Leadership Philosophy

I have been the person who had low self-esteem and did not like being the leader in groups, especially when I was younger. It was scary and challenging for me because I did not want to mess up in taking on the responsibility to lead people in doing work that led to a certain goal. However, as I progressed through school and was assigned the leadership role more, I learned that my values of achievement, determination, loyalty, equity, and mindfulness along with empathy and collaboration were key to being an effective, caring leader who most people would respect and enjoy working with. I used these values and my love of helping people to achieve goals to overcome my low self-esteem and realized that I enjoyed being a leader who was empathetic, motivational, and thorough in logistics in order to achieve results.

Consequently, to me, leadership is a journey of realization, reflection, and constant growth that should never end. An aspiring leader takes time to be reflective on their actions and realize what aspects work, while adjusting to improve on aspects that fell short. Learning how to lead and be a better leader should never end because you are always growing, and the people that you are with are growing and changing, too. Also, it is significant to understand that leadership takes collaboration, and accepting the growth with others’ support. A leader is intentional with their words and actions, empathetic, collaborative, curious, detail-oriented, creative, supporting, motivational, and seeks continuous improvement.

Furthermore, a leader should empower and inspire others to be successful and work hard to achieve their goals. Prior to my college years, I thought that I had to have a leadership position to be considered a leader. Now, I know that leadership is so much more than having the authority and title; it comes when one performs leadership competencies no matter how big or small the action may seem with passion and intention that positively inspires and impacts others.