A Sign of a Good Leader by Athena

A Sign of a Good Leader by Athena - December 2021 Scholarship Essay

A good leader must be understanding. They must be able to understand others' experiences even if they have not lived them. Those being directed by the leader want to feel like their opinion matters, and need to be valued to produce good work.
And I know this personally. This is the exact reason I left my old job in favor of a better one. I remember once my brother got sick with COVID. He and the rest of my family were thus all required to quarantine for two weeks or more. So I called out sick. Or at least it sounds that simple. Because it was actually quite difficult to communicate why I couldn’t go to work. Over and over, my employer asked me why, especially since I was the one who was not sick. I tried to explain to them my reasons, but they refused me. There was a lack of understanding on their side, and I left that conversation feeling stupid and mean. And these many misunderstandings and miscommunications I experienced at my old workplace quickly grew too much, and I was filled with the desire to leave for better employers. And then I found my current job.
I’ll tell another story about this place just to contrast the two workplace cultures based on my personal experiences. I took this job when I was not at a good place in my life. I felt constantly drained due to schoolwork and difficulties in my personal life. I remember once I was working. I didn’t feel very good, and I assume I was acting a bit different than usual because eventually my manager asked me what was wrong. I immediately broke down and told her everything. I’ll never forget the conversation we had after that. I felt so understood in my situation, despite us being miles apart in similarities. And just the fact that she was trying so hard to sympathize with me touched my heart deeply.
These are the differences between good leaders and bad leaders. It doesn’t matter the level they are at, just as long as they attempt to truly understand others. Understanding employees/whomever they are leading makes them feel seen and far more likely to contribute.