Soapbox

My Thoughts On Being A Leader

People have often thrust me into a leadership role during tumultuous situations in my life, and sometimes I have sought out positions of leadership on my own, with mixed results. I’m not sure what makes some of us leaders, and others content to be just “one of the crowd,” but I do have a few thoughts I’d like to share.

A leader is not a politician - A true leader realizes that is not possible to please all of the people all of the time. A politician spends most of his time trying to convince us that he can do exactly that. In fact, that is one of the things that I think is wrong with government in the United States, we are ruled by politicians, not leaders.

A leader is willing to stand up for what is right, as opposed to what is popular or expedient - We, as a species, don’t always do what is best for us... if we did, no one would smoke, drink or do drugs, everyone would be physically fit, everyone would stay in school and get a good education. Leaders are people who fight the odds to help us remember who and what we are, and help us to do what is right for us, to remind us of the things that we take for granted.

A leader is flexible - A leader must be able to adapt to change, to listen to a multitude of opinions and make adjustments to their stance when presented with new evidence.

A leader wants to help people - I truly believe this to be true. Anyone who takes on a leadership role for glamour, fame, privilege, etc. is no leader... And, suffice it to say, they will not be in a leadership role long (unless they are a consumate politician). Leaders do care about people, otherwise they wouldn’t ask for the extra work that goes along with being in charge.

Being a leader is sometimes a thankless task. For those who have never stepped forward for extra responsibility on the job, or in their school or community, take a moment to think of someone you can thank... for organizing a block party, or a paper drive, or something else fun that you enjoyed participating in. I’m sure that they will be flattered and surprised that you took the time to do so.

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