My Leadership Journey

Leadership Journey
Leadership is quality best found in followers. This may be inherently oxymoronic, but as the best leaders are the ones that know how to follow, comes to light only when people are given the chance to display what they can do. Followers are not just mindless cogs within a machine, rather they are intelligent humans interpreting what leaders tell them to do and leading themselves to create a more positive outlook for the entire team. This causes them to be self-reflective of their own activities and characteristics, a trait that any good leader should posses. This paper does not serve as a morale booster, nor is it a simply a list of what makes me a leader among peers; this paper serves as a framework on which I will build …show more content…
Leaving a good impression is not only vital because of the benefits to yourself, but the benefits to the other person as well. I have learned much that I would have never known were it not for this essay. My interactions with others have always been interpreted by my own eyes, but to get another’s viewpoint on who I am, gives me much more comprehension of who I am as a person. A common theme I found in most of the stories I received was my trait of being selfless and living for others and not just myself. This was especially present in the story from my mother. Her story--although heavily biased--told mostly of my high school baseball career. While I was a mildly-successful pitcher, I was only that so I often did not play in a game because of the nature of how the game is played, yet I was still a leader on my team because I supported everyone and put the team above myself. I prided myself on raising everyone’s morale on the team even if it came at my own expense. My mom was telling the truth when she said that “He did however, manage to be heard loud and clear from the dugout,” even leaving out some detail. I was always the loudest, and most of the time, most annoying player on the team. Although I am normally not that vocal of a leader, I realized for what I lacked in impact in the field of play, I made up for in team morale and overall cheerleading. My cheering did not single-handedly win us games, it may have not even helped us, but it was a way in which I tried my hardest to help the team out in every way I could. I believe this not only showed my selflessness, but my nature to be a sturdy base in order for others to build themselves off of so I will continue to try my hardest to put others above myself in order for the team to be