Distinctive

By Victoria Tillson Evans, Ph.D.

Leadership. It’s one of those qualities that nearly everyone feels that they should possess. After all, we admire leaders. We follow leaders. We look to leaders to give us meaning and purpose. We have them in our political lives, our personal lives, our school or professional lives, and sometimes in our religious lives. Leaders are everywhere, and whether or not you realize it, all of us are leaders–just not necessarily in the same way. 

Leadership is a quality that reflects a multitude of characteristics that allows individuals to make an impact on others and the world around them. Unfortunately, too many of us have traditional notions of what leadership is, which is why perhaps we get so hung up on scoring titles and climbing social hierarchies. Many of the students I’ve worked with envision a leader as someone in charge barking orders to a group of people who follow. If you were a captain in the army, then that may be an accurate picture of what leadership looks like, but out in the real world, including in schools clubs, leadership takes on many forms.

Even for those of you who have titles, it’s helpful to understand what different kinds of leadership look like, so that you can go beyond focusing on the supposed caché that a title bestows upon you and think more about your leadership as an opportunity to make positive change. Afterall, questions about leadership abound in the college admissions process, from your activity descriptions to your supplemental essays that specifically probe that quality. So rather than focus on your role or even the theory behind leadership styles, I want to share with you actions that you can take in your life to show leadership.

Take Initiative – One of the biggest differentiators between a leader and follower is whether or not you voluntarily step up when something needs to be done. For example, you notice English ivy creeping up the trees along the creek that cuts through your neighborhood. You know that it’s an invasive species that will ultimately kill the native flora that it covers, so you decide to organize a weekend event involving your neighbors to remove the ivy. That shows leadership! You can also take action on an issue deriving from someone else noticing a problem and asking for someone to take charge, or from you noticing a problem and deciding to do something about it. Leaders are problem solvers! So whatever drives you to make a difference, as long as you show that entrepreneurial spirit and a little bit of creativity, your leadership will be quite attractive to schools. 

Set a Positive Example – Many aspects of leadership are actually non-verbal, and setting a positive example for others to emulate is one of the most powerful tools that all of us have at our disposal, even introverts, who don’t always assert their views. Think of Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi, Warren Buffett, or Michael Jordan. They are all famous introverts who either convinced others to follow them by standing firm on their principles, or by letting their achievements establish them as people worth emulating. They didn’t stand on tables and scream from the top of their lungs so that everyone noticed them. They put their heads down and focused on doing what was right or what was great. If you, too, have a strong internal compass that guides you, you can also become someone worth following.

Support and Care for Others – Perhaps you’ve heard the tired cliché, “Kindness is a weakness,” but nothing could be farther from the truth. It takes a great deal of strength to show compassion and grace when situations try to bring the opposite out of you. Especially when it comes to those who may not be able to figure things out for themselves, if you’re that person who shows up for other people in their time of need, you are also a leader. While I’m not religious and only know stories from the Bible due to my love of art, I do know that many of them describe how Jesus showed kindness to those who were cruel to him, setting an example of loving leadership for his apostles and later Christian followers. Ted Lasso, who is probably one of my favorite TV characters of all time, won over not only a British soccer club, but also the whole world surrounding it (including audiences) with his kindness. When his protegé abandons him to become the coach of a rival club, Ted is nothing but gracious and even welcomes that protegé back, when he asks to return. So be the type of person who lifts others up and focuses on the good in others, even when they make mistakes. You will find out that you too are a leader.

When it comes to working on your college applications, I want you to keep these notions in mind as you reflect on how you wish to present yourself. Remember that there are thousands of captains and presidents of this team or that club. While it’s wonderful if others have recognized your leadership qualities with a title or award, leadership isn’t so much about achievement. It’s about your choices, actions, and words.