Martin Luther King Jr. was not the only one who suffered in pre-civil rights America, there were thousands of equally oppressed people. And he was not the only good orator of his time. Then why exactly did he lead the Civil Rights Movement? By becoming the voice of thousands and millions of people he was able to reach the goal of implementing common ideals and visions. But what makes one a Leader and anthe other a follower, why can’t all people be leaders?
As I reflected on what leadership is and what makes someone a good leader I concluded that a lot of us have misconceptions about being a leader. Oftentimes when people think of a leader they think of their bosses, people with high intelligence and most of us think that leader simply is a person who was born to lead. This can be true but there is a lot more about being a leader. I believe that leadership is a skill of influence that depends on our quality of life. One should not think of leadership as a position, indeed have to see it as a skill a tool that all of us have to have.
What does being a leader mean? One of the most important qualities of a leader is self-confidence. The leader has to be confident enough to defend common visions and ideals even when facing obstacles and challenges. A confident leader knows how to inspire hope and trust in his followers. Another indispensable feature of a true leader is the ability to motivate and inspire others. Followers can be seen as a mirror image of the leader and it follows that the higher the motivation of the leader, the more involved followers are. One of the important qualities for a leader that in my opinion is often understated is the ability to empathize. Being able to show empathy and understanding in a difficult situation may earn the trust, loyalty, and appreciation of people. Last but not least important quality of a real leader is to have a sense of responsibility. Promises must be kept and problems must be faced. Before making serious decisions that can affect others' lives leaders must keep in mind the consequences of their actions.
I believe that leadership starts with mastering the ability to lead yourself. People want to lead others, but why not start by leading yourself. This is the main principle on which my leadership style is based. To be a leader you have to live life on your terms. That means being in charge of your decisions, and behavior, having strong beliefs, and never lowering your standards no matter how bad the situation is. While being in a position of a leader in group projects or research projects, I rely on my leadership style, which I still work on and try to improve. Communication is the key element of my leadership style, it is fundamental to reaching mutual consensus. To become a good leader, I try to deepen my emotional and social intelligence. To me emotional Intelligence is a different way of being smart, is a key to high performance at all levels, particularly for outstanding leadership. The capacity of recognizing our feelings and those of others is useful to manage emotions for gaining effective results. I strongly believe that leadership is a selfless person who works for a greater good not just for his or her selfish needs. I make sure that every person in my team is aware of how important his or her ideas and feedback are.
In my opinion, everybody can be a leader and it starts with destroying the limitations that we have in our heads. What does being a leader mean? Leadership is a skill that starts with having something that you're committed to, that's larger than yourself. We have to keep in mind that someone else’s leadership doesn't take away from our leadership. It requires patience, bravery, confidence, persistence, empathy and so much more to become a real leader.
