As a student who has keen interest in leadership, I have a number of personal qualities and strengths that guide me. Most of these qualities have been shaped by the various experiences I go through in the day to day living. The day to day interaction with different people, the hobbies that I highly regard, the work that I do daily, among others, play a big role in shaping who I am. Although I consider myself an able leader, I am still learning on how to appreciate various issues in the society.
I have a number of strengths. The first strength is based on my consistency. Strictly speaking, I don’t like being unpredictable in whatever I do, as this leads to failure. As a young person, I have a set of rules and principles that I dearly hold close to me. Be it in school or at home, consistency ensures that I am in a position to accomplish whatever I start in time. My appreciation of other people also remains constant. Our lives are shaped by those surrounding us. I rarely look down a person; I treat all people equally. This virtue has enabled me have a number of true friends.
My other key strength is intellection. Throughout my lifetime, I have always appreciated interacting and exchanging ideas with great minds. This is the only way that one can get to learn about the perception other people may create towards a common phenomenon. As a leader, this attribute allows me have a lot of information that I can use when directing others. A great leader should be intellectually sound. With time, I have learnt the art of intellect and appreciated the role it plays in leadership. Without this background, it would be difficult to associate with the people around us.
Positivity is a virtue that cannot be done away with (Rath., 12). For quite a long time, this has been one of the strengths I possess. Simply put, it is wrong to give up on something you want. By staying optimistic whenever I am handling a certain situation, I get to think outside the box and come up with relevant ideas. It is wrong to give up in life, as this may lead to a number of temptations and challenges. In future, my intention is to embrace this virtue in almost everything I do. This is the only way that I can motivate people who look towards me.
My fourth strength in defining whom I am is strategy. In anything I do, I strive to be strategic and vibrant. Having only one way forward when solving an issue is dangerous and risky. This is because the situation could backfire if the only way forward fails. In anything I do, I always seek to have an alternative way of doing things. This has always played to my favor since I handle issues with a lot of ease. Whenever I am handling various tasks, I tend to look for the available ways to accomplish such assignments. If it is a class assignment, I first consult with other students to understand their approach. This gives me the opportunity to understand the various approaches that can be used
There is no doubt that I am a responsible person. Whether by word or by action, I always take responsibility for my actions. In life, we have a lot of obligations. Whether it is taking care of a sibling, ensuring security at home or even educating people on basic issues, my approach is always shaped by the sense of obligation that I have. Doing my tasks satisfactorily and meeting my targets always brings joy to my heart. This virtue has been shaped by a number of issues and events in my life (Rath., 14). Living up in a poor background certainly trained me to appreciate and own whatever my actions. I would take responsibility for whatever I did. When I was in elementary, I was often tasked with ensuring the class was neat. My duties entailed assigning various students different duties to undertake. Deep in my mind, I knew that if they failed in dispensing these duties, I would be blamed by the teachers as having failed to take responsibility. This changed the view I had towards such issues.
Since I was born, I have not held many leadership positions. In the few that I have held, however, I have performed admirably well. As a class leader in elementary, I ensured that I handled my duties in a manner that is commendable. I also did hold a position in our church, where I was the treasurer of the youth organization. In all these positions, I was comfortable with the roles and tasks I was expected to perform. My comfort levels were high and I rarely had a problem with those I led. To a large extent, such comfort was brought by the confidence I had in myself to deliver on the expectations put on me.
There is no doubt that my success in leadership positions and the challenges I faced are related to my management style tendencies and my personal style. As a leader, I always seek to bring on board and include all those I lead. I see myself as a servant, working on behalf of the people that I lead. This is what it means by taking responsibility. By embracing and appreciating all people that I lead, it becomes possible to advise and direct them on what to do. This has led to my success. Meanwhile, the challenges that I faced taught me to be patient and appreciate perseverance.
There is no doubt that my gender has influenced the type of leadership roles I have held. Back in elementary, gender played a big role in my nomination to be the class representative. Most students were of the opinion that a class representative ought to be strong so as to command other students to undertake their duties. Luckily, I was among the strongest students in the class. This played a big role in my nominations. Today, I can look back and say that I perfectly executed the tasks that I was assigned. With my strength and power, it was easy for me to exude fear among other students, the extent to which they could take my instructions and work on them.
There are several courses under Women and Leadership that have reshaped my approach towards leadership. As a matter of fact, all human beings are equal, regardless of their gender. Most of the courses I have undertaken have portrayed women as having the sense of responsibility. This ensures that they rarely get into conflicts with other people. In the future, I want to incorporate such aspects in my life.
Works Cited
Rath, Tom. Strengths Finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press, 2007. Print.
