Melissa Montesi

Professor Becker

The Leadership Challenge

22 September 2022

Application Essay 1: An Inspiring Quote

In the world of sports, we hear a thousand quotes a day- trying to motivate us, instill confidence

in us, and get us to want to win that game. I have heard a lot of quotes throughout my 16 years of

playing hockey, but one specifically has stuck with me. Now, after reading the book The Student

Leadership Challenge, it means even more to me, because it touches on every single principle

this book has to offer. The quote that I’m referring to says, “Shine bright so that others can shine

brighter”, and unfortunately, I don’t know who exactly said this quote because I only heard it

through word of mouth. This quote touches on the pillar of “Modeling the Way” because it all

starts with you individually and works through your team- your effort determines how the person

standing next to you in war does, and that is everything. In order for your team to succeed and

for you, also, to succeed, you need to do what you need to do- try your best, work your hardest,

shine as bright as you can so others can see that and be even brighter. This quote also touches on

the principle of inspiring a shared vision because as I said, it is all about working together to

become brighter as a unit. This quote inspires me to have that knowledge within my team that we

are all in this together. If someone fails, we all fail. If someone is slacking, we are all slacking. If

someone shines, we all shine. It is inspiring that shared vision that we are all one, harmonious

unit, and we need each other to thrive- so, we need to be the best for each other to succeed- and I

think that’s a really awesome goal to have. The next principle this quote relates to is challenging
the process. As it states in the book, “Not one student achieved a personal best by keeping things

the same” (Posner, 11). This quote is talking about creating challenges so people can rise to that

and become better, and I think there is no better way to describe this quote in a competitive light.

For me, the idea of shining bright so someone can shine brighter is not just about teamwork, but

also friendly competition. When you’re on a team, you should want your teammates to win, but

you should want it just as bad. In this quote, when someone shines brighter than you, your only

option is to work hard to shine brighter than the next person. My favorite part about this section

in the book is that it mentions creating tasks so that others can win and get better, not being

focused on the one superstar that seems to always be best. This relates to my quote perfectly,

because it is inspiring everyone to be their own best through facing challenges. The next pillar is

enabling others to act, and my quote does this because as I mentioned before, it is a motivation to

be the best that you can be- especially for others. It creates a sense of trust within the group (If

you succeed, I succeed, so let’s work together), and it also increases people’s want to be better

for both themselves and the team. It enables both you and others to act, and I think that’s really

powerful. The last pillar it speaks to is enabling the heart, and as I touched upon in the

challenging the process principle, this quote leaves a lot of room for multiple people to be

praised for their hard work, not just one. This sort of interconnection that this quote inspires

allows people to rise to the occasion for something other than themself, and because everyone is

doing so, everyone is contributing- giving themself something to be proud of, which then enables

the heart.

This quote relates directly to my form of leadership, because I think accountability is a really big

deal, and this quote makes sure it’s existing. It forces you to look past yourself and focus on your
end goal with the team, and that’s a really effective tool to have when working with a group of

players or students.

Works Cited

Kouzes, James M., and Barry Z. Posner. The Student Leadership Challenge: Five Practices for
Becoming an Exemplary Leader. The Leadership Challenge, A Wiley Brand, 2018.