Students' Articles: Leadership

LAU Pui-yat, Kwan House

In today’s democratic world, most leaders are usually elected or nominated by people. Leaders would be empowered with authority, yet they should not take it for granted. They need to remind themselves where their authority and power come from. Mission of all leaders can be well-illustrated by US President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, “of the people”, “by the people”, “for the people”. History repeats itself since that most leaders were corrupted by power as power is drug. To avoid stepping in their shoes, I shall have a humble mind, reflect and evaluate myself always. On top of this prerequisite concept, self-understanding, human relationships skill, time management skill, goal setting skill and resources allocation skill are important factors a successful leader should equip as well.

To be agreeable, a leader not only needs to have unique talents and strengths, but also furnish themselves with basic requirements. Patience and endurance are both basis for a gratifying leader, which Dr. Sun Yat Sin is a conspicuous example. Without patience and endurance, a person will be irritable and pessimistic, which a leader should avoid. Leader should manifest a positive impression to his followers. To be convincing, I would show my respectable moral standard and my determination to overcome hardship to people under my leadership. Speech delivering skill is an important factor of shaping a leader by the same token. Leaders such as Hitler and Chris Pattern became admirable as they were talented in speech delivery. None of these qualities is regardless for an outstanding leader.

Understanding oneself helps leaders to recognize their talents and strengths. If a person does not have the clear understanding about himself, he may be lacking confidence or be bumptious. To avoid being stuck in such situation, a leader should have a clear self-understanding in order to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Understanding himself, however, is not enough for being a good leader. Being audacious to ask for help and to dedicate to the party under his leadership is in fact the greatest hardship for a leader to conquer.

People having lots of friends are regarded as having strong social network and sound human relationship. A leader needs a rich social network and delightful human relationships in order to be identified. No leader can do a good job alone, which teamwork is what a leader should consistently stand by. So as to gain support from my fellows, I will be selfishness but firmly assertive. This is going to show my dedication and motivation as well as my commitment to defend my House’s rights and interests. I have worked seriously in balancing the allocation of human resources, which consideration towards my House members are included. These are all factors to strengthen my human relationships and social network. I will be sure to bear them in mind as I will never forget where my power and authority come from.

Building up a proficient goal setting skill is another challenge for a leader. To lead a group, a leader must have clear objectives and goals to achieve for, whereas there will be a timetable for him to follow on. Goals and objectives not only satisfy voters, but they also provide distinct directions and motivations for leaders to carry out their responsibilities. For example, US President Barack Obama had promised to “change” before the election took place. This farsighted goal finally led to his victory in the President election, which later motivated him to proclaim a series of “changes” in governmental systems. Only if I set my goals and plans explicitly can I successfully lead my House to be successful.

Resources are always limited. Careful consideration is needed when a leader is about to make decision of management of resources. There should be no excuse for any ill-consideration of resources allocation. A praiseworthy leader can decide the most suitable moment for allocation of resources onto the in need parties. This decision requires an appropriate time management skill. If resources are not allotted on a typical time, leaders could lose a potential for improvements of their groups or even waste their resources. This can be concluded that resources allocation skill and time management skill are both fundamental qualities of a leader.

After having discussed the important factors of being a good leader, evaluation could be a meaningful finale. Having studied in Munsang for nearly 14 years, I have privilege to be a bright leader in aspect of human relationship. I had been taught to set farseeing goals for three years. I can now challenge myself to realize the theory which enlightened me. Time management can be said as a by-product of goal setting to me. In the beginning of every school year, I would fix my schemes of work and timetables which contribute a lot to the smooth running of my learning as well as my Co-curricular activities. I understand my limited abilities may lead to a heavy load of difficulties and hardship in front of my way as a House Captain. However, I am a team with all my House members who provide me confidence, bravery and strengths. With them, I consider myself could be a trustworthy leader.