by Mercedes Czlapinski

Created on: May 29, 2009

"Tell me more about what this interview is supposed to be about."

"Well," I said, "I am supposed to choose someone who I think of as a leader, and the following questions will be based on leadership qualities and your beliefs about leadership"

"This is going to be interesting then, I never thought of myself as much of a leader".

The definition of leadership and the way a leader is viewed is extremely ambiguous. There should be no right or wrong way to define leadership; whom you look to as a leader is personal, and is based on your values and beliefs, not societies. Leadership will never be seen in the same way by anyone because everyone has different thoughts about what qualities and aspects a leader should possess. The person who I chose to interview was one of my former English teachers from high school: Jen Burke. I chose to interview Jen because I knew that she would not think of herself as a leader, and I wanted a challenge. I wanted to interview someone that afterwards could reflect on the interview and see himself or herself in a new way, and Jen was perfect. Jen demonstrates all of the aspects that I look for and value in a leader; she has the proficiency to be "behind the scenes," the ability to effectively express herself and communicate with others, she is able to take initiative without being authoritarian, and she possesses the following qualities: confidence, empathy, integrity, and fairness.

"We can never predict the impact of our actions"; thus begins the book, Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time, by Paul Rogat Loeb. Jen Burke could have never predicted the amount of influence that her teaching styles and her decisions inside and outside of the classroom had on not only me, but the rest of the student body at Lyme-Old Lyme. It was her actions that influenced my decision to become an English teacher, and it was her actions that made the class of 2007 the most successful class to go through Lyme-Old Lyme High School. Jen, though she was our class advisor, is a more silent leader. It is her actions and her decisions in the little things that made the most influence in our school, rather than the ability to become involved in every opportunity out there. You do not have to be involved in every organization in society to be considered a leader; you can be committed to one organization and make that one small decision that could have a huge impact, or not have a huge impact and still be considered

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>