Leadership. This is a buzzword we hear time and again each day. Leaders are what so many of us aspire to be, and especially in college, there is a huge push for students to gain these so-called leadership skills. However, I think we have a nationwide problem in this push for leadership.
Yes, almost all of us hope to be a leader in some regard, whether that be through aspirations of President of the United States or president of your Homeowner’s Association. Granted, many of these so-called leadership skills are influential in life, such as the ability to convey information, delegate tasks, and present yourself well. Yet at the same time, the world simply cannot be a world full of leaders, and there is almost a fundamental problem with everyone wanting to take charge because simply put, leaders need followers.
That doesn’t mean by any standards that you are less important or beneath those who are in leadership positions by being a “follower,” but rather a fundamental component of what makes up the organization you are a part of. I just feel we are all being melded into this picturesque “perfect” individual who not only looks the part, but has excellent social and leadership skills.
It is the quite researchers who are introspective and make brilliant discoveries, the authors who sit behind a computer screen and provide the world with new ideas, the engineers that build and design and create, who all compose and contribute greatly to our society all without having to be your “leader.”
What I am trying to say is that I think we need to take some of that pressure off in the way we are continually pushing leadership in college and society and even the workplace, because sometimes it is the quiet and introspective individuals, the ones who may follow, or simply the ones who keep to themselves, who make an even greater difference in society – and they are happy while doing it.
Leadership is necessary in many instances, and we definitely do need great leaders in society, that is without a doubt, but just because that isn’t the mold you fit into doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with the path that you are taking in life.