Susan Cain 's Not Leadership Material? Good

In “Not Leadership Material? Good. The World Needs Followers” essay by Susan Cain, some of the negative effects of the glorification of leadership in college applications and in American society are leadership has become a status, and slipping off mixed talents personality when the society only focus on alpha personality. When the students’ intention to run for a club is just for the sake of leadership; a title which make them look better for the glory of leadership, but the service is nowhere to be seen. In addition, the negative effects included a change in personality in an unwilling manner due to the fact that colleges highly valued leadership.

Author Tara Isabella Burton writer of “Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership'” challenging the assumption that universities should seek out leadership qualities in students. “The implicit message behind the rhetoric of the leadership is that learning for learning’s sake is not enough” she says. Than questions the readers: “What’s the wrong with being a follower? Or a lone wolf?”

In the schools and also the community we need more leaders. Being a freshman of Lower Richland High school, I want to see students demonstrating more leadership. Often, I see student afraid to say no to peer pressure from other students. I want to see students leading by example. We need more leaders in this community, and less followers. In this essay I will discuss characteristic that describe a good leader, and what I want to see change in my community. .

Leadership is the elaboration of group inspiration. One person entrusted as leader can implore the aid, and support of supporters in the accomplishment of a common mission. According to Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane “Becoming a more effective leader often requires changing behavior. But although most companies recognize that this also means adjusting underlying mind-sets, too often these organizations are reluctant to address the root causes of why leaders act the way they do” (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane, 2014) However, today abundant businesses engross importance on the improvement of leaders. Some of the ultimate leaders were formerly followers, such as in instructive businesses. One aspect as leaders many have to contemplate in striving

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others” according to Bill Gates, while John Maxwell tells people that “Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less.” Neither of them completely capture leadership, but at the same time, neither of them are wrong. To be a leader, one must empower and influence those they lead in order to get the results they want. Neither one mentions that a leader must be confident in themselves and show others that they are confident with the decisions they make for themselves and others. As president of the Italian National Honor Society at my school, it is my job to promote excellence in the course, as well as in the community. Since our society values giving back to the community, we put an emphasis on community service. Many of the other students in the society worried about completing their hours. I showed them that they did not need to worry about getting their service hours by completing all of my required hours for both National and Italian Honor Societies before the end of November.

The above quote embodies how I feel about leadership. Not only do leaders work well with others they also take an initiative to aid others to persevere. Leadership is one of four acceptance pillars of the National Honor Society. Leaders are expected to display commitment to learning, venture to make right choices and work for the welfare of others. I perceive that leadership makes up the other pillars of National Honor Society; character, service, and scholarship. I have always possessed leadership characteristics. Most recently I have showcased leadership through my school and altruistic volunteer work.

Being a leader is often seen as impressive and key in a resume, merely because it is glorified in today’s society. However, people often forget that if every person on this planet was a leader, there would be no followers, and therefore, no leaders. Becher and Sivers both argue that followers are significant in creating a leader, something I genuinely agree with. However, Sivers seems to point out that being the first follower is hard and can lead to ridicule; although I agree that it is hard to join a small group in action, I believe being the leader is harder and more dangerous regarding the possibility of ridicule.

In the Leadership Challenge, 4th edition, it is Kouzes & Posner (2007) intention to present a road map for individuals to follow on their leadership journey. The authors stress that “leadership is not a gene and it’s not an inheritance.” Leadership they assert is “an identifiable set of skills and abilities that are available to all of us” (p. 23). They make clear that the “great person” theory of leadership is “plain wrong.” Leaders are our everyday heroes who do extraordinary things on a regular basis (p. 23).

It is easy to presume that that person is in the position they are in because of money, connections or an extraordinary intellect. We may suppose that any adversity or problems that this type of person has encountered are on another level to those that we face. Perhaps we don't imagine that there were private obstacles to overcome, personality traits that needed adjustment or adaptation, that private insecurities or personal failings had to be surmounted. It is simplest to assume that the role of leadership was cut out for him/her alone. More often than not, one imagines that the "leader" in an individual emerges early on in life, apparent from an early age: a bright child with above average intelligence, active in all walks of life, successful in anything that he puts his/her hand to, popular with peers and admired by elders. But nothing is that simple.

As an introvert, I never believed that leadership would be my cup of tea. Quiet, observant, soft-spoken. Those are not the traits of a leader...or so I thought. Then, I journeyed to Europe for 20 days with People to People to become a Student Ambassador. Meeting a Parliament member in England and representing The United States of America to a group of German students opened my eyes to the world of leadership and showed me how capable of leading I truly was. Entering my sophomore year of high school, I was selected to be a National Honor Society Member, the Vice President of the Beta Club, and a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. While all of the leadership positions I’ve experienced have been extraordinary and eye opening, the most significant

These men and women led the way to do what they have done, whether showing their leadership in the business world, the political landscape, or the high school classroom. I know that I have been a leader for my peers, just as they have been for me. When preparing for a presentation for the Delaware State Student Council, I found a quote by Tom Peters, a writer on business management principles, which really resonated with me. “Leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders”. I have, since then, done what the quote says, and have built leaders in my peers and my friends. Leadership will continue to be a focal point of my character as a member of the Caesar Rodney National Honor Society, to better not just the people around me, but myself as

According to the article “Why Are American Colleges Obsessed With 'Leadership” writer, Tara I. Burton, top universities are now qualifying prospective students by their leadership skills. In essence, what Burton, is implying, top scale universities are interested in scouting the leaders of tomorrow. They look for students who have held leadership positions in the classroom and student organizations to predict what students will be the leaders of tomorrow.. If colleges want to admit it or not, the underlying criterion is for a student to be a leader in many areas. Similarly, applicants that have taken advantage of leadership roles and have good grades, have higher chances of being accepted to a top university. So in essence, to a top university, a leader is a student who had an influential position in extracurricular

Being a leader is not considered a job or position. Becoming a leader is not a talent, job or position. Although, leadership can be rewarding and difficult at the same time. In today’s society, “the kind of leadership necessary to move social movements forward is very different from the type of leadership required in a military setting, especially on the battlefield. A more sharpened focus on leadership processes versus individual leader traits and behaviors deepens our understanding of the complexities and interactive nature of leadership” (Komives, Lucas and McMahon 2013, 46). My goal is to understand how to face the complexities in life as a leader to communities, universities, organizations, the workplace and the world. As a leader,

When my acceptance came in I realized that I am a strong leader with the determination to help others. As a result, I worked harder than ever before to become a leader I can be proud of. The summer before my junior year I attended a state leadership camp at the one and only Colorado State University. Being a second year camper, I assumed my experiences would be much like my first year there, educational but lacking impact. I couldn’t have been more incorrect. My adult counselor at the camp, Beth Carson, changed my outlook on my life. I realized that I will never influence the world by not taking risks. So, I ran to be one of the three members on the Colorado State Student Leadership Executive Board. It’s crazy that the experiences within four days had the power to turn all my failures into successes. I learned one of the greatest lessons that life can teach you, one can’t succeed if one doesn’t try. I’ve been able to come to the realization that it doesn't matter if you make mistakes, it matters how you continue on from those

Student leaders come in all shapes and sizes. They choose to lead based on their skills and preferences. Whether in social groups, athletics, or within the classroom, student leaders demonstrate certain traits that benefit both themselves and those they are leading. Generally speaking, leaders are classified as role models within the student body. They are the students who challenge the status quo, who ask questions and demand answers. They inspire athletic teams and social organizations alike; they bring to light the issues that an organization or club faces and work toward a solution. The traits and skills that these leaders exhibit socially, athletically, and academically can be both inherit and learned. The