The Quiet Leader by Ricky

The Quiet Leader by Ricky - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

True leadership is a paramount trait that is lacking in today’s society. In a society obsessed with titles and power, leadership is often confused with authoritarianism. One of the greatest leaders of this century, Nelson Mandela, once said "It is better to lead from behind and put others in front”. How often when we hear the word “leader” do we picture someone giving orders? A true leader is someone who inspires others to success while avoiding overbearingness and egotism

True leadership is especially imperative in the college setting. Teamwork is much more apart of the learning process in college than in high school. In just a few years the same students that are studying and turning in homework will be out in the work field. The same traits that they learn and use in college will guide them through their careers. In the classroom there will be leaders and followers. The type of leader will affect the type of followers. An imperious, autocratic boss will hinder his team’s success. He will take all the credit, the followers will be intimated to pass on their own ideas, and the final work will suffer. However, an affective leader will ask the rest of the team for input, be willing to dirty his hands and pass on the credit to his team. As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”.

Leadership is critical in every facet of life. Leaders don’t have to be the president or CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. Leaders are found in the small places in life; the doctor who leads a team in saving a life, the manager of a small coffee shop who is the first one into work to get things going, and the teacher who stays late after class to work with the student who just isn’t getting the lesson. These are true leaders.