Leading.. Being a leader..
POSTED ON: Sunday, 13 October 2013 @ 10:16 | 0 comments
this post is inspired by the recent camps I've went
and the view points I'm mentioning was first introduced to me by a group mate of mine
but it isn't easy either
some people are born leaders
but for most people, it takes much effort to step out of their own comfort zones to be able to lead
I have so many questions I have to ask
I am so confused to what truly is a leader
I find that this picture explains a lot
especially about servant leadership
I've always felt that being a leader was natural to me
second to breathing
I mean, it used to be so natural to me
I was loud, I was directive, I liked being the leader
in secondary school, it was easy too, shining above the rest and lead others
because there were so little people who actually speak up
and among those who actually do, only few would bother to take up leadership positions
thus being a leader in secondary school was a breeze for me
however in poly, everything is different
people of all sorts are gathered in the same school
more people fighting for the few leadership roles in the school
like I've said, in the past when I was among people who shy away from the limelight
it was easy to get hold of the limelight and be a step up leader
but now it is way way way harder
so many more people are actually capable of stepping out of their comfort zones
more people are eager to learn, to serve and to lead
and more people to stand under a limited space of limelight
imagine this
you were always the one confident enough to speak up
confident and capable enough to lead
but when you're placed in a group where everyone has the same capabilities as you
the same confidence as you
the same experience as you
what would you do?
the textbook answer is always easy to give:
"oh you just have to work harder and step up more
get out of your tiny shell and fight for whatever you want"
but is this really the case?
now imagine this
a group of strong-headed people are given a topic to debate about
everybody feel the pressure to express their point of view
but nobody feel the need to take turns to speak
so what will happen?
everybody speaks, nobody listens and there will be chaos
so my question is
if you are faced with a group of confident outgoing leaders
and the competition is to see who can be a better leader
[of course, now we ignore the question of what defines a better leader]
then what happens?
will I, the one who is usually able to be a step up leader, step back to let others lead in order to minimize conflicts and frictions?
or will I take my chances and step out like all the rest, which will increase the likelihood of the previous scenario - everybody talking but nobody listening
it is complicated, isn't it
especially so when the 'fight' is real
now here is another question:
if you are a quiet leader who will only step up and speak when the situation needs you to be,
and you always find no chance to shine
will you ultimately end up shying away from the limelight?
will people actually appreciate you for stepping back to let others have a chance to lead?
how do people actually become great leaders if they are introverted and quiet?
are step back leaders viewed as equally important as step up leaders?
there are so many questions I have
but I don't know where to get the answers from
poly has given me so many new experiences
if I was back in secondary school, I would never have thought of all these problems
but hey as you grow up, you'll learn that there are more to life than what you might have known
today's music video is a song my band might cover real soon
make sure to check it out
it's by All Time Low, by far one of my favourite bands ever
speaking about bands
Boys Like Girls is coming Singapore again!
I went to their concert last year and it was amazing
but this time I actually have strings cca when they are performing
:( I hope I am able to go catch them perform a few songs after cca!
side note: my mind is a little messy right now
if you don't understand anything that I've been talking about
I don't blame you
sorry btw
-[chi ling]-
