Leadership Part Two

This is a follow up to the previous blog post. If you haven’t read the first one, you don’t have to. It’s not necessary for continuity or anything, but the two blogs together work to paint a bigger picture that I wouldn’t want you to have just half of. So, check that blog out. The first one was about my experience with leadership, but this one will be the other side of the coin, the actual data about leadership and its effects. You know its effects on me, but now I’ll try to show the effects of leadership in general.

            Before we start, we have to have a general idea of what leadership is. I’m not going to copy and paste the Wikipedia article, though. Leadership would simply be taking charge and stepping up into command, but I’m not talking about a spontaneous leadership role where you organize people here and there. I’m talking about organized leadership organizations like the president of the student body or the captain of a sports team. Of course, I’m not frowning upon spontaneous leadership. Spontaneous leadership is usually more of a personality trait, therefore it’s a result, not a cause of change in your life. Spontaneous leadership would usually come after a student is impacted by organized leadership. Organized leadership would be what sparks a student’s interest and makes them better.

            But does leadership really make a student better? All it is is an extra commitment and more work, so why does that help a student become a better student and person? StudyPoint, one of America’s most engaged workplaces lists three major pros for student leaders. They agree with my biggest point, which was building self-esteem. They say, “By taking on positions of responsibility at school and in their communities, students will feel genuinely good about themselves.” Leadership unlocks the potential within students. Lots of students are actually very talented, they might just be self-conscious or scared. Leadership cracks that shell wide open and allows them to be themselves.

            StudyPoint also mentions that student leaders, on average, are more successful in their lives after school. They’re more likely to hold high manager positions in their jobs than people who weren’t leaders in high school. They also, on average, have a higher income. So, if a student isn’t interested in feeling better about themselves, they can still get into leadership for the chance at more success. It makes sense that leaders have higher positions. They’re already used to leading people and already have experience over people who weren’t leaders.

            StudyPoint’s third reason for being a student for being a student leader is that it makes students more appealing to college. This ties into their second point about success. If leadership gets students into better jobs, why should it not get them into better colleges? Leadership is already giving students more opportunities. It gives students such a leg up on the competition.

            That’s why leadership is so important. If you didn’t learn from my first blog that it can affect students so strongly, here it is now. Leadership is so easy to find and it teaches students such valuable skills. Being a leader can make them more confident, have better work habits, and better grades. Not only that, but student leaders also get a huge head start in life, getting into better colleges and taking better jobs. Leadership is such a great opportunity and it can really secure a student’s life.

"High School Student Leadership:How to Stand Out in Your College Applications." StudyPoints RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2017.