Leadership is one of the subjects about which humans cannot ever fully agree on. While it is essential to daily life and any form of work, there is no universally accepted leader, nor leadership style. Because it is so subjective, most everyone has their own image of both the leader and how one has ought to lead. To me, leadership is the ability to inspire, transform, and direct others towards mission and personal development (&).

To define leadership is to identify a leader’s purpose. He or she is responsible for those within their organization or influence; this includes, but is not limited to, their subordinates’ personal growth, skills training, and demonstration of common values and abilities pertaining to the scope of their mission. The issue with chasing these qualities is the range of missions that leaders must address. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to leading people because the constraints and goal one faces is always different. Thus, a leader is tasked with justly and wholistically supervising and building up those around them in order to meet these various expectations (+). One must meet these expectations to, in my eyes, qualify as an “ideal leader.” This is not to say that every leader has to demonstrate these qualities perfectly in order to be considered “good,” but he or she must have the capacity to grow into this mold (=). To be a successful leader, one must also both promote and display ethical behavior. Ethics, or the values one aligns his or herself with while meeting societal behavior standards, are essential to both overseeing and working with others. This includes demonstrating qualities like benevolence, self-direction, and universalism. In being benevolent, leaders are expected to help raise up those around themselves and with whom they share similar goals. Self-direction is something followers must look for in an ethical leader, demonstrating they have a will to maintain their leadership and the security of the team’s goals. Universalism ensures all followers are treated with respect and accommodated equally and equitably. Thus, a leader cannot effectively do a job without these considerations (1).

Leadership is something I have always been weary of. As someone who is very reserved around people I do not know, and has a fear of judgement, it is intimidating to consider being the one person others look to as an example and for guidance. There is a saying, though, that the ideal leader does so reluctantly and not for personal gain. Therefore, I am pursuing leadership because I feel I have the capacity to handle the associated responsibilities and enjoy doing what I can to help others meet their objectives (2). As a leader I aim to be known as approachable and knowledgeable in my field, so that others may rely on me if needed. I have a distaste for people who seek and claim leadership positions for a title or perceived power over others. To avoid ever coming across to those I meet, I actively try to be relatable and genuine. I feel a proper leader ought to care about optics and candidness so that they can balance their constituents’ appreciation and respect (3). It is my greatest fear, as an aspiring leader, to lose those perceptions, as well as the trust of those around me (4).