Leadership: It Starts With Yourself by Brenda

Leadership: It Starts With Yourself by Brenda - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

When a person is asked to define ‘leadership’, one tends to think of someone who will lead others, who is not afraid to speak out, who have a ton of confidence and are good at communication. Sure, not everyone has those qualities, and not everyone is born a ‘leader’, but that does not mean that a person cannot have leadership qualities. And once a student starts college, having these qualities are something that are going to be fundamental towards the path for success.

A leader doesn’t start by leading other people: you have to be able to lead yourself to success to be able to lead others in that same path. When you are in college, you don’t have people, like teachers or your parents, guiding you step by step in what you need in what you need to do and when you have to do it: you have to come out of your comfort zone, take your own responsibilities, as well as make your own decisions. Leadership for one’s self means that you are independent, that you are not afraid to step forward and be your own individual, and to take on full responsibility of everything you do.

I think that leadership is an unsaid essential for college. You need to have a mission and a goal in mind to follow on with your work and major. You also need ambition to get everything done that is required. All these things are also traits found in leaders, but unlike typical leaders, you aren’t doing this for others: you are doing this for yourself. You need to become successful to show others what success really is.

People don’t necessarily have to be a leader to have leadership skills. Leadership starts off by being able to lead yourself, and that is a great asset that is needed for succeeding in college.