Define Leadership For Yourself by Stephen

Define Leadership For Yourself by Stephen - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

“Leadership” is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot, which can cause it's real meaning to be lost among the repetition. Leadership can also depend on the situation. You might find a really quiet person stand up to a bully when it gets to be too much or a student who raises their hand in a classroom when no one else dares to chance a wrong answer. So are leadership skills necessary for college? I would say they are necessary for just about any situation. However, I would like to examine this further.

First, the act of going to college does not make you a leader. There is an extremely large number of people who go to college every year, so attending a college makes you more of a follower. Children of all kinds are pressured into attending colleges due to advertising and the badgering of adults in their lives who have come to the conclusion it is the only way to success. It's not. In this case, the way to step outside the box and take responsibility for your own life would be to take everything thing you have been told and absorbed and set it aside. Now search your feelings and decide, is college right for you, or is there another path for you to walk? Deciding what is best for you in. order to make sure you will be fulfilled no matter the circumstance, is showing leadership.

Many types of leaders exist. There are the aggressive and confident leaders, who when they stand up and speak, people cannot help but listen whether they agree with them or not. Another type are those who lead by their actions without words. They do what they feel is right and maybe someday down the line will be noticed for their courage. One more example would be those who show others a different method of action or an alternative course of thought. They lead, but respect free will and do not try to sell an idea. In other words trying to help someone benefit themselves through independence, and not in alternate interests. There are so many types of leaders, and they all have a place in this world.

Just because someone is trained in leadership, or recognized for their leadership qualities, does not mean they deserve a position of authority. Bossing others around is not an admirable trait. Earning others respect and giving them proper training in order to get the job done is. Achieving a high status in a company that pollutes the Earth just shows that you know how to do exactly what others before you have done, without obtaining any real innovation. There are many men and women who have lived fulfilling lives by finding a daring new way to be “successful”.

The problem that is drastically apparent, is that for the most part, college will only teach you how to do a job. Then one day after you've paid off the possible massive amounts of school loans, paid off your car, paid off your house, raised a family, and done the same job over and over for years, you will die. Was it worth it? Maybe. Granted I am not naive, I know there is a lot of amazing new advances in many fields being made all over in colleges and universities. The truth is, is that not everyone is a part of those advances. The sad part is, a lot of people are okay staying in the box, those that aren't will usually be labeled the leaders.

There is no judgment here. If someone has a job they want and earn a degree in order to pursue it, then raise a family and do the “normal” life, power to them. Power to anyone who has the guts to do what makes them happy in a world of constant psychological bombardment. My advice is this, whether it be college, or in some other area of life, pave your own road at some point. The problems of this world will not be solved by learning the same material thousands of other kids or adults have learned at the exact same institution. They will be solved by taking risks and using critical thinking skills to mold a new idea. Everyone's risks are circumstantial, however. The key is to use knowledge gained to create new knowledge. The sum of which, can create more freedom.

Now that differences in leadership have been acknowledged, find out what type of leader you are, and use it to search out what it is that you desire. Find out what leadership really mean to you, too. It will help you in college and in life. I believe college is a vital part of society even though I admire those who accomplish great things without it. It provides an opportunity and atmosphere for learning. Opportunity is always a magnificent thing. Also, I see leadership in college as absolutely essential. Without leading yourself or others, nothing will be accomplished. The necessity of leadership is never in shortage and always key in moving through challenges that require determination. Dare to have a new thought, and remember, there is always a new discovery just around the corner.