The Influence of Leadership and Becoming the Leader In Your Life

​Group projects, public speaking, and all other types of interactions with people always have an invisible dynamic that guides the conversation between individuals. It could be you, or someone else, who decides on a group topic, or maybe it is partner work, and you have to divide the workload. Leadership can be quickly defined as a quality that a person has to direct a group of people or an organization. Within this definition, there are so many nuances and ways of expressing other types of leadership. Different interpersonal levels make this quality so important to be aware of and see how it makes an impact throughout your life. Being able to direct others is essential for any type of leadership, but so is being able to lead yourself. Just as a leader would want to be proud of representing their organization or group, on the very first level, a leader should be proud of who they are. I like to think that leadership starts within yourself, and being able to be introspective and think about how you conduct yourself is the first step in translating those beliefs to others. Asking questions and understanding how you work is so fundamental to who you are and who you want to be. It provides a concrete foundation that can be changed and shaped based on new information or new experiences. 

Conflict resolution and empathy are qualities of good leaders and excellent communicators. These traits allow you to support others and help them without overstepping or becoming overbearing. This becomes especially prevalent with one-on-one relationships, like with family or friends. For example, a problem between friends can be resolved quickly when you practice being an active listener and thinking about each other in their shoes. Beyond that, being able to stick up for yourself and others in group settings can be really beneficial, especially when you feel as though something needs to be raised to concern or others need to be made aware of. The more obvious qualities of leaders are much more distinctive, the more people you are leading or interacting with. Public speaking is especially noticeable, but other things like body language and the speed of the way someone speaks can heavily influence the message conveyed. Body language can engage the audience, while the speed of your speech can easily distract from your message when poorly executed. When practicing public speaking, you are also developing confidence and other leadership skills. Inspiration also comes when you use your leadership skills in a group environment. Giving motivation to others when doing little things like proposing a conflicting idea or disagreeing with the main speaker fosters creativity and confidence for those who might think differently. 

Ultimately, this gives rise to such a diverse space of discussion and productivity that can bring up many different ideas. Leadership is not really talked about, but the impacts of it are felt in every individual and small interaction. No one is born without the ability to be a leader; it is truly up to you on how you want to develop certain skills and apply them to your daily life. However, I think that it is really important to realize just how much leadership flows through your life and the differences it can make in relationships with others. Leadership starts within yourself and the recognition of who you are, then moves outwards and affects personal relationships until finally it influences how you lead large groups of people and represent them. Working on your own leadership allows you to become the type of person who is self-confident and positively impacts others with how they conduct themselves. The reach of leadership is broad and diverse in the ways it shows itself, but a little bit of introspection and thought can bring someone to do many great things.