Self-Leadership

Leadership is something we as a school talk so avidly about but what does that mean to students who are not in obvious leadership roles? It is easy to assume that leadership always involves other people because what is a leader without those to lead? The fact is that you lead yourself through every day of your life, making decisions and asking questions to help influence and shape the person you are today. That is not to say that self-leadership is only about yourself; you must think about the impact of your decision and how it will affect those around you.

However relevant, making decisions is by no means the definition of what it means to be a leader. Self-leadership is also about being honest with yourself, forgiving yourself and being kind to yourself. It is just as much about knowing when to stop as it is knowing when to start. Everyone faces challenges and goes through difficult periods so knowing when to take a break and spend some time doing something you genuinely enjoy, is incredibly important to self-leadership.

Similarly, allowing yourself to fail and make mistakes shows true courage. Accepting that things do not always go to plan and asking for help is an act of leadership in itself – no leader has all of the answers.

Whether consciously or not, every person has a set of principles and values that guide their actions in life. Either way, following those and sticking to them requires a lot of determination and self-confidence. Particularly in the face of peer pressure, I find those who continue to lead themselves and stand by their principles incredibly admirable. It shows true leadership, integrity and strength.

The latest spell of home learning has really reframed leadership for me. Both staff and students have had to lead with a new and more challenging perspective. We have increasingly needed to rely upon ourselves rather than those around us in a classroom. However, it is amazing to see how we have all adapted and compromised to make things work. Everyone has had to use an immense amount of self-leadership to navigate their way through these unique challenges.

Self-leadership can look as simple as motivating yourself and getting yourself up in the morning. It does not have to be complex. You are leading every day. Start to notice that, grow in confidence and embrace the leader that lives within you.

By Amelie Marah

Greenfield House Captain