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What Leadership Means to Me

a scholarship essay

By Darlene FranklinPublished 4 years ago 2 min read
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Leadership is that quality that allows a person to lead, plain and simple. Leaders can convince people to adopt follow their ideals and act as directed. Right?

It’s certainly true of the famous names of history, whether it’s George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela—or Adolph Hitler.

But sigh, I’m not like them at all. Does that mean I can’t be a leader? It’s a good thing “Leaders are made, they are not born.” Vince Lombardi (Vincelombardi.com) went on to say, “They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”

I put a lot of effort into things I’m passionate about, lie my family and writing. I have led writing groups. At the moment, I function more as a subject matter expert than a leader. I’ve been called upon by local and national groups from here to Australia, but not to direct, plan, or coordinate the activities of a group of people.

Digging deeper, I discovered the leadership goes beyond that ideal. According to mDictionary.com, the first, go-to definition of “lead,” reads “to go before or with to show the way.” Later descriptions add details “to go first” and to “tend toward.”

A leader goes ahead, foresees future problems and possibilities and prepares others for both. If that’s the crux of leadership, maybe I have a chance.

Within my family, I am definitely a leader, as were my grandmother and then my mother before me. We have worked for several generations to free our family from its history of incest. My grandchildren are free of its specter. Give my son the credit, but I led the way.

From me, my family learns our legacy, our traditions, and core beliefs. They also can observe and copy my hard work habits, commitment to learning and how to thrive in difficult situations—and the most important characteristic of love, love.

In fact, those same pitfalls position me to lead the way for other writers. My history of a career that blossomed after I moved to a nursing home give t hem hope. So many people tell me, “You inspire me,” that I tend to ignore the compliment. They say, “If she can do, so can I.” I am pleased at how many have picked up the mantle based in part because of my example.

That quality of overcoming makes leaders like Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln, and Mark Cuban so fascinating. None of them was the scion of privilege. They worked and studied hard and faced opposition. Two of them met an untimely, violent death. But we still feel their influence today. On the Shark Tank, Mark Cuban frequently mentions his rise as first-generation American of immigrant parents to his place as an industry titan and a mover and shaker in basketball and beyond—for good or ill.

Leaders also walks with their followers. In his Gettysburg address, Lincoln spoke of “a government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Mark Cuban is sought as a mentor as much for his money.

Perhaps I can excel at that kind of leadership. In the nursing home where I live, I’m often called Mom. I may not be everyone’s best friend, but I am their “Mom.” They not only me in deep affection, they also come to me when they have a problem.

Maybe I have been transformed in some kind of leader, after all.

success
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