Anyone can be a leader. The type of leader that you are is what is essential.

A leader can lead in

many different ways; for example, leading by example, collaborating with others, or guiding others in the

right direction. No one knows what makes a good leader, as many people have differing perspectives.

There is no straightforward way to define the concept of leadership. Some may be born with the talent of

leading others, and some may have to learn how to do so. As a student at Sir John A. Macdonald and as

the grade 11 minister, I like to serve others before myself. As a leader, my constant goal is to help others,

collaborate effectively, complete a shared goal with my peers, and understand my peers. I do so by

valuing communication, motivating others and myself, and adopting a host leadership mentality, as these

are the most important traits a leader must possess.

One of the most critical and essential values to being a leader is communication. Lauren Landry

states that “[e]ffective communication is vital to gain trust, align efforts in the pursuit of goals, and inspire

positive change. When communication is lacking, important information can be misinterpreted, causing

relationships to suffer and, ultimately, creating barriers that hinder progress” (Harvard 2019). Good

communication skills are qualities that any leader should have; as Lauren says, it is crucial to building the

relationships that a leader needs to succeed. Communication is also relevant even during our leadership

course as most students work in groups for assignments such as event proposals, team-building activities,

and others. In these groups, communication is vital to complete the task at hand. When working on the

event proposals, our ideas had to be communicable and understood by our group members or else we

would be less likely to be chosen. My group brainstormed ideas by having multiple meetings and texting

to increase communication while planning our future steps. Communication was also crucial during the

activities assignment because for activities like “If You Were Stranded on an Island,” collaboration was

heavily involved. It allowed the game to run smoothly, and it was required if you wanted to “stay alive” in

the scenario and succeed. My partner was Alexis, and we communicated and discussed our thoughts and

ideas throughout the session. In the end, we won the activity due to my communication and collaboration

skills and as they both helped me understand my partner’s way of thinking. However, communication is

not limited to just talking; it also refers to one’s ability to listen to others, give and receive feedback, and
talk to others about their feelings, opinions, and ideas. Leaders with poor communication skills will

struggle because they cannot talk to others when they need to. Communication helps leaders achieve their

goals and makes it easier for them to help others, making it a substantial value all leaders should have.

Another value that all leaders should have is the ability to motivate themselves and others.

Motivation is an essential aspect that many leaders may discard or forget. Their ability to motivate

themselves and others is just as important as any other leadership value. Motivation helps to improve

team morale, and it helps to lift the spirits of others: “The importance of motivation is often

under-estimated, and I would also venture to say that it’s the least understood knowledge area among

people who hold vital leadership roles within an organization” (Leadership-central). During the emotional

intelligence (E.I) assignment in our leadership class, I learned the five essential traits of emotional

intelligence, motivation being one of them. The article by Daniel Goleman helped me understand that E.I.

was very important when it comes to leadership. All leaders should have motivational skills, so they can

aid others when they lose motivation. A leader helps those individuals by using different techniques to

improve their morale and boost their motivation. Motivation can indicate a lot about an individual; if

someone is very motivated to do a task, there is a good chance that they are passionate about the idea. In a

group-based scenario where a challenging obstacle is being introduced, each member must motivate each

other to work hard and overcome this obstacle. Motivation is fundamental in long-term and short-term

goals. It is also vital when working with others because it improves team morale and chemistry. For

example, when my friends and I work together on an assignment and do not receive the mark we were

hoping for, I encourage them to look at the bright side and work even harder next time.

The third value that I believe is very important for leadership is having a host leadership

mentality rather than a heroic leadership one. The difference between the two types of leadership is that

with host leadership, you collaborate with others, while with heroic leadership, you work alone and do

work for others. As a leader, it is crucial to work with others and not do everything on your own. I think

that I exhibit the host leadership type because I prefer to work with others rather than working alone.

During projects or events that I run (ACB interviews, for example), I like to communicate with my
partner and work alongside them. Instead of doing everything myself, my partner and I would collaborate

by planning everything and asking each other about our personal opinions. A leader should work with

others and inspire them rather than making all the decisions and having the final say in everything. A host

leader should also be able to provide people with opportunities and freedom to succeed. A host leader is

someone who wants to help others by leading them towards success. When I worked on the “Host versus

Hero” assignment, I looked at very different people, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. I learned

how they lead by example and how they are changing the company to be more inclusive by giving their

employees more opportunities to succeed. They want their employees to succeed, and so they try their

best to provide as many opportunities as possible for them to excel. That is why a host leadership

mentality is vital to being a good leader: working together increases the success rate of a project

compared to working alone.

The title “leader” is not a necessity; what is more important is your actions, abilities, and how you

influence others. A leader can unite everyone, adapt to change, and have an open mind. No one has

adequately defined what a leader is because there is no one way to define it. There is no specific mould

that must be filled. There are so many definitions based on who you ask, making the subject entirely

subjective. Everyone has their definition, and mine is that a leader who has excellent communication and

motivation skills and leads using a host leadership mentality is the ideal leader. As a leader, I try my best

to follow these three values as much as possible, and I believe that anyone who possesses these three core

values can lead and lead well.

 Work Cited

“Importance of Motivation.” Leadership, www.leadership-central.com/importance-of-motivation.html.

Landry, Lauren. “8 Essential Leadership Communication Skills: HBS Online.” Business Insights - Blog,

Harvard Business School Online, 14 Nov. 2019,

https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/leadership-communication#:~:text=But%20effective%20commu

nication%20impacts%20more,and%20successfully%20navigate%20organizational%20change.