Day Five – Don’t be a Kopi cat, be a leader!

That is the motto my group came up with during the Leadership Amazing Race and we decided that being punny is an essential and necessary skill to be a leader.

Actually I did not expect much from this race, because of the short duration. Yet unexpectedly, it proved to be an excellent opportunity to learn more not only about my group mates but myself as well.

Leadership, though not foreign to me, always sound very abstract and obscure to me. There are so many ways to understand this word and so so many ways to show it. They say everybody is a leader in their own ways, but if everybody is a leader, who are the followers or supporters?
How do I know which form of leadership is the best way? How am I supposed to do it when I am as clueless as everyone else? How do I even know that I am showing it?

Back in my JC years, I pride myself on being a student leader, bringing the students and teaching body together. My proudest achievement was leading the main committee for a national leadership symposium, revolving around the theme of leadership in diversity. Yet, lately and especially so during the race, I have been wondering if what I had accomplished was an act of a good manager or a leader. While I was trying to come up with ways to teach participants about leadership, all I did and learnt about was committee management.

Apart from shaking up my own opinions on my leadership (or lack thereof), this race also sets the direction for me head towards to be come a great leader. Charismatic and exemplary, I have a lot to work on. Setting a good example for others requires a lot of discipline, which is fuelled by passion for the cause. Charisma is slightly trickier; How do I exercise a charm that inspires others? Maybe I should try confundus.

Okay, jokes aside. To me, inspiring others means touching their hearts and the only way to do that is to open your heart to them as well. I have met someone who used flowery words and empty promises in an attempt to influence others to follow him but often, with time the followers turn their backs on him. To truly inspire others is to share what had been fuelling your passion to lead for a particular cause and people who share the same beliefs will support you, becoming your new motivation.

To handle others, use your heart.