Leadership: Viewing It Through Multiple Lenses.

Hello beautiful people!

You know what I feel lately? Envious. Envious of all those hibernating animals who can simply turn their attention away from humanity and sleep. I want that! (I mean…Have you ever gotten so tired of just human interaction that you just wanna crawl into a hole and sleep the next few months away….or is it just me?) Hope life has treated you amazingly since the last time we talked…..and if it hasn't…..you're not alone…. we're all on the same boat! (I really hope some of you know how to swim in case the boat capsizes because I definitely don't). We are backkkk! It's been awhile! Oh well, busy life and all that. 

Anyways….if you haven't read our previous post …do check it out (trust me you need context). Continuing from where we left last time, like we said, we really would want to put forth the perspectives of those people who are or were in a position to lead a certain group. Indulging ourselves with more perspectives and more opinions about how being a leader has treated them will help us know more about the diverse perspectives and opinions. So presenting to you, experiences of some leaders from campus organizations that we know from our circle. We're not going to reveal names, just initials!

One of our friends, we're going to call him A, describes his perspective on being a confident and hardworking leader, who's ready for any challenge put to him.

“I rose to this leadership position purely based on my skill and accolades coupled with a few moments blessed by luck and that's about all I can attribute to myself and my abilities. Some of the most important decisions I’ve made as a person has come from this position either directly or indirectly. I have learnt that leadership roles are a double edged sword, that can harm people before you even realise that it did. Your words carry a weight that cannot be comprehended by everyone. Another major aspect coming from a male perspective of a leader is how easy it is to be demonised as a tyrant of a leader and on the flip side it is equally as easy to overshadow other colleagues purely based on your gender. A social injustice that exhibits itself in a way that offsets every accolade you have earned purely based on whether you're a male or not. Where males are seen as commanding and the original leaders and my peers are seen as individuals merely following that command even if they are more in line with the ideal leader”

This experience is of one of our seniors, U, someone who taught me so much about being a leader and being able to push through the difficulties and the hurdles that life, and people, throw your way. She showed me that while not everyone will be happy for you, it's important to keep going and show people why you have the job that you do.

“In my time in a leadership position, the traits, qualities and factors promoting leadership were the most focused topics. It took me a while to understand the importance of the acceptance between the leader and their team. In my opinion to be an effective leader the line of understanding is the most important. Giving each other the leeway to make mistakes and providing support forms the core of the group”

This is someone who is so free-minded and friendly when it comes to people. He is someone who has a heart of gold and now let’s dive into what his perspective is when he was a leader. “I always felt that being a leader was like being part of a family. A big one. But it's like you are the sibling when you want to joke around, the dad when you need to ground them and the mom when you need to be understanding. It's a whole lot of things but the sense of family never goes”

She is someone who never thought would be a leader and yet she was given a chance. Lets see how getting an unexpected and sudden role treated her.

“Being a leader feels like being entrusted with the care and growth of a team. It's about connecting with individuals, understanding their needs, and trying to empower them to reach their full potential. It's both rewarding and challenging but I have never regretted being one. It was something entirely new for me since I believed my personality would not match into being a great leader. And no I am not belittling myself but that is just how important and hard it can be to be a good leader. However it turned out, I was pretty satisfied with it, and learnt a whole lot of things in the process!”

This is from one of our very good friends, let's call her J, who has given her all into the organization and the position and handled everything thrown at her with the grace and charm one could only aspire for!

“From my experience in a leadership position, I can say that it's very important to separate your identity from your work, to have a sense of self that is not rooted in your productivity. Apart from that, my people have been my biggest strength to go on. That doesn't mean that some people haven't made it difficult but it's all about choosing your people - who to rely on, who to find comfort in and more so, trying to become one for yourself.  It's important that you learn something everyday, even if work is not "productive". Know your people, love your people and show yourself the same kindness”

Such different experiences, aren't they? Basically, the whole point of this was to show you that not everyone has the same happy or even relatively easy experiences (not saying leadership is in any way easy) in leadership positions. It's very important to make sure you are where you're valued the most, where your skills and hard work is treasured. The people you lead have a huge role to play in how your personal experience turns out. That being said, the way you perceive life and your hurdles matter too. Everyone's skills should be valued, after all, you are where you are because you did something right. Some women might not have the best experiences, owing to the outdated views of some people, but don't let that get you down and don't let anyone's opinion of you color your opinion of yourself!

I hope you all also felt the same as we did! Experiences can vary so much from person to person based on so many aspects such as the environment, the interactions, the people, the surroundings, the gender (sadly…) and so much more. Some may have good experiences, some may have bad ones but nevertheless it is an experience which will always help us grow as individuals. 

Sooooo…. we're done with this line of thought! (Finally, right😅) If you guys have any questions or different opinions or if you just want to share your experiences, do let us know in the comments.

Thank you and see you next time!