LEADERSHIP

What does ‘leadership’ mean to you?

Leadership to me is positive influence, it’s control, it’s management, its advocacy and it’s guidance.

Being a leader to me is like being a trustee. Every time I hold a leadership position it is more of a trust to me. I tell myself that I have been trusted with an office, a challenge, a position and it is not so that I could thrive but so that the people in whose trust I hold that position thrive.

I hate letting down people especially the people who believe in me, the people who look up to me, the people who trust me and the people I work with. But guess what, this is literally everyone around me.
Come to think of it, you start a project to help a certain group of people. The moment those people find out about the project, they will be excited and optimistic for what’s to come. If that project fails- then you have let them down. The people you choose to work with on that project are your team and they believe in you and in themselves and they are looking to achieve results so likewise if the project fails then you have let them down.
There’s someone out there with a similar dream and they are looking up to you for motivation and if you fail it could raise a little doubt in that person and we are back to you letting them down.

We are surrounded by leadership opportunities and many times we hold leadership positions but we don’t even notice.
There’s a team that needs motivation to move forward and your story could be what they need to hear – that’s a leadership opportunity. There’s a student having problems with school and all they need is guidance – that’s a leadership opportunity. There’s a department in your office that’s divided and you could be the one to control them and bring them together – that’s a leadership opportunity. You see the challenges in your community that need to be addressed – that’s an opportunity for you to lead and address those challenges. Your parents aren’t home so you have the chance to manage and keep the home together.
You could be the one who brings people together for better – that’s positive influence and of course a leadership opportunity.

You don’t have to be voted, appointed or given a title for you to be a leader. Just take a look around you for the various opportunities that you could exploit and when you’re finally voted or appointed to that office believe me that you won’t be learning on the job because you’ll have acquired all the necessary skills of leadership.

~Owembabazi Paget~

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