Leadership Definition, Admission Essay Example

One of my hobbies is to read on historical events and personalities and I have learnt numerous valuable lessons this way. Many people look towards famous people for inspiration but fortunately I had one such personality right in my family. Of all the people I have known personally in life, no one has inspired me as much as my late grandfather who rose from humble beginnings to establish an agricultural products company. In his early years, he primarily catered to individual consumers but thanks to his leadership, the company expanded at a rapid pace and soon started servicing commercial clients. His professional achievements had as much to do with his leadership skills as they had to do with his professional capabilities.

As I think about leadership, I realize my grandfather has singlehandedly shaped my entire perception of what leadership should be like. I used to imagine leaders as intimidating personalities who were the most capable in their respective fields but my grandfather once explained to me that leaders have several types of power one of which comes through formal rank within the company. But my grandfather said he had the least admiration for power that comes through rank because it can force followers to do things you want but it cannot ensure full commitment from them. My grandfather believed a leader should not order but win the hearts of his followers. When followers truly admire their leader, they are willing to go out of their way to achieve leader’s vision.

My grandfather also helped change my notion that a leader has to be the smartest person in the organization. My grandfather used to say that he never wants to be the smartest person in the room because it puts him at a disadvantage. If one is smartest, there is not much he can learn from others while others can still learn from him. My grandfather taught me a leader’s goal should not to be the smartest person but instead surround himself with the smartest person because true leadership involves efficiently managing the human talent of the organization.I have also learnt from my grandfather that a leader should strive for personal relationships with followers. When followers feel they are being valued and appreciated for their hard work, they shine the brightest.

While we often hear about leaders being extremely smart, very few people talk about the importance of emotional intelligence. My grandfather was wise to understand the importance of emotional intelligence and used to tell me that even a leader has weaknesses and limitations and he should always remain aware of them. My grandfather would say a leader should have trust in himself but should never commit the sin of overconfidence because overconfidence is what usually leads to damaged legacies. My grandfather was a huge fan of Warren Buffet in this regard and advised me to learn more about Warren Buffet. As I read about Warren Buffet, I did learn that Buffet is always making sure he doesn’t do something he doesn’t understand and not get his personal ego and pride get in the way of business.

I am grateful to my grandfather for teaching me some of the basic fundamentals of leadership. My grandfather has influenced me to challenge almost every notion I had of leadership. I now finally understand why there are so few effective leaders because most leaders become the victim of personal ego, pride, greed, and quest for power and do not realize that their most powerful weapon is their followers.