How Leadership Drives Success in Life by Emily

How Leadership Drives Success in Life by Emily - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Emily Wood

How Leadership Drives Success in Life

 What is leadership? In my opinion, someone shows leadership skills when they are active and involved in a certain situation that is lacking direction or control. I believe everyone has the ability to be a leader; they just need to find the urge deep within themselves to influence those around them. Ever since I was a young child, my parents taught me to lead by example. They instructed me to step up and be a leader instead of a follower.

Personally, I truly started to emulate leadership skills throughout my high school career because of a program called Students In Action. This program uses intensive training to create student leaders. As a member, I was empowered to engage my entire school and neighboring communities with the intent to spread community service with the maximum impact. Programs such as Students In Action successfully help students build leadership skills, engage others in volunteer service, and impact the community around them. If students continue to use these acquired skills in college, they will without a doubt, succeed in their future endeavors.

Leadership skills are especially useful and necessary in College. College students need to be able to take initiative and lead themselves in the right direction if they want to succeed. Most college students are forced to make the big leap from being dependent on their parents to becoming independent adults. No one will be there to hold your hand and walk you down the road to your future; you must learn to lead yourself. This transition is a huge adjustment and can be stressful, but with the proper set of skills, such as the ability to lead and inspire others, college students will easily be able to flourish.

Even though not every high school has student leadership programs like Students In Action, students can still lead by example and thrive in everyday life. For example, students can run for class president, be a captain on a sports team, volunteer for service projects, and much more. Successful leaders should possess the ability to delegate, easily communicate with others, and have confidence, commitment, and intuition. They should also have a positive attitude and the ability to inspire other people.

When working with a group, leaders must raise the bar higher and higher in order to obtain the maximum success rate. If a trusting leader pushes other people to work harder, they will become more inspired to accomplish their goal. Some people may say that they were born a leader. This may be true, however, they became a strong leader by acquiring a certain set of skills during their lifetime. Everyone has the ability to become a successful leader if they step out of their comfort zone. The choices young adults make, whether right or wrong, will affect their success. Therefore, it is essential for students entering college to know how to lead themselves in the right direction.