Standing Up by Cheri

Standing Up by Cheri - January 2022 Scholarship Essay

For years I have worked for other people as an associate; watching and learning different skills on how to lead a team. It is very easy to look back in history and list off great leaders; such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, etc. Often times these people are held up as abstract figures, people who were just born great. I believe the more impactful leaders are those who influence your everyday life. People you directly interact with.

Experiences with different bosses over the years has taught me more about how to be a great leader than any history book. Having been out in the real world for the last several years I have had the opportunity to watch three different people be the boss, and each one has taught me something different about being a great leader.

The strongest leaders are those willing to do any job within the business. Leaders don’t ask the team to do things that they themselves are not willing to do. I have watched for years as my previous boss would demand excellence from his team. Particularly in regards to arriving early to work and staying late; yet he himself would come in late, leave early and often just completely no show. This type of leadership, not only disheartens the staff but it also breeds a lack of respect.

This behavior had gone on for several months before I had the courage to address it directly. Being second in the chain of command, I knew it was my responsibility to address the concerns. As respectfully as I could I expressed how hard it is for myself and the rest of the staff to follow a leader who asks things of us that he is not willing to do himself.
Yet, with even just this small statement, the conversation soured and he was no longer receptive to discussion.

This poor response definitely made going forward in the situation impossible. It is beyond difficult to follow a leader who lacks integrity. It is even more difficult to follow a leader whom the staff does not respect. Leaders must display a greater care for their team than they do for themselves. It is of the utmost importance that leaders lead by example, lead by being a servant. Displaying the willingness to do every job and to see each individual staff member as a person, is beyond valuable. Being the first person to show up and the last person to leave speaks volumes to the staff. I would follow a leader into the trenches if they displayed these qualities.

These small experiences have shaped how I want to lead going forward, and have also given me the desire to constantly sift behavior that I observe. To absorb the good habits from authoritative figures and to put aside the negative behaviors. The ever present ability to self-evaluate and strive for self-improvement allows leaders to continue to grow.

While this interaction led to me leaving a job that I truly truly loved, I do not regret the decision to speak openly. My own personal integrity would have been compromised if I had stayed and ignored the needs of the team.