When I was younger, I never felt like I could be a leader. I could subjectively identify what a leader looked like and how they acted, but I always felt like I was not enough. In my own mind, I wasn’t tall enough, athletic enough, attractive enough, or outgoing enough. I assumed those were inherent things that God gifted to people, but I was just unlucky enough to be blessed with less. After growing up a little, I have outgrown my insecurities, and this leadership course has helped inspire to become a better leader. All the characteristics that are typically exhibited by leaders can be learned and developed. I know think of leadership positions as something that I am capable of obtaining. Why not me? The potential I have, and everyone else has, can create and infinite possibilities of achievement. Our world is in dire need of strong, loving, Christian leaders. Ernest Hemingway described life best when he wrote, “Today is only one day in al the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that will ever come can depend on what you do today (Hemingway).” Individuals trust no one more than themselves, so they should equip themselves with the tools that leadership necessitates and improve their own lives and the lives of their followers.
Why am I choosing to be a leader? I have been raised in a Christian home and I believe Jesus Christ is my savior. When we was among us on earth, he set an example for how we should act, loving, forgiving, and assuming the role as a leader in the churches and in our broader societies. Christ traveled from place to place with his followers, healing individuals and improving their lives every step of the way. His acts of love and humbleness resemble the leadership philosophy of servant leadership, described by Northouse in the book Leadership. He writes, “Servant leaders make a conscious choice to serve first – to place the good of followers over the leaders’ self-interests. They build strong relationships with others, are empathetic and ethical… (Northouse).” Because Christ led through service, I have the compulsion to follow in his footsteps and make change. Also, I am a strong believer in the doctrines the United States adheres to. Even though it has many flaws and areas to improve, no other society in the history of the world has had the level of vertical mobility that them members of American society experience. The United States has enjoyed over a century of being the most powerful country in the world. Is this phenomenon due to the type of leadership America experiences? I believe the answer is yes. The leaders of our country have demonstrated relatively strong adaptive leadership traits: “helping people change and adjust to new situations (Northouse).” For example, the US transformed from an agrarian society to a manufacturing powerhouse during the industrial revolution; during the Great Depression, President Franklin D Roosevelt used new government programs to provide jobs for the impoverished and prepare for another world war; in modern times, leaders of this country are pushing for equality of gender and race. Because I am an American citizen, I have a voice and the ability to facilitate change. Everyone has ideas and different perspectives, but if no one is willing to stand up, speak out, and lead, then there will be no improvement.
I believe that my philosophy on leadership is molded after Christs actions as a leader on earth and that if people want change they should go make it happen. America is a country of freedom and promise, with centuries of creativity in leadership and ingenuity. I have the desire to lead because I know I can change things for the better. Thousands have done it in this country for hundreds of years, so why not me?
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