Leadership Essay, Research Paper

One of the standards of the National Honors Society is that of leadership. Members are

expected not only to strive to improve their social environment, but act as a role model,

and influence his or her peers in a positive and responsible manner. Students must also

balance assertiveness with a compassionate heart. Through my experiences as an editor

on the newspaper and captain of the {ENTER SPORTS TEAM HERE], I believe that I

demonstrate the NHS ideal of leadership. As editor of {POSITION} for the school

newspaper, I have learned to handle my position with authority while gaining the respect

of the staff. Every month, the editors of the newspaper are expected to put out a

newspaper for the student body that meets the high standards set by past editors. Needless

to say, there is little room for error during the process and it is up to us to show the staff

initiative and a no-nonsense attitude. Recently, I was put in the position of demonstrating

authority with one of my peers when a very important article on Founders Park was

chosen for the front page. The writer of the piece had to be pushed and prodded and it

was my responsibility as an editor to not only help her with the article, but keep her from

skipping out of class when she should be working on the story. Through my experiences

with the school newspa- per, I have learned that leadership, one of the ideals of NHS,

means getting the job done successfully and in a responsible manner. There is also

another side of leadership that is often overlooked, yet I came across it while captain of

the {SPORTS TEAM] We had the potential and talent to have a wonderful season, but

inner conflicts and personal problems got in the way. Finally, I realized that it was time

to take the initiative and show my teammates that we were not only a team, but a family

and would always be there for each other. I held a meeting one day after school and my

teammates and I shared what we each thought was troubling the team and how we could

solve these problems. As the season progressed, the team saw success and at the

Championship, every athlete started and finished the grueling 3.1 mile course for the first

time in two years. While leadership does require taking a stand to guarantee success, it is

also calls for a compassionate heart, someone who is willing to take time out to insure

the happiness of those who follow. I have learned many lessons while holding my

positions at [SCHOOL} and feel that I have demonstrated through my accomplishments

the National Honor Society ideal of leadership.