The world is full of leaders; Presidents, Queens, Mayors, School Superintendents, Clergy. Obviously there are many attributes shared by great people which make them leaders, but to me, the necessary characteristic for true leadership is having a knowledge of those who follow a leader and of those who are superior in status to a leader. Prime examples of this are State Representatives who know the people they represent and understand their needs, but also understand the political context in which proposals must be promoted in order to address their followers’ needs.
For me, as a high school senior, this means learning what makes my peers and underclassmen “tick” and what they truly desire, along with having a firm understanding of my teachers’ characters, likes and dislikes. It also means that I must be the best I can be in my classes and in my studies. Unless leaders know those they are leading, they are not truly leading properly. It is more than winning a popularity contest or boasting of accomplishments that defines a leader; it is one’s character and understanding of human nature in general as well as an intimate knowledge of the specific goals, needs, and aspirations of their followers.
I practice the characteristic of knowledgeable leadership through spending time with those I lead, whether on the soccer field where I am a team captain, or in the classroom, where I am willing to help students whenever I can, such as answering a quick Spanish conjugation question or spending time going over a calculus problem with my friends. I enjoy my role as a group leader of my peers in our Bible class where I lead the group in discussion and question-answering. At the start of my eighth grade year my class was scheduled to take algebra one-half as our math class; I proposed to our math teacher that I felt our class could handle the algebra I curriculum. Our math teacher was persuaded to allow our class to enroll in the more advanced class. Within a week, 85% of my class opted to take the harder course. As a result of the change, many of our class members are now taking calculus II rather than calculus I, and consequently, we are more prepared for college.
Another necessity of knowledgeable leadership is an aspiration toward scholastic achievement. One must know what is going on in the world and how things work in order that he or she may be able to understand how to serve their followers completely. I attempt to attain this goal through attention to my schoolwork and setting high goals for my grades. I am on the High Honor roll with nearly a 4.0 Grade Point Average. I have also taken initiative through completing two college courses at Mansfield University, one the summer before my junior year and one before my senior year in high school.
Being a leader requires much of a person. Self-sacrifice and a strong sense of moral ethics are important characteristics of true leaders; a principled leader inspires a higher plane of morality through his example, words, and teachings. But to be a successful leader, a high measure of knowledge about one’s followers and the world is essential.
