The Necessity of Leadership skills by Kendrix

The Necessity of Leadership skills by Kendrix - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Leadership skills are very necessary in order for a student to be successful in college. It is not expected that the student would come into an institution leading or governing over factions of learning or the educational society itself. However, given the amount of independence that is required of each student to be truly successful, each individual must be able to lead or motivate him/herself in the absence of authoritative instruction. Based on this truth, the top 7 skills that immediately come to mind for the sake of academic success are: planning, adaptability, commitment, seeking knowledge, resourcefulness, creativity and the ability to manage.

One must always have a purpose outlined for any goal or given task. In the case of education, the student should have an excellent gauge of his/her requirements for a chosen area of study. With this in mind one should be able to outline, years in advance, what courses, internships and extra-curricular activities to engage and in exactly what time. Given the fact that, often, this is already done for the student simply planning to stick to the plan should be enough.

Often situations and circumstances arise that effect our plans. From mild to extreme interruptions, adaptability is crucial to both development and survival. The flexibility to deal with various disturbances with patience and tolerance will develop one into a finely tuned individual who is not easily frustrated or discouraged. This kind of adaptability begets a sense of commitment that is uncompromising. The integrity that stems from being one who will pledge to do whatever it takes to complete ‘the’ mission is the most marketable aspect of any person. It immediately declares focus motivation, and loyalty—and one can never go wrong with these character traits at the height of one’s personal reputation.

The purposed seeking of knowledge is the element that maintains the sharpness of an individual mind and continuously arouses the interest for new knowledge. Knowledge will present itself in diverse forms and will further inspire the seeker to purposely seek out more diversity in many areas of one’s one development. The discipline to seek learning coupled with the willingness to learn from a variety of sources gives one an over-all universal appeal. Faithful learning allows one to become quite resourceful. A wealth of knowledge not only allows one to innovatively approach new and familiar situations, but it offers one the resourcefulness to negotiate support and secure future opportunities from various factions of the academic society.

Creativity is the most basic of all human concepts and capabilities. The ability to develop new methods and approaches to learning that will keep one interested in the process is another crucial element to both development and survival. Not only is creativity a critical element to ways of learning, but also in the development of recreation—activities to give one a break from studying and learning. Creating fun is an absolute necessity for a wholesome collegiate experience.

Finally the ability to manage it all is the ultimate tool for all persons—Leaders or follows. Efficiency is the capstone that covers and protects all of the aforementioned qualities to make certain that one’s time, talents or resources are never wasted in places or on people who cannot be assets to one’s learning and development. The ability to manage helps deflect liabilities in one’s personal and professional life. Also, self-management naturally causes one to display a great deal of appreciation for the people that one comes in contact as well as for the experiences that are offered. This only heightens the integrity of the individual.

While it is not necessary for all people to step into positions of leadership, the possession of leadership skills are essential to life. Given the fact that there may not always be a leader to follow, one should be finely tuned enough to, at least, lead him/herself. These skills are necessary for guiding the individual student through many situations from long periods of research and independent study, to periods of self-assessment and personal interest, and through all of the many transitions that life will demand. When, daily, considering all that can happen at any given moment in life one should always be planning for the future. Perfectly commit to those plans, but always be willing to adapt and stay open to new learning. Allow your own creativity to be your ultimate joy in life and learn to perfectly manage all that that you come in contact with. Because the question one should always be asking one’s self is what happens if there ever comes a day when I am my only resource?