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We all have leaders in our lives. Leaders who inspire us, leaders who push us, leaders who we model parts or all of our lives after. But what makes a true leader? Julia Gillard is the leader of this nation, but does she lead its people, or just its government? A Principal is a leader of a school, but do they lead that school’s students? We have a lot of leaders in our lives, but how many of them do we really follow? If we were asked who our leaders were, which of them would we mention?
Would we mention the leaders we listen to the most? Would we mention the leaders who have the biggest impact on our day-to-day lives? Would we mention the leaders who have the most power over us? Or, we would mention the leaders that inspire us, that uplift us, that make us want to do more and be better than we are already? I think I can safely say that we would all mention the latter.
A leader shouldn’t just instruct, or represent, they should lead. They should encourage people to give life their all, to reach their dreams, to stand up for what they believe in. Leaders should recognise people for their worth, and create opportunities for those people to blossom.
A true leader will make people go out and be leaders themselves, while still wanting to follow them. A true leader isn’t afraid to place themselves on the line for the people they lead. A true leader takes all of the blame, and takes credit for none of the success.
So how many true leaders are there out there? Unfortunately, I’d say it’d be very hard to find one in government these days. You’re more likely to find true leaders in businesses, non-profit organisations, out campaigning and advocating, doing all they can to make a difference. It seems we’re not really electing true leaders to represent us these days. It’s a shame, but a reality.
A true leader doesn’t have to lead millions, or thousands, or even hundreds. A true leader could inspire and uplift only a handful of people and still better fit the criteria than the CEO of a multi-national company. They could be someone at your school, someone in your community
How many true leaders do you know? I believe that we all have the potential to be a leader, but not many of us take the plunge into true leadership. Do any of the leaders that you have in your life make you want to do more? Do they make you want to be a leader to other people?
Even if we don’t see ourselves as a leader, it doesn’t mean that we can’t exhibit leader-like qualities. Why not go out there and encourage people? Not just your friends, but strangers, too. Maybe you know someone who has a hidden talent but most people avoid them or look down on them. Why not embrace them? Why not inspire them to grab a hold of what talent they’ve got in life and use it to lift themselves up?
We can all be a leader in our own right, so why not go out there and do it? We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Jason O’Neil.
