to critique it, and then do another run and MAYBE it will actually get better”, he told his cast of peers. Tears filled my eyes and I left the stage. In my head I thought, “you can lead without bashing us”.
To be fair, we were all in highschool during this time, and I’m sure we have all grown and learned since, but this experience did teach me a valuable lesson. It redefined what leadership means to me. A common misconception from people stepping into leadership roles is the need to intimidate people in order to gain respect. I find it actually does the opposite. People are far more resistant to taking direction this way, or they become so anxious that it prevents them from performing their job to its full potential. I see this a lot during my time working in various restaurant environments. I believe the number one trait to making a good leader is to lead by example. You automatically gain credibility because you provide the excellence that you are asking from others. The energy and mindset of a person in a leadership role directly influences the people around them. I remember working at Sonic during my first year in college and we were backed up in the drive thru. Cars were looping around the building. It wasn’t anything we could prevent, I guess everyone in that area got the same craving at the same time for tater tots and slushies. I remember how calm my manager was, and stepping into different stations as needed, and throwing out an occasional “good job everyone”, “stay focus, we're working through it”, “halfway there”. His calm and focused energy became the caliber for everyone else, and what could have easily been a hot mess, went smoothly.
After I graduated college, I was looking for different survival jobs to pair with my acting gigs, and I’ve had the opportunity to work at a lot of different places. The best boss I ever worked for was when I was a dog walker in Chicago. This man raised the caliber to what a leader could be. In the beginning he often asked questions about what I needed to help me be effective in this role, and even provided an E-Bike to help me get from different visits. He is a perfect example of leading by example because he would also E-Bike from different visits, and helped me get all the gear I needed to survive a Chicago winter. Every month we had check-ins where he would update me about anything he wanted me to do differently, and always asked for feedback on how he could make things better and more efficient.
Being a leader requires bravery and vulnerability. You become the “face” of whatever it is you are leading. Currently, I'm an actor in Chicago, at the beginning of my professional career, and I work with a plethora of different bosses and leaders. Some are more effective than others. It makes me excited to step into more leadership positions as I grow because I know what traits make a successful leader, and I have many examples of people I look up to. I’m confident that I could create a productive and supportive space that encourages others to reach their full potential!