Importance of Leadership Qualities in College by Bryan

Importance of Leadership Qualities in College by Bryan - March 2015 Scholarship Essay

Leadership qualities are important in many facets of life. Forbes Magazine gave a list of “10 qualities that make a great leader”1, along with how they connect to academic success, these are;

1. Honesty- If one is not honest it means that there is a willingness to falsify your grades, which will be exposed when one is truly tested on the knowledge.
2. Ability to Delegate- If one cannot allow others to help in group project one can easily become overwhelmed with all that needs to be done.
3. Communication- If one cannot communicate with others then that person will never be able to get his or her point across, even if the point is obviously correct could revolutionize the way a subject is viewed.
4. Sense of Humor- This one is more for sanity, if one cannot laugh at one’s self, the stress of college will consume that person
5. Confidence- If one shows even a shade of doubt, the more confident person will be right, even if his or her idea is wrong.
6. Commitment- College is a long road and it’s easy to quit. Good students, like good leaders, push through the hard times because they committed to this path.
7. Positive attitude- Going along with commitment, a good student realized that bad days help one grow, and brighter days are ahead. Happiness is an emotion not a state of being.
8. Creativity- Everyone thinks inside the box, good college students find what works best for them. I myself learn better when I’m able to find something in my everyday life to simplify what I am learning.
9. Intuition- Sometimes the best option is to go with the gut. Many times there is a reason one feels that way, but the reason was forgotten.
10. Ability to Inspire- There are groups that have given up on college. When one is placed in a group situation, it takes a great student to get these less excited students going and will, in turn, give more inspiration to continue giving effort in education.

Without the qualities of hard work and dedication, it’s almost impossible to even get into a college or university, let alone succeed in said schooling situation. Many people who don’t have resiliency wouldn’t be able to handle having multiple midterms in a single day and would have no drive to get through finals week. I strongly believe that leadership qualities are crucial for academic success in higher learning institutions.

Many people would disagree with me and say something along the lines of, “If the world was entirely comprised of leaders there would be no one to lead.” I agree with this statement only if one type of leadership is understood. One of the most important characteristics of great leaders is humility, and it takes great humility to know when to step down and let another lead that may be in a better position than yourself. A prime example of this is George Washington. He was elected for twice as our president and was doing a fantastic job (at least in my personal opinion). He decided not to accept nomination to be president for a third term. Does this make him a bad leader? Was he suddenly unqualified to lead the country? Neither, he realized that this was a gateway to possible dictatorships, so he stepped down. When he decided to step down he set an example of what a great president was, one who led when he needed to, and followed when it was prudent. Proof that he was considered a leader after his election is that we had thirty-one presidents between President Washington and the twenty second amendments in 1951 that set a term limit, and only one president served more than two consecutive terms (Franklin D. Roosevelt) showing that even if a leader doesn’t make anything official, his or her example will be recognized and respected beyond what they may even realize.

That is why leadership qualities are important for academic success. Schooling is about learning how to think. One of the most important items to be learned is definitely that of leading, and taking it a step further, learning to lead by example. Many times, these leadership characteristics affect others but in influencing others, a great leader-student will inspire himself or herself.

1 http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/