Thinking of leadership, a variety of thoughts come to my mind. To question leadership is to question how we live day to day. It is to question what qualities make a “good” leader. Who can determine what good truly means? The influences of leadership are all around, more often than we think.

I do not think a worldwide definition of leadership exists. When the word “leadership” is googled, the following is what it says. “The action of leading a group of people or an organization”. According to the internet, a leader is someone in charge of others. They could also be in charge of a company or group. I believe leadership is a word that has many interpretations behind it. People’s opinions differ as to what they believe makes an appropriate leader. Many factors have to be taken into consideration. The thousands upon thousands of different cultures and civilizations is one element. People’s morals and opinions differ depending on their backgrounds. Saying leadership has one definition is inconsiderate to billions of unique people.

I cannot say what the singular definition of leadership should be. Nor can I say what specific qualities a leader should possess. There will always be a differing opinion. I can, however, state my own opinion on the matter. To list a few, I believe leaders should be humble and kind-hearted. On the one hand, any kind of leader should be strong willed and fearless. On the other hand, they should still accept help from others. A leader should be quick witted and open minded. If a leader isn’t compassionate towards the people they rule, they won’t be successful. He/she must be selfless enough to know how to value others above themselves. This is not to say they must show selflessness all the time. They should also possess enough selfishness to not be used.

I believe anyone can be a leader. Regardless of the scale, leadership is in every aspect of life. They can be powerful like a King or Queen, ruling a nation of people. A leader can still have someone above them, leading them. They can be the founder of a high school club. They could be a citizen taking initiative in a dangerous public situation. Leadership can be a first-grader sitting with a bullied student, inspiring more to join.

In short, leadership is the cause of many positive changes. It has also been the reason behind harmful situations. Being influenced to do the wrong things can very easily happen if bad leadership isn’t recognized. Being a bad leader is putting yourself or others in harm. Having role models who can teach valuable lessons is an underrated form of leadership. My point is this: leadership itself comes in every form, magnitude,and situation imaginable. To define it is impossible, as people will always have unique opinions. We live in a society and world that is constantly changing. Without some form of leadership, chaos would be created. It gives us structure, in whatever way we choose to see it. It is a guarantee of freedom.

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