A leader is someone who guides. A leader exemplifies the qualities that he is asking his followers to show. A leader does not always need to be at the focus of the group. The most important duty of a leader is to work himself out of a job.
A leader is a guide. He does not stand back and tell other people what to do; instead he blazes the path when the going gets tough. A leader is not a boss, who tells everyone what to do. A leader uses himself as an example for others to follow. A leader will not be a hypocrite, saying one thing and doing another. A successful leader does not need to lead from the front. He can simply be a good example, realizing that those around him respect him and strive to do the things he does.
A truly successful leader is happy when his followers do greater things than he ever dreamed. When a leader works himself out of a job, and does not feel the need to hang on to the power that has been entrusted to him, the leader has been successful. A leader who is power hungry is dangerous, because instead of working to better those around him, he works to better his own position.
Some of the most effective leaders are servant leaders. They look to serve, and to help and encourage their followers to grow in every way possible. Leaders are examples, role models. By this definition, we are all leaders. According to a statistic I heard over the summer, there are twenty-six people that you have a significant influence on. That is a large responsibility.
We are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but we are also the leaders of today. People look up to us and watch what we do. Honor Society magnifies this idea. We have the responsibility of being good examples and watching what we say and do.
Leading is not necessarily a position. Leaders can simply be respected members of any group, who other members of the group look to as an example. Part of our responsibility as leaders is to be examples in our actions as well as our words. We owe it to the twenty-six people looking up to us to do the right thing and make the right choices. It is time Honor Society members became leaders instead of merely having a good thing to write on college applications.