By Amelia Nguyen
Being able to lead effectively has always been a time honored virtue. No matter if you are a team captain vying for the championship trophy, a student directing a final project, or a politician giving speeches to win people's hearts; leadership is an ever growing necessity in the world's results driven environment.
Various Facets of Leadership
Discussions with friends leave me thinking that leadership constitutes of the ability to: 1) educate the ignorant, 2) rise against opposition, 3) promote social responsibilities, 4) love your enemy like a family member, 5) be humble, and 6) embrace a hard work ethic.
Self-help presentations on the Internet like those available on UW Medicine’s website stress the importance to: 1) know oneself, 2) recognize the needs of others, 3) function in stressful situations, 4) be independent and self-reliant, 5) be confident and secure, and 6) be responsible.
The thought-provoking Washington Post video clips of great American leaders discussing a trait they consider essential in a leader continues to whet my curiosity about the meaning of leadership. One such video is by Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim, who co-founded Partners in Health with Paul Farmer. Of the numerous insightful ideas he proposes in this clip, the point about how being a leader is “not just charisma. It’s not just the people who can produce interesting banter; it’s people who will take responsibility for a situation and move it to a better place than it was before” really stands out in my mind.
Superficially these seemingly diverse ideas feel like a variegated montage. But upon careful analysis, one could appreciate how the multifarious facets of leadership are unified by many common themes. One near and dear theme to me revolves around taking responsibility- whether it is for oneself, a stranger, an organization, a society, a nation, or the world. In a sense, taking responsibility are two relatively simple words by themselves. Yet when together, this pair actually becomes a near esoteric idea…
Taking Responsibility
Even at the age of 20, I still am confounded by the idea of responsibility. When I was ten, I remember asking my then 16-year old brother why he nicknamed himself as “daGr8t.” He told me that was because he will be legendary one day; that mathematicians all around the world will still remember his name centuries after he dies. I asked why he wanted to do that. He told me that he wanted to take responsibility for himself and become somebody, not just a nobody. I then asked him how he was going to achieve this goal. He told me to give him some time to think how. And that very day, I decided that I wanted to accomplish something great too.
Call it foolish, or even impulsive. But I am positive other little girls who look up to their brothers would understand why I did that. Or maybe… I didn’t want to be just an extra ordinary person. Unfortunately, I am finding it very difficult to know exactly what my responsibilities are as I actively search for my calling in life. It is only while studying abroad in Japan that I realized that my 10-year old self decided for me that I have a responsibility to not waste away the extraordinary privileges given to me.
to get wrap up in this world full of good food and incredible people too. But ironically, the super safe and carefree atmosphere Sendai exudes make me more scared of life. On some days, I question why I am in Japan studying abroad. I feel guilty for living such a luxurious life right now while our economy struggles to bounce back from the great recession. Why do I get to enjoy my colorful and delicious bento box lunch while countless people are being forced to close their family owned businesses along the Gulf of Mexico?
Mr. Bill Gates’ mother ended the letter she wrote to Mrs. Melinda Gates a couple days before Mr. and Mrs. Gates married with: “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.” For years due to my love for knowledge, dedicating my life around reading, writing, and communicating with teachers, classmates, family and friends is an easy decision to make- simply based on logic. Now, what I want is not so logical. I know that I want to help ameliorate the biggest natural disaster in American’s history. I want to make a difference in this world. But I don’t know how. Sometimes my impatient self becomes distressed because this self-discovery process is so slow. However in order for me to understand what I want, I first need to give myself some time to think of how. Just like what my brother did.
Are you still soul searching?
What have you figured out so far?
Who have been instrumental in this process?
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