Leadership Philosophy
Leadership
To me, the most defining aspect of a leader is their ability to empower others around them to greater places than they could have ever achieved on their own. My focus on leadership is rarely ever about the amount or quality of work that is accomplished, though that certainly is important. Instead my focus is on the quality of the people that are being formed through any group I am involved in seriously. The beauty of this definition is that I do not need to have any leadership position in the group to be the leader I desire to be.
From this definition, my key principles of leadership are:
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Encouragement/Empowerment
As a leader, your main role is to draw out the amazing gifts and talents in the people around you. It is your privilege to get rid of whatever is stopping them from growing into who they could be, which includes anxiety, depression, fear, insecurity, and a host of other things.
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Integrity
A leader should never allow themselves to be so overwhelmed by the current situation that they lose sight of the bigger picture and the people around them. A domain this isn't often applied to is romantic relationships. To lead with this philosophy would mean to never stop genuinely listening to the other person or being dominated by your emotions.
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Patience
People don't change overnight. They approximate to it. A leader's delight is to be a consistent source of support over a long period of time in order to create the environment that those around you need to grow.
Evolution Over Time
My perspective on leadership has only recently become focused on developing the people around you. In high school, I was far more concerned with producing high quality work. This could be a skilled sports team that I was the captain of or achieving a high placing in robotics competitions. This would lead me to stepping in when I felt that the team would not be able to perform at the level I had hoped. By doing this, I was covering the issue like a band aid. Rather than giving the wound time to heal (people time to develop), I actually removed the opportunity for them to grow. Comparing this to my current mindset causes me to wince at how much damage I caused.
Once I came to college, I began to shift to being more people focused. However, rather than actively empowering others, I believed I would do it simply by setting the example. This would often manifest itself in me doing things that no one around me was bold enough to do. For example, as a Christian I fully believe in God's ability to miraculously heal people when I pray for them. Throughout the past few years, I have prayed for ~300-400 people and seen ~20-30 healed. No one around me was doing that, but others who watched me do this began to start praying for people.