Leadership and Me

Growing up in a large family, stuck in the middle of four other siblings, I was able to learn more about leadership then I realized during the time. My oldest sister I now come to realize was the manager of the family. Always enforcing the hierarchy of oldest to youngest, dictating the rules of who got to sit in the front seat of the car or who had the unfortunate task of washing the dishes. She seemed to always come out on top, which unfair as it was there was nothing my siblings’ nor myself could say to change her mind about the rules she set for the hierarchy of oldest to youngest. This showed me the type of leader I did not want to be, and helped shape my leadership perspective into what it is today, along with many other “teachers” I have met along the way.

I believe that anyone can be a leader, even if they are not in a role of power, by demonstrating one of the many traits portrayed in the picture above. An act of leadership can be implemented daily, inside or outside a business setting, even without realization. I want to be a leader, not a manager. I want to inspire those following me to follow their dreams and see them become successful. Not break them down for my own benefit. I believe a true leader is someone who would make sacrifices so their own team didn’t have to, without seeking recognition for doing so. I hope to become a leader great enough to have a team that would follow me into the trenches not because they have to, but because they want to, knowing I would do it for them in a heartbeat.