Is Being A Leader Or Role Model?

Leadership has a different meaning for everyone. The ability to motivate, set good examples, and persevere through adversity are all parts of leadership. Some people may think that being a leader is only for a select amount people. I see leadership differently. I think everyone is capable of being a leader. There are also various ways that an individual can practice leadership. Obvious examples are the ability to speak, ability to motivate, and the ability to be a good role model. I see the ability of being a good role model and having good character as the foundation of leadership. My reasoning behind this is everyone is a leader or role model in my mind. Everyone influences a certain amount of people whether it’s one person or millions

A couple things happened my junior and senior year that would change all of that. After my senior year of football, we had an awards ceremony for all of our accomplishments that year. One of the awards was the Ed Thomas Character Award. This was given to the senior football player that best exemplified good character on and off the field. I won the award and was completely thrilled that I received an award that honors Coach Thomas. I was also happy to receive an award that was voted upon by my teammates. I realized then that I positively impacted my teammates and that they respected me for that. I wouldn’t have wanted any other award that night. It was a surreal feeling to win an award that honors a person that I looked up to when I was a kid, and who influenced my parents growing up. Along with the award, another thing that made me realize the impact I had on others. Once I became an upperclassmen, several young elementary kids in my town looked up to me. I would have kids say hi to me that I never even knew. I would get drawings from kids that were addressed to me. And I even became friends with one of the kids that truly admired me. I would talk to him every chance I could and got to know him and his family extremely well. We even went golfing together on one occasion. I was in a position that little kids would look up to me, and I had a responsibility to be a

Growing up, as I mentioned earlier, I was not a very vocal person. Many times I would step aside for others to speak or motivate my teammates. I know this is a skill that I need to get better at. Not necessarily motivational speeches, but communication and guidance is important. As I grow up and get through college, I hope to have a family someday. I will need to be able to mentor my kids and communicate with them constantly. I hope to one day be like my parents who would discipline me and speak with me anytime they were worried or concerned about me. I also know that as a potential father, I will be leaned upon for guidance. I know I will need to be a good decision maker and a solid rock for my family whenever there is adversity or hard times. Until recently, my parents have been with me every step of the way helping me make good decisions and helping me stay on track. That will continue, but I know that I will be on my own soon. I will not have my parents assisting me on what to do in every situation. I need to be able to adapt and learn to make tough decisions and do the right thing on my own. Lastly, the most important skill I will need is the ability to teach others to be leaders. If I have children someday, my hope is to share with them the same wisdom and practices my parents taught me about leadership. While on campus, I