What does it take to be a leader?

Leadership is a word that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways. Dictionary.com defines leadership as a person who guides or leads a group. What does that mean? How do you do that?

Being a leader is thought of being such a nerdy or weird thing that only people who want college scholarships think about. I don't think that is the case at all. There are lots of different kinds of leadership out there. Someone could be the typical captain of the football team, but there are ways that show leadership that people don't normally consider.

I think that something as simple as raising your hand in class or studying and getting a good score on a test can show leadership. These actions are actions that people will look up too and want to follow even though they don't admit it. Silence and observation are almost just as important as verbally motivating. I have been known on all of my different swim teams as one of the hardeset workers. I am typically quiet during practice yet I have been told numerous times by my coach that my working habits are just a way of silence leadership. This is important because I think that every person out there can in some way be a leader!

This past summer I attended a leadership seminar called HOBY, the idea being to strengthen leadership skills and to learn new ways to be a leader. I will admit it that being the "counselor's pet" I was somewhat forced into applying and did it just because it would look good on a college application. It was the first weekend of summer and the weekend of my birthday, to be perfectly honest I was dreading it.

The first thing I did when I arrived to Central College in Pella, Iowa was through a tunnel of 10 screaming guys. A little intimidating right? The "Jufas" (junior facilitators) as they were called did something crazy to everyone, just to get us out of our comfort zone. So here are 200 sophomores from across Iowa completely freaked out of our minds. Throughout the weekend we participated in small group activities, large group activities, seminars, speakers, dinners and dances. I ended up having an amazing time.

Overall, from observations and personal experiences I think that our community (especially our generation) can use more leadership. Were always so concerned with what other people think and just waiting around for someone else to step up. Thats the most important thing I learned at HOBY, just be yourself and do what's right!