Leadership and Learning: Are They Really so Closely Related? by Brenna

Leadership and Learning: Are They Really so Closely Related? by Brenna - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

For the past year and a half, I have been attending college through my state's dual-enrollment program, Running Start. Throughout this time, I have heard the two words "leadership skills" an uncountable number of times. "Leadership skills," it seems, are the cornerstone of success in life. The message is that, to be healthy, happy, and financially successful, one must be able to be a good leader. And, to be a good leader, one must keep those beneath one in line, one must stop arguments, and one must keep everyone happy. In short, "leadership skills" seem to be the art of getting what you want without letting anybody else know that you're doing it.

I think that these skills are irrelevant to getting a good education, and only slightly more relevant to success in college. In my own experience, the people who have high grades, and who understand their courses, tend to be the people who sit back and work on academics. They are not the people who spearhead group projects; they are the people who sit down and do all the work on the projects. In any case, they are not the leaders which the college calls them to be; they follow, doing exactly what the professors tell them to do, and work hard.

If college is used as a networking tool, then perhaps the art of being noticed, of getting people to follow one, is useful. I do not know whether anyone actually tries to meet the influential at college; such effort is probably impractical outside of a small group of exclusive schools. If college is used as a time of intense resume-building, a four-year glut of projects and volunteer work, then these skills will probably be useful. I was astonished, when applying for scholarships, to find how many of them wanted evidence of "leadership" in jobs and volunteer projects. I, who prefer to do whatever work is assigned to me, rather than initiating it, was dismayed by this.

Still, I have had no problems with academics, and I have won a few scholarships. Had I taken more time to work on leading projects, rather than doing what I was told, I might have had more scholarships; but then, I might not have focussed as much on academics, where my goals lie.

So, for a black-and-white, grade-defined success, I do not think these skills are necessary. Certainly, there are times in which they come in handy, but college is not supposed to be about socializing; the goal of college is to learn. And for that, I think, nobody needs to be a "leader." Sometimes, the best grades come from solid work – not fancy, but reliable. And sometimes, our emphasis on "leadership" distracts from our work in other, more important, fields.