Leadership

 Hey everyone!

Welcome back to the YLC Blog, I hope you all have been having a great weekend! Today, we are going to be talking about Leadership! More specifically, what it means to be a leader.

Being a leader is an important skill to have, but it is also important to know exactly what being a leader means. In Best Buddies, we have a leadership program that empowers individuals with and without IDD to advocate for themselves through public speaking. While this is one of our main pillars and is certainly a great example, Leadership is also something that is versatile in its definition. So, I’m here to tell you about Leadership and what it means to be a leader!

Leadership is often portrayed in very categorized and stereotypical ways, and while these portrayals of leadership aren’t incorrect, they aren’t necessarily true either. Leadership means more than just being strong-willed and assertive. It is more than just being “in charge.” A good leader must be flexible and all-encompassing. 

First of all, leaders are empowering, They empower themselves as well as the people around them. A good leader always wants to bring out the best in themselves and those they work with so that they can build an effective and hard working team around them.

Leadership is also built upon trust and respect. Not only for others, but for yourself as well. A great leader builds strong relationships with the people in their life by establishing these characteristics. If you have self-respect, that shines through to the people around you and will influence their perception of you. People gravitate and respect those who respect themselves.

Good leaders are also honest. This goes along with the idea of building trust. People value honesty, and this is a great characteristic for a strong leader to have. People around you want to know they can trust you and your leadership. What better way to establish that foundation than by being an honest person?

Commitment is another vital characteristic in any great leader. If you aren't committed to your goals, then no one around you will be motivated to be committed either. Leaders who have a great passion and commitment for their work are the most likely to influence those around them to be just as committed.

The final characteristic of a good leader is friendship! In Best Buddies we emphasize the importance of friendship in all of our lives. All of these characteristics I named can be built upon the idea of friendship. Friends empower each other, friends trust and respect one another, friends are honest with each other, and friends are committed to each other. Friendship, in my opinion, is the key to making any great leader, which is why I think Best Buddies has some of the greatest leaders around!

There are so many more characteristics of a great leader, I could go on forever! But, for now, I hope this is enough to spark your passion to be the greatest leader you can be! Let us know in the comments how you show your epic leadership skills, we’d love to hear about it! Have a safe and happy Sunday everyone!

-Madi