Taking the lead

Tunohole Mungoba
Angelina Norval



When I was in grade seven I did a speech based on leadership skills. Almost three-and-a-half years later, my views on leadership have not changed at all. I find leadership to be one of the most important skills that a person should have.

Many people tend to associate leadership with being the first, biggest or most powerful person in a certain environment. However, leadership has an entirely different meaning. A good leader is someone who influences and motivates people to give their best by inspiring them to follow and deliver on the activities needed to achieve a set goal or vision.

People become good leaders because they have integrity and because others want to follow them. Leadership can be taught but for many great leaders, leadership is a state of mind and is part of their personalities and traits. This is what made them so successful. One of the most important aspects of leadership is that not every leader is the same.

It is considered that a good leader should be honest, have the ability to delegate, be able to properly communicate, have confidence, commitment, a positive attitude, creativity, intuition and have the ability to inspire. However, these traits do not define every leader. Good leaders depend on goodwill, not authority. They generate enthusiasm, not fear. They say ‘we’, not ‘I’. Good leaders fix a problem and do not apportion blame for a problem. They develop people, they do not use them. They give credit; they do not take credit for themselves. Good leaders ask, they don’t command. They say ‘let’s go’ instead of ‘go’. Good leaders always practice the three Rs: respect for self, respect for others, and responsibility for all their actions.

There have been many great leaders who have walked this earth and inspired us. They set the example of what being a good leader is. The three leaders who I find to have been the most important are Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Junior. Gandhi led India against British rule. He fought silently and practiced non-violence. He believed in truth and that only the truth shall prevail. Without harming a single soul, he led India to freedom. Gandhi soon became the face of his nation. Mandela was a very great man. All through his life he relentlessly faced racial discrimination. He served a long prison sentence of nearly 30 years for his actions. This, however, did not discourage him and he always worked for what was right and just. He came out as a hero and led South Africa to a free and equal future. His hard work paid off, because he became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. King Jr was an activist and a leader of the civil rights movement of the United States. He was known for his non-violent ways. He fought for racial equality and provided a picture to the people where all men are equal.

Leadership is all around us, not only in working environments. Leadership can be applied in any situation where one is needed to take action and lead professionally, socially, at home in family settings and even in schools and during studies. So why is leadership so important? Leadership creates vision and takes organisations or people to new heights. It guides and teaches everyone how to achieve their goals and dreams. In school, leadership teaches what we need to learn, what needs to be followed and what is important in certain situations and times. Once you finish school, leadership helps you lead your own life. You make your own plans for your future. Leadership helps you to commit to your studies and work. It also helps you to develop independence.

Without leadership the world would be suffering anarchy. There would be no one to ensure that laws are being followed and that society is functioning efficiently. It is evident that more wars would breakout, crimes would increase and countries would fall. Without leadership there would be no sense of direction, especially in large organisations. If you, as an individual, do not lead in your own life you will be controlled by others. You will not make your own decisions. There would be a lack of coordination and teamwork at work, schools and even in the country. Lastly, without leadership there would be no motivation and no goals or dreams would be reached.

Here is a quote by Sheryl Sandberg that you can use to take the lead in your life, as well as other people’s lives: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that the impact lasts in your absence.”

angelina.norvel2002@gmail.com