Before taking Leadership 101 at Agnes Scott, I had defined the word leadership as the position or state of being a leader. However, after taking the class, I have learned that the word has a much deeper meaning. The definition that is plastered next to the word in every dictionary site is incorrect. The word leadership has absolutely nothing to do with superiority. In fact, one that is given the title, leader, is in no way better than those he or she is leading. The correct definition of leadership is a “process of social influence which maximizes efforts of others towards achievement of a goal” (Kruse).
A leader is one that has a wide range of important skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, writing, digital literacy, and teamwork. These wide range of skills are the main reasons why many people follow leaders. Leaders are able to talk about a wide range of topics. In addition, true leaders are selfless. They lead and are also willing to be lead by those more qualified. They are genuine and kind. Leaders are those that think of others before themselves. Leaders are those that give up their own seat.
My leadership professor, Jing Paul, taught me about being a leader without having to mention much of the word in class. I always wondered why we had so many presentations. The presentation topics are not even about leadership. Since the course was about cultures and languages, we learned so much about the cultures of our peers just because of the presentation projects we did. Communicating one’s thoughts to others is one of the most valuable skills of leadership. Having learnt about what culture means in my class, I am now able to connect it to leadership. An article in the Ivey Business Journal stated that “behind every successful leader is a vibrant culture that engages and energizes employees” (Kuhlmann). It is absolutely true. A culture-driven leader is one that connects employees like a spider web. Finally, the most valuable thing I have learned from this class is that leadership skills can be learned from everywhere. Also, there is not one person that can be a leader; anyone that acquires several leadership skills can lead.
Works Cited
Kruse, Kevin. “What Is Leadership?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 2 Sept. 2015, www.forbes.com.
Kuhlmann, Arkadi, and Ing. “CULTURE-DRIVEN LEADERSHIP.” Ivey Business Journal, 2010, iveybusinessjournal.com.
