Makayla Bone

Mrs. Jenkins

EBA Honors English 11

21 May 2021

Be a Leader You Would Follow

Leadership is a practical skill surrounded by the ability of an

individual or group to lead, guide, or influence others. Being a leader not

only motivates yourself, but also others to a higher level of performance.

It also helps achieve set goals and allows you to reach your maximum

potential. In order to be an effective leader one must be confident,

creative/innovative, and passionate/dedicated.

Confidence is one of the key factors when it comes to being a

leader. No one wants to follow someone who is uncertain and timid.

They wanna follow someone decisive and strong with their decisions,

someone who knows what they want. Ralph from the novel Lord of the

Flies is a great example of someone who holds the trait of confidence.

As soon as all the boys were trapped on the island he immediately took
charge. He showed his confidence “by being the first to tell them

what to do and by showing initiative and setting goals for the boys

to follow…” (Anderson). To get off the island was the only thing on

his mind and he made it a personal goal. Although he struggled

with some hardships, he still never gave up. He had a great group

of boys that were willing to listen to everything he had to say, such

as “we ought to have more rules. Where the conch is, that’s a

meeting. The same up here as down there” (Golding 42). Without

Ralph's confidence, I think the outcome of what happened on the

island would have been a completely different story.

More traits that a good leader should possess are creativity

and innovation. In the novel, Anthem written by Ayn Rand, the

main character Equality possesses these traits. Equality was an

outcast in his society, for he was not like everyone else. He was

mistreated for many transgressions that he could not control. He

was tall, smart, and an innovator. These things were not accepted

where he was from. When Equality decides to show the council

what he made, he is warmed that “Many men in the Homes of the

Scholars have had strange new ideas in the past . . .” (Rand). This

did not phase Equality, he still wanted to show his idea, even after

he’s told “...when the majority of their brother Scholars voted

against them, they abandoned their ideas, as all men must ''

(Rand). Failing to please the Home of Scholars, Equality sends

himself to exile and starts his own society, one where he can by

himself without being criticized.

Lastly, passion and dedication are essentials, when it comes

to being a leader. If you aren't passionate about what you're doing,

then why are you doing it? In Margot Lee Shetterly’s biography,

Hidden Figures, passion and dedication are shown all throughout

the story. The story follows four young women on their way to

change history, but they face many hardships. Even though they

went through a lot, this did not stop them from doing what they

loved. They had to undergo racism, sexism, segregation, and so

much more from callous people. Christine (one of the four

women) was in a similar situation as one she’d heard before. She

was going into an unfamiliar environment where no one really

treated her with kindnes or respect. Because of that she “allowed

herself to walk in their shoes for a moment, wondering how she

would deal with the taunts, the bottles, the epithets, and the

humiliation” (Shetterly). Even though they struggled so much they

remembered that “no matter how daunting the challenge may

seem, you should not be afraid to be the first, and you should

support those on your team who have the desire to break new

ground” (Hunt). And with this in mind, they were able to change

history in the NASA industry. Working hard, they accomplished

so much at the Langley Center, which will go down in history

forever.

Overall, leaders should do the right thing while also setting

direction, and inspiring others. They’ve got to map out where you

go in order to be successful. But most importantly, one must be

confident, creative/innovative, and passionate/dedicated in order to be an

effective leader.
 Works Cited

Anderson , William. “How Ralph Is Shown as a Good Leader

in the Novel Lord of the Flies.” SchoolWorkHelper,
schoolworkhelper.net/how-ralph-is-shown-as-a-good-le
ader-in-the-novel-lord-of-the-flies/#:~:text=In%20Willi
am%20Golding's%20novel%2C%20Lord,Ralph%20is%2
0a%20good%20leader.&text=By%20possessing%20the
%20ability%20to,the%20remarkable%20leader%20he%
20is.
Golding, William, et al. William Golding's Lord of the Flies.
Penguin, 2016.
Hunt, Paolo Gaudiano and Ellen. “9 Leadership Lessons From
'Hidden Figures' About Workplace Diversity And
Inclusion.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 23 Jan. 2017,
www.forbes.com/sites/gaudianohunt/2017/01/23/9-lead
ership-lessons-from-hidden-figures/?sh=42c9dba8560f.
Rand, Ayn. Anthem. London, Cassell, 1938
Shetterly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures. New York, HarperCollins,
2016