The Necessity of Leadership for Success by Tara

The Necessity of Leadership for Success by Tara - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

I believe the key to arguing whether or not leadership skills are necessary for college success lies in defining what “leadership” and “success” mean. If we go by literal definition, Merriam-Webster defines leadership as “a position as a leader of a group, organization, etc.; the time when a person holds the position of leader; the power or ability to lead other people” and success as “the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame; the correct or desired result of an attempt; someone or something that is successful; a person or thing that succeeds.” If we’re going by the “bare bones” definitions, I’ve known several classmates whose definition of collegiate success was the lowest possible passing grade and turning the effort (if you could call it that) into a sport. If this is the example we’re going by then, no, I’d say you don’t need to have leadership skills in order to be successful in college; but let’s go deeper.

If I were to define success not only in college but in life in general, I’d say it’d be pressing myself to go as far and as hard as I could, to encourage others where I can, to learn from others when I can, and fall many times, to rise many more: maxing out every second of life I have and wringing out every ounce of knowledge from the bricks themselves. College is a unique opportunity. In what other time or place will you find so much collected intellectual talent focused on training you? When there are engaged student leaders in a class, they not only drive themselves to do better, but the class to do better as well. The more leaders in a class there are, the more accountability exists to push our individual inner limits. I believe being a leader is both an organic and learned ability and I think college is one of the number one places to cultivate it.

As Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, once said “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost self-esteem…If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” I believe leadership drives true success. Success in college is the foundation for success in the career world. I absolutely, unequivocally believe that true leadership is necessary for collegiate success.