‘A leader is a person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.’ (Oxford Dictionary)
‘One that leads or guides’ (Merriam webster)
A person who manages or control other people, esp. because of his or her ability or position (Cambridge dictionary)
These are all definitions for a single person- a leader. While multiple definitions exist for who a ‘leader’ is, I don’t ever see myself fitting into ‘1 of these definitions.’ You know why? Because people don’t become leaders just because they have a ‘special ability’, but because it is a journey- a journey that makes you test your limits, makes you want to just give up and lay in bed all day. It’s tiring, to say the least, yet the outcome is nothing but satisfying.
An image that made me understand the definition of a leader.
Picture this, ‘When you throw a pebble into a pond, notice the concentric circles that start at the impact and grow larger as they ripple out from that starting point.’ As a leader, you put yourself in the water and see the ripples form.
Taking a step back from understanding what being a leader means, I’d like to share my journey of becoming a leader. Now while this process may have worked for me, I just want to remind everyone that every single person is different hence making everyone an unique leader.
At the age of 15, I was still a very shy and timid person. I never really like talking to new people or throwing myself out there in the world. But a point came where I realised that I was just ‘going with the flow’ and taking life day by day and there was a rather slow growth in me. My personality hadn’t changed a bit- rather I had become even shyer and reserved. Seeing my peers standing for leadership positions in school, I just felt terrible about this situation of mine. I was wallowing. I started to question, am I doing anything to change positively? Nope...till this became a constant feeling. And that’s when I realised something in me had to change. Once I released the immediate need for this change and was determined to change myself, I was very motivated. The very next day I was watching videos of TedTalks on being a leader. A specific TedTalk by Lars Sudmann has stayed with me even now. His talk was on ‘Great leadership starts with self-leadership. Self-leadership can be very difficult to develop; however, it is important to break through the barrier and seek that self-leadership within ourselves in order to positively lead others.’ By being aware of what we want to be and don't want to be, we can develop a better understanding of what we should and shouldn't be putting to practice and what would help us and others around us.
At the beginning of 2020, I got an opportunity to attend an esteemed leadership program that allowed me to meet people my age from all over the world. At the end of this two-week program, I learned a lot about myself. The most important being- what did I stand for?
Sure enough, I stand for integrity and compassion, however, now I was able to relate myself and my interests to a social problem which was rights, specifically child rights and the state of children in India.
To become a leader, you don’t have to attend any program. You just need to know what motivates or inspires you to lead. Had I not been exposed to the whole topic of law or international relations between countries, I would have still been confused as to whom and what I wanted to lead.
Now that I knew my interests, the work was simpler. I looked for new opportunities that were related to my interests and from there I found myself engaging with people from all over the country, taking up leadership positions in school and in general, growing as an individual. Even though all this seems easy to do, mentally and emotionally it wasn't. Thoughts of being judged or making mistakes were continuously in my mind. But I had to do what I needed to do. I thought maybe adopting the ‘i don't care’ attitude would be good...but by doing that I was only pushing my feelings aside. The bottom line that did not work.
So, I started surrounding myself with people who I trusted- even new friends who I knew wouldn't judge me. That's what helped me the most to overcome the feeling of being judged.
The whole process was difficult for me on a personal level. From being a very shy person to a confident and determined young leader, I have seen myself evolve as a person. I might not be leading an organisation or a number of people and yet I am a leader. I lead myself each and every day, I lead my friends, my peers and even those who work with me in school.
And now, I can define what leadership means to me- It wasn’t just guiding people but standing up for what is important and taking action to help others. Being a leader means understanding yourself and what makes you different from others. Different yet special. We all may have different and unique ways of leading-making us special. A little bit of confidence, a bit of courage and you, that's all needed to become a leader. These are just basic characteristics that one requires to become a leader, however having clear communication skills, being responsible and accountable, passionate etc are integral to the process…
Another thing that I have heard a lot is that a leader must have experience and elders are better leaders...age is just a number. Look at Advait Thakur, CEO and Founder at Apex Infosys. He is just 16 and yet a founder of a growing and successful company.
Don’t forget to watch our video on leadership activity-coming out soon on our Instagram page
Unlock your magic with Heart to Art by Vriti Bajaj!
This blog has been Conceptualised Vedica Karnik, Vidushi Puri, our youth bloggers and Vriti Bajaj.
Contact us:
Email: heart2artbyvriti@gmail.com
Instagram: heart2art.vriti
Facebook: heart2art.vriti
References:
Leader definition 1: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/leader
Leader definition 2: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leader
Leader definition 3: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/leader
TedTalk by Lars Sudmann: https://youtu.be/vlpKyLklDDY
Images: Pinterest
Leadership is an opportunity- Kevin Eikenberry
Comentarii