The world is filled with endless possibilities, and one of the best ways to make good use of them is to learn a skill. When we take the time and other resources to learn a skill, we become a step ahead of whatever challenges come our way. When we came into the world, all we knew how to do was cry and sleep, and other things babies do. But as we grew older, we learnt how to walk. Step by step, we learnt, and with time, we learned how to walk properly. Similarly, we learnt how to talk. We acquired language from those around us. We started talking, one syllable after the other, and with time, we started speaking fluently. As we grow older, our priorities change, and we start to crave more developed skills. When we were younger, we desired to learn how to walk, but when we became adults, we craved more sophisticated skills like good communication skills, digital skills, cooking skills, and so on. For day 28, the Inleo community asks us that if we could easily master one skill, what would it be and why?
If I could easily master one skill, it would be the art of leadership- developing effective leadership abilities. In my department, one person I always look up to is my class governor. Why? The reason is simple; he is a leader. My class governor is not just any leader, he is a good leader and I look up to him because of that. Sometimes, I look at him in class and I go, “How do you manage to do the things you do?” We are 181 students in my department, and when our class governor says something, we follow it immediately. Of course, sometimes, we question him. But most times, we trust his decisions. He has built his followers to the extent that they trust him completely.
Do I have what it takes to be a good leader like my class governor? I have embarked on this journey of self reflection many times, and I have realized that, it is not that I am not completely cut out for being a leader, it is just that I lack some skills that a leader must possess. For example, one of the skills a leader must possess is accountability. Leaders must be ready to take ownership of their actions, decisions and actions. Now, here’s where things get a bit complex. Leaders must also be ready to take ownership of the follower’s actions. For instance, last semester, we told our class governor to reach out to the lecturer that we were tired of physical classes and that we wanted online classes. Our class governor did as we told him, which made the lecturer get angry and punish him. Instead of him saying, “my classmates told me to do it,” he took the blame. I’m not sure I have what it takes to do this.
As I mentioned earlier, it's not that I'm not cut out for being a leader. If anything, I possess some leadership skills, such as good communication skills and visionary thinking, but these alone are not enough.
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Thanks for reading.
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