Learning How to Fail is An Important Step in Learning How to Lead by Shea

Learning How to Fail is An Important Step in Learning How to Lead by Shea - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

During my sophomore year, I was Vice President of the Key Club, and my faculty advisor invited me to participate in a regional Key Club meeting as our President was unable to attend. I was given talking points to prepare a speech about my high school’s club accomplishments. The day of the meeting I traveled to the local high school that was hosting the event. When I arrived, I quickly realized there were many more people in attendance than I had expected. I walked into an auditorium filled with Key Club members from every area high school, their families, and numerous faculty members. The auditorium was filled to capacity, and my stomach was full of butterflies.
In my first public speaking engagement, I was terrified. When the time came for me to walk on stage, I took my place, and answered the questions in a voice so small I was barely heard beyond the front row. My palms were sweaty and I felt I would faint. I waited my turn to present the activities our club had organized over the past year. All of the speakers before me were seniors, and they gave excellent speeches, further adding to my anxiety. I went over the beginning of my speech in my head. Suddenly, my name was called. I walked to the microphone, but the words wouldn’t come. I looked out into a massive audience, and I froze. A minute passed. Someone started clapping. Someone else yelled, ‘You can do it!’ I coughed. I had never felt so uncomfortable. I took a deep breath, and went off script. I couldn’t remember my speech, so I just began talking. I rambled. I coughed. I do not recall what sentences I managed to speak, but the speech was disorganized and unrecognizable compared to what I had hurriedly prepared. When it was over, I didn’t feel relieved, I felt ashamed and embarrassed.
I returned to school and thanked my advisor for inviting me and sincerely apologized to her for letting her down. She encouraged me to pursue the office of President the following year. I was shocked. She said she knew I had passion and strength and a voice. She told me I needed to find my voice and continue working in my community. I swallowed my disappointment and hurt, and promised myself I would campaign for the position of President and dedicate myself to serving while building the membership in our club. In the months that followed, I continued to volunteer for public speaking engagements. I worked with my adviser and I practiced giving speeches in front of my peers to work out my nerves. I videotaped my speeches and used that as a tool to improve. I recruited new members and sought new projects for our club to participate in within the community. My club voted me in as President, and I gained experience promoting and representing our club’s accomplishments in numerous local and regional meetings.
As terrifying as that first speech was for me, I learned several valuable lessons from that day. First, when someone fails, you can inspire them by continuing to believe in their abilities, the way my advisor believed in me. Second, as scary as public speaking was for me, I was passionate about my club, and that passion fueled my desire to overcome my fear of speaking. I did not believe I could do it, but my advisor did believe in me. Finally, hard work and practice instills confidence. Watching myself on tape allowed me to see how others viewed my speech and it became easier to correct myself. I learned I am capable of delivering a passionate speech, and I feel a sense of accomplishment in knowing I defeated my fear of public speaking.
I am extremely grateful I had an advisor willing to coach me and work with me to achieve the level of confidence I needed to excel as a leader. I believe this lesson will enable me to help others because I have the understanding that you do not always succeed the first time you try. However, if you do the work and make the commitment to your goals, then you can accomplish anything. I also learned there is great satisfaction in having a voice and representing a group. Leadership is a responsibility to yourself as much as it is to those you lead. I learned the importance of continuously improving myself and applying the lessons I learned to assist others in their development. I look forward to working with our new Vice President and encouraging next year’s leaders as they develop their own voice and passions.