The Secret of Leadership by Rebecca

The Secret of Leadership by Rebecca - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

My friend and I shifted in the uncomfortable plastic of the children’s chairs in the Sunday School room brainstorming ways to help the community. We poured over the screens of our phones searching for a place to dedicate our resources. I came across a website that described how we could help food pantries in our area. I immediately called a few pantries in the area and found the Interfaith Food Center. The next step was collaborating with are superiors to implement this plan. We sat down with our priest and Sunday school teachers and pitched our idea to them. They shared smiles and gave us votes of their encouragement. In order to reach the congregation, we were allotted time during announcements to propose our drive. I had faith in our family-like community as I explained that we would be accepting food and monetary donations. Although our congregation is small, everyone is incredibly generous. My faith was well placed because the next week, after the service, every member came ready to contribute to the less fortunate. Those that did not have donatable food available provided monetary donations which we could use at Costco to buy bulk supplies.
The true test began soon after. Now facing a mountain of food, my friend and I discussed the best way to organize the donations. We shared a knowing glance as one of the younger Sunday School children ran by. We enlisted their help to maximize efficiency. We were surrounded by the chatter and restless energy of children crowding around a table covered with food for the pantry. Slightly overwhelmed, I realized the best place to start would be by assigning them roles. The reserved and analytical kids were tasked with organizing the food by type and putting them into boxes. The kids with the most energy were posted on transportation duty: they moved the food from the table to the car. Through strong cooperation and productivity, we finished faster than I expected. We were able to donate 122 pounds of food and $150.90. I felt pride in how our church was directly involved in aiding multiple families’ lives. This experience revealed the secret of successful leadership: collaboration and communication. Being able to communicate with others is essential in any task, whether it be communicating your ideas or being open to hearing what others have to say. Additionally, being a leader means finding a purpose for people in a much greater goal. By recognizing the children’s personalities and skills, I was able to delegate them to responsibilities that were best suited to them. This allowed us to work at our best potential.