importance of student leadership essay

Student leadership: Why is it important and how do we support it?

Teachers and other educators can play an important role in helping young people to realise their ambitions and to hone their leadership skills. Amy Lightfoot explains how.

Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg are household names around the world. Two young women who – in different ways – have used their right to education to highlight critically important global issues. There can be no doubt that these two individuals are leaders – they are leading thoughts and action not only for people from their own generation but for countless others across many countries, to achieve shared goals for making the world a better place.

It would be unrealistic to expect that all young people can achieve the same as Malala and Greta; however, there are some important lessons that can be learned from the work that they have done.

First, we mustn’t underestimate what young people are capable of doing – whether they are from a small village in rural South Asia or a city in Europe. Second, both girls and boys need support to develop their skills including leadership qualities. Too often, boys are given preference either directly or indirectly for leadership roles. Girls may need more encouragement to come forward, especially in contexts where male leaders dominate in the wider society. Thirdly, teachers and other educators can play an important role in helping young people to realise their ambitions and to hone their skills in this area.

There are countless books, podcasts, and TED talks that describe the qualities of ‘a good leader’, many of which can be applied to young people just as they can to politicians or those managing organisations – perhaps the more typical ‘leaders’ that we can identify.

One interesting project led by Kouzes and Posner focuses specifically on student leadership, and suggests ‘… five practices of exemplary leadership that are common when leaders are able to make extraordinary things happen.’ These practices are: a) modelling the way; b) inspiring a shared vision; c) challenging the process; d) enabling others to act; and e) encouraging the heart.

If you take a moment to reflect on the leadership that either Malala or Greta have shown, it’s quite easy to see how these principles can be exemplified.

A further way of describing leadership is to consider the qualities that leaders display. These often include the ability to listen to others, to empathise, to control or manage emotions appropriately, to remain positive, to stay motivated in order to achieve what they set out to do, and to collaborate effectively with others.

Less effective leaders have been shown to be too controlling, to refuse help or neglect to seek out others’ opinions and ideas, and to lack resilience when faced with obstacles or challenges. All of us will demonstrate each of these characteristics at different times in our lives – both the positive and the negative: the trick is to see how we can cultivate the positive aspects while managing the temptation to default to the negative ones, both for ourselves and our students.

It is important to recognise that leadership is needed and can be displayed in a wide variety of contexts that might be at the micro-level (for example perhaps just in the school playground or during a specific group-work activity), or on a more macrolevel (such as leading a club, the school council, or leading a community or social movement). Each of our students has the potential to lead at all of these levels if they are given opportunities to practise.

In the classroom there are a variety of practical things we can do to support our learners to develop the necessary skills and qualities to enable leadership.

Group work roles

Perhaps the most obvious approach is to consider the different roles that students play when undertaking group work activities. Working together helps to support the development of collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills, but it can also be a vehicle for practising leadership. How often do you assign specific roles to students when they are working in groups? Consider the different roles you might ask them to play. These might be reporter, presenter, time manager, and of course, leader. Make these roles a regular feature of your class. Discuss with your students what skills and practices they need to be good at each one. Then, rotate the roles around the students over the course of your lessons. Ask them to reflect on how well they performed their role, according to the criteria they identified earlier

A project on inspiring leaders

Ask the students to work in pairs and choose a leader they know or about whom they can find out. They might want to choose someone local to the community, or someone who is known more widely – it’s up to them. Ask them to find out and write about what they have achieved but importantly, what qualities they have demonstrated as a leader. What makes them an effective leader? How do they know? Ask the students to present their work to others in the class. Discuss the various qualities that they describe. What are the most common ones? How do they think they might develop these skills themselves?

Set writing tasks to explore leadership skills

Make a regular time in class or set homework once a week where you ask students to write about the different aspects of leadership such as those outlined earlier in this article. You can frame questions such as ‘What does empathy mean to you? Write about a time that you demonstrated empathy’ or ‘Do you think you are good at collaborating with others? Why is this important? Give some examples’.

The aim here is for the students to consider and reflect on their own current practices and skills. Try to read and comment on each piece of writing, but don’t worry about correcting errors. Ask them questions to encourage deeper thinking.

Look for opportunities for older students to practice leading younger ones

Work with the other teachers in your school. See if you can agree to develop a project where older classes work with the younger ones. The older students might also be able to suggest what they can do – perhaps they can practise reading, set up a homework club and answer questions, plan a project or an activity for the younger students to do.

Before they do these activities, ask the older learners what qualities they will need to display in order to be effective and set a good example to the younger students.

A version of this article first appeared in the print magazine Teacher, distributed in India, in March 2020.

Kouzes J. & Posner B. (2013). The Student Leadership Challenge . Available online: www.studentleadershipchallenge.com

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Why Is Student Leadership Important? Exploring the Benefits and Strategies for Success

By Happy Sharer

Introduction

Student leadership plays an important role in creating a positive learning environment in any educational institution. It provides students with the opportunity to develop leadership skills, take on responsibility, and contribute to the overall success of their school. In this article, we’ll explore why student leadership is important, highlight different types of student leadership roles, and discuss strategies for building a successful student leadership team.

Highlighting Student Leadership Opportunities

One of the first steps in fostering a strong student leadership culture is to identify the different types of leadership roles that are available. Schools can provide students with a variety of leadership opportunities, such as class officer positions, club leadership, sports teams, and student councils. All of these roles offer students the chance to hone their leadership skills and make a positive impact in their school community.

Exploring the Benefits of Developing Leadership Skills

Developing leadership skills has many benefits for students, both inside and outside of the classroom. According to research from the University of Arizona, “Leadership development activities help young people learn to communicate effectively, work together as a team, solve problems, think creatively, manage time, and make responsible decisions.” These skills can then be applied in other areas of life, from the workplace to personal relationships.

Improved communication and interpersonal skills are essential for any successful leader. Student leaders learn how to listen carefully, speak clearly, and resolve conflicts in a constructive manner. They also gain experience in working with others to achieve common goals, which builds teamwork and collaboration.

Leadership roles also provide students with increased confidence and self-esteem. As they take on more responsibility and become more involved in their school community, they gain a sense of pride and accomplishment. This is especially true when they complete projects or initiatives that have a lasting impact on their peers.

In addition to developing communication and interpersonal skills, student leaders must also learn how to think critically and make decisions. They must be able to analyze a situation, identify potential solutions, and make informed choices. This teaches them valuable problem-solving and decision-making skills that can be applied in other areas of life.

Finally, student leadership roles provide students with the opportunity to develop their creative thinking skills. Leaders must come up with innovative ideas and strategies in order to lead a successful team. They must also learn how to manage their time efficiently in order to complete tasks and meet deadlines.

Examining Different Types of Student Leadership

Class officers are one type of student leadership role. These students are elected by their peers to represent and advocate for their classmates. Class officers usually have a say in decisions made by the school administration, such as changes to the curriculum or the scheduling of events.

Another type of student leadership role is club leadership. Students can join clubs or organizations at their school and take on leadership positions within those groups. These roles often involve organizing meetings, recruiting new members, and managing finances.

Sports teams are another way for students to get involved in student leadership. Students can join a team, or even start their own, and take on a leadership role. They can organize practices, recruit players, and manage the team’s budget.

Finally, student councils are a great way for students to gain leadership experience. Student councils are usually made up of elected representatives who work together to plan and implement school-wide initiatives. These may include fundraising events, school-wide awareness campaigns, and other activities that benefit the entire school community.

Assessing the Impact of School Leadership Programs

Schools that invest in student leadership programs often see positive effects on students. Research from the University of Southern California found that “students who participate in leadership programs are more engaged in their studies, have higher academic performance, and report feeling more connected to their school community.”

Leadership programs also encourage students to take ownership of their education. By taking on leadership roles and contributing to their school community, students become more invested in their education and more likely to reach their goals.

Showcasing Successful Student Leaders

In addition to highlighting the potential benefits of student leadership, it’s also important to showcase successful student leaders. Profiles of student leaders can serve as an inspiration to other students and motivate them to get involved in leadership roles. Examples of leadership achievements, such as fundraising initiatives or awareness campaigns, can also help to demonstrate the value of student leadership.

Discussing Strategies for Building a Strong Student Leadership Team

Once the types of student leadership roles have been identified, it’s important to focus on building a strong leadership team. Recruiting qualified members is essential for any successful team. Schools should look for students who demonstrate strong leadership qualities, such as communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

It’s also important to establish clear goals for the team. This will help to ensure that everyone is working towards the same objective and prevent any misunderstandings or disputes. Finally, it’s important to develop effective communication strategies, such as regular meetings and open forums, to ensure that all team members are kept up to date on progress and can provide input and feedback.

Exploring How to Foster an Effective Leadership Culture in Schools

In order to foster an effective leadership culture in schools, it’s important to encourage students to get involved in leadership roles. Schools should provide students with information about available leadership opportunities and host activities and events to promote student involvement. Additionally, schools should consider developing leadership programs that provide students with the training and support they need to succeed in their roles.

Finally, it’s important to train student leaders. Schools should provide students with resources and guidance to help them hone their leadership skills. This could include workshops, seminars, and mentorship programs that offer students the opportunity to learn from experienced leaders.

Student leadership plays an important role in any educational institution, providing students with valuable skills and experiences. This article has explored the different types of student leadership roles available, the benefits of developing leadership skills, and strategies for building a successful student leadership team. Schools should invest in student leadership programs to foster an effective leadership culture and help their students reach their full potential.

By providing students with leadership opportunities, schools can create a positive learning environment and equip their students with the skills they need to be successful. Student leadership is an essential part of any successful school, and schools should strive to create an environment where students feel empowered to lead.

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Hi, I'm Happy Sharer and I love sharing interesting and useful knowledge with others. I have a passion for learning and enjoy explaining complex concepts in a simple way.

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Developing Student Leadership

Schools can use experiential learning as an opportunity to let all students develop their leadership skills.

Teaching leadership can be tricky. At the secondary school level, most student leadership “development” programs are in fact only education (academic theory) or training (practical application). Rarely do high schools have the resources to effectively combine the two into true experiential learning. 

Leadership education occurs in the classroom: It is the history, theory, concepts, models, and modern behavioral sciences which build the foundation for effective leadership. Leadership training is the practical application of leadership education. It gives students the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts or styles from the classroom to real and immediate situations, both formal or informal, structured and unstructured. Leadership development is the combination of the two: the overall process of learning, doing, reflecting, and actively experimenting with leadership styles, all of which can prepare students for leadership roles with increasing levels of responsibility.  

Creating Leadership Development Opportunities 

The challenge is how to effectively combine foundational leadership theories, principles, and knowledge with dynamic opportunities in which students can safely and confidently succeed, fail, and, most important, experiment with a variety of leadership styles.

One way is to augment existing programs and opportunities in which students hold leadership roles with more formalized leadership education. For example, how often are sports captains taught the basics of public speaking to strengthen their pre- and postgame speeches? How often are club presidents taught the basics of planning and leading a meeting, delegating tasks, and supervising implementation of group plans? When are elected student government representatives taught the importance of active listening, empathy, and servant leadership? Or, in the classroom, how are the leaders of group projects taught the essentials of building a timeline, back-planning, or giving and receiving constructive feedback to peers?

We can provide student leaders with the most relevant tools to succeed. In this way, not only are students developing expertise in what they are leading (the sport, the content of the club or activity, the group project skill set, etc.), but now they are also developing knowledge and confidence in how they are leading it.  

A 4-Step Leadership Development Process

1. Identify Existing Programs and Opportunities: What student leadership opportunities exist at your school? Consider the full spectrum of both curricular and extracurricular programming: athletics, theater and clubs, peer mentorship programs, outdoor education and community service, and even small group projects within the classroom. Boarding schools may also have house systems that empower students to serve as leaders within their dorms. There are likely a plethora of existing programs and opportunities in which students hold leadership positions.  

2. Create Additional Opportunities: The best way to develop student leaders is to give them recurring opportunities to lead. What curricular and extracurricular opportunities at your school could be more student-led? Community service outings can be decentralized into student-led teams. Project-based learning activities can have assigned, rotating student group leaders. Field trips and outdoor education can incorporate student co-leaders. And all-school events on campus can incorporate student leaders into the planning process. Regardless of the role, make sure these leaders have clear guidance, training, resources, and structure for their specific roles and responsibilities.

3. Clarify Core Leadership Skills: Once these opportunities are identified or created, consider the core leadership skills and roles required for each position. For example, some leadership positions (such as club presidents) require advanced organizational and management skills, whereas others (such as student government) require public speaking and interpersonal skills such as active listening and empathy. 

Some roles require a hierarchical management structure, whereas others focus on collaboration and shared leadership models. For example, when selecting and preparing our outdoor student leaders for outdoor education trips, we develop checklists with pre- and post-trip administrative and logistical tasks in addition to the desired character strengths and expeditionary behavior we want them to role-model in their trail groups. Identifying these roles and the respective strengths required to succeed can allow mentors and facilitators to bucket their curriculum accordingly.

4. Incorporate Experiential Learning Models: Lastly, students must have the opportunity to “ learn, do, reflect, and act ” repeatedly during their leadership tenure. Once mentors introduce a new leadership skill or style, student leaders can experiment with it in their own roles. Recurring check-ins can allow them to reflect on the experience and draw out lessons learned, allowing student leaders to then act on those lessons in future encounters with their respective teams. 

Ideally, this experiential learning cycle should be repeated as often as possible while students hold their leadership positions. Time and resources permitting, student leaders from across the spectrum of curricular and extracurricular activities could meet to discuss their respective leadership strengths and challenges, such as in a monthly leadership roundtable format. Our associate head of school for leadership, for example, collects feedback from the professional community on student leader performance to inform her recurring check-ins with the student leaders under her supervision.  

empowering culturally competent leaders

We often assume that effective leadership is a one-size-fits-all approach or a specific combination of personality traits that, when identified and adopted, will naturally produce effective leaders. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. As stated in The Bass Handbook of Leadership , a timeless guide for student leadership development, “A person does not become a leader by virtue of the possession of some combination of traits, but the pattern of personal characteristics of the leader must bear some relevant relationship to the characteristics, activities, and goals of the followers.”

Furthermore, students today are entering a culturally diverse, 21st-century globalized economy, which will ensure that these desired personal characteristics will shift from setting to setting and place to place depending on the backgrounds of those being led. Our job is to make sure they are ready.

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• Experiences

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP QUALITIES IN STUDENTS

Ioánna Lyssiotis

With support and encouragement, every young person has the potential to become a leader in some area of their life. The qualities, values and skills invested in them during their formative years can determine their life's success and the future success of our society. Outdoor education addresses the fundamental importance of empowering students and the contribution leadership skills make towards improved student outcomes, health and wellbeing. American architect and systems theorist, Richard Buckminster Fuller, once said: "There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."

WHAT IS STUDENT LEADERSHIP?

Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximises the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. It has nothing to do with seniority or one's position in the hierarchy of a community or a group; this is why everyone has the ability to harness their leadership skills.

Everyone has influence. Each person can lead in their own way. However, many young people require guidance and space to exercise and hone their leadership skills. Learning a range of leadership skills and techniques from a young age can provide students with an excellent head start in life and allows them to develop confidence and improves their overall mental wellbeing.

Leadership is a multifaceted construct involving a range of interrelated skills, identified 12 student leadership skills:

• Project planning
• Problem-solving
• Team building
• Decision making
• Goal setting
• Time management
• Project management resource allocation
• Effective communication networking
• Conflict resolution
• Diversity awareness
• Self-confidence

Self-confidence is necessary for leaders to take risks and accomplish their goals. Self-confidence can be described as an ability to be certain about one's competencies and skills. It includes a sense of self-esteem and self-assurance and the belief that one can make a difference. Leaders who are self-confident tend to deal immediately and directly with problems and conflicts, rather than procrastinating, ignoring, or passing problems to others. Leadership involves influencing others and self-confidence allows the leader to feel assured their attempts to influence are appropriate and right.

Self-esteem expert Jack Canfield notes 80% of children entering the first grade scored high on the self-confidence inventory . By the fifth grade, only 20% of the children were scoring high, and by the time they graduated from high school, that number was down to just 5%.

Student leadership means students take active roles in their school community and develop positive skills in the process . The goal of inspiring student leaders is to create a culture of ownership, collaboration and community in the classroom and beyond. Student leadership development provides them with vital skills they can carry over to adulthood.

WHY ARE LEADERSHIP SKILLS IMPORTANT?

Our world is rapidly changing. We see constant changes in communications and transportation, in new ways we access, create and share information, and in emerging enterprises that place consistent emphasis on new capabilities like critical and creative thinking and problem-solving. We also know climate change, new technologies, and an ever-changing geopolitical landscape, mean the future this current generation of children will inherit will be vastly different to our own. These things also mean our future world is open to boundless possibility for them. Navigating such rapid change requires confidence, adaptability and perseverance.

The Developing Skills For Life and Work report from the Young Foundation , The Australian Centre for Social Innovation and the Foundation for Young Australians , argues despite efforts to improve formal qualifications and work-based training, there is a growing consensus for more to be done to build the 'softer' skills which employers are increasingly seeking.

Young people who find their own voice in supportive school environments are more likely to develop a confident voice, a capacity to act in the world, and a willingness to lead others. By empowering students, we enhance student engagement and enrich their participation in the classroom, school and community.

Young people who are supported in harnessing their leadership skills are likely to gain a better understanding of themselves, a higher level of confidence, and an increased capacity to manage and organise their own lives. They are also likely to develop processes and skills useful in their learning and develop a more profound sense of maturity.

Student leaders go on to become independent thinkers who understand how to work as part of a team and have positive effects on organisations and communities.

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES WITHIN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Schools come in different shapes and sizes and with various resources, but there is one resource that every school has: students. Students can be a great asset in shaping school culture and strengthening the connection between school and the wider community.

As adults, we often think of ourselves as the definitive architects of a school's culture, but we misjudge the influence and effect students have on their own school community. There's something incredibly powerful in peer influence. Peers can quickly become role models and have the capacity to influence student values, attitudes and behaviours with an effectiveness school principals can only dream about.

School leaders can create and maintain a positive school climate. A climate for learning which is respectful, trusting and collaborative recognises that student empowerment enhances the work of teachers, brings immediate benefits to student learning, and improves school pride.

Student leaders have an increased sense of responsibility to help others and to model leadership principles and values. Trust, autonomy and relationships are enhanced through the development of leadership qualities.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION DEVELOPS LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN CHILDREN

In many schools, leadership positions are by election or appointment. Students who aren't interested in clubs or extracurriculars may leave high school without appreciating or developing their leadership ability. It's essential all students, regardless of personality traits or learning types, have the opportunity to develop leadership qualities in their learning environment. Outdoor education supports the development of leadership skills in all students, including those that might not have otherwise had the opportunity.

Outdoor education is uniquely placed to address the capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities of the Australian Curriculum . Outdoor education directly addresses the need for learning for life and the fervent need for students to develop vital capabilities such as leadership, communication, critical and creative thinking and personal and social responsibility. These cross-disciplinary capabilities empower students to become independent learners and problem-solvers. It is these skills which are developed, practised and demonstrated when students have the opportunity to engage in an outdoor education program.

Outdoor learning provides a range of unique experiences to engage and develop learners in a holistic way. Outdoor education is designed to develop a learner's ability to interact effectively with others and increase their aptitude for leadership within the context of outdoor activities.

An additional value of outdoor education is the development of a higher state of emotional intelligence . Daniel Goleman , a psychologist and author of the book Emotional Intelligence , argues this type of intelligence is a prerequisite for successful leadership. Through interdisciplinary activities used in outdoor education, such as orienteering or camp cooking, young people can develop and apply their knowledge, understanding, enterprise and organisational skills, creativity, teamwork, and other leadership-based competencies.

OUTDOOR EDUCATION PROGRAMS ENCOURAGE STUDENT CONFIDENCE

Through outdoor education experiences, students have the opportunity to explore skills which inspire confidence in different aspects of their lives and help in shaping self-assured, confident young adults. Often, we see young people on program experience for the first time real consequences of their decisions and the chance to learn from their choices.

If they load their packs quickly and poorly, the packs are uncomfortable and will hinder their progress.

If they take time to pace themselves and enjoy the moment, despite the challenges, time flies by, and they have a more rewarding experience.

If they work together to cook a satisfying meal, they eat well and have the energy for the following day.

If they take the time to understand the value of the skills their peers hold, they can successfully pitch a tent and enjoy a well-earned rest.

When students master a skill or overcome a challenge, especially one they had perceived as difficult, they believe in themselves more. For example, students on a river journey who have never paddled in a canoe are often unsure if they will ever learn. However, after the first time, they successfully navigate around a bend; they are often beaming with pride. These experiences facilitate young people's transition into the community and adulthood.

A Year 7 Ballarat Grammar participant of an outdoor education program designed by The Outdoor Education Group said, " The experience at camp really helped me to build my leadership skills and it tested my comfort zone. Therefore, I have grown as a person, not only in the aspect of leadership but also as an individual. I found it challenging from time to time, but that is how you grow by; expanding your experiences."          

A well-considered outdoor education program builds on a culture which values and nurtures student voice and leadership. This goes beyond allowing students to communicate ideas and opinions; it empowers students to influence change in their environment.

Outdoor education provides opportunities for students to collaborate and make decisions with adults rather than following adults.

In a world where leaders accomplish great things, we believe all young people deserve to be equipped with the leadership skills they need to make a positive impact on society. In an ever-evolving landscape, we can prepare young people with the necessary skills to allow them to thrive in a future quite unlike our own. Tomorrow's leaders will need transferable skills like collaboration, communication, empathy and determination in order to thrive and become inspiring and inspired citizens.

Outdoor education focuses on nurturing and strengthening these qualities allowing young people to navigate their lives and make decisions with confidence. Our outdoor education experiences enhance student leadership and create opportunities to practice and hone their skills in a supportive learning environment which provides immediate feedback for them.

Your students will build strong relationships and problem-solve collaboratively. They will be empowered through understanding their strengths, so they remain calm under pressure and know when to ask for help.

Outdoor education inspires your students to be courageous leaders, willing to take on any challenge.

A DAY IN THE LIFE - CAMP MANAGER

Toileting on camp - what to expect, covid-19 and the benefits of outdoor education.

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Building Student Leadership in the Classroom

Thinking deeply about subjects is a pivotal part of learning. Educators have always wanted their students to think about what is being taught, but the way they encourage that process is changing. Teachers no longer tell students what to think. Instead, they teach them how to think.

Today’s instructors seek to build student leadership through their teaching techniques. Student leaders go on to become independent thinkers who understand how to work as part of teams and have positive effects on organizations and communities.

What is Student Leadership?

Student leadership means students take active roles in their education and develop positive skills in the process. The goal of inspiring student leaders is to create a culture of ownership , collaboration and community in the classroom. Student leadership development helps create skills that the students can carry over to adulthood.

In the classroom, teachers can foster student leadership qualities through a process called Project-Based Learning or PBL. The Buck Institute for Education explained Project-Based Learning is a teaching process in which students learn through hands-on work on a project that addresses a complex question or challenge over a period of time.

Teacher, podcaster, public speaker and blogger Vicki Davis works to cultivate student leadership in her classroom and among fellow teachers. She writes about her methods on her award-winning website Cool Cat Teacher . She’s also written two books called “Reinventing Writing” and “Flattening Classrooms, Engaging Minds.” She believes PBL and other student-led initiatives can shape minds in unique ways and said:

Project-Based Learning and student leadership building, when done well, add meaning and relevance. They start students on a path to success and give them opportunities for leadership while in school, so they can speak the language of negotiation cooperation, esprit-de-corps and teamwork. One cannot start too soon helping students lead.

Educators work hard to motivate students to lead in their classrooms. How that looks can vary by class type and age, but the end goal is inspiring confident individuals ready to take on challenges using real-world skills.

How Teachers Facilitate Student Leadership Development

Davis has a lot of advice when it comes to facilitating student leadership in the classroom. Most of it comes down to listening to students and helping them communicate and shine in ways that feels comfortable to them.

As teachers, we must constantly be sensitive to the inclusion of everyone in class conversations. For example, when I have some students that dominate conversations, I’ll give each student three tokens as they enter class. I offer participation grades for the day based upon their “spending” of each token with meaningful additions to class conversation. Once their three tokens are spent, they must wait until everyone has spent their tokens in the conversation. This encourages students who are quieter to join the conversation while keeping one student from monopolizing it.

Other times, I may include a back-channel chat so students can participate via message as well as verbally. There are many meaningful ways to encourage conversation, but the best ways are not gimmicks are tricks. It is simply using a student’s name and asking him or her to join the conversation.

Grow as an Educator

Many teachers are stepping outside of the classroom to help their fellow educators inspire their students through new instructional practices, including Project-Based Learning. If you want to expand your education and become a teacher leader, consider an online master’s in education leadership.

It’s also incredibly important to consider different personality types when encouraging student leadership. Differences and insecurities shouldn’t keep students from emerging as leaders in the classroom when inclusivity is encouraged.

While working with teams, I discuss the natural tendencies of introverts and extroverts but stress the importance of getting everyone involved in discussions because teams are more successful when people are included.

To encourage this in a team environment, I point out when I notice one person successfully including another. The best way to include people is to build habits of being inclusive in students. That is the kind of leadership we’re looking to nurture!

Cultivating a passion in students is a great way to bring out their innate leadership qualities. Project-Based Learning activities should be meaningful to the students and the community so classes can see the true effects of their hard work.

The best way to spark students’ belief in themselves is giving them the opportunity to do projects of worth. When a student can be successful in smaller projects and see impacts, they’ll proceed to larger projects of their own.

When students pitch project ideas to me, I’ll watch them to see if they’re passionate. If I don’t see passion, I’ll ask them why they are doing this project. If they answer something like, “It’s easy,” we’ll engage in authentic conversation about what matters and work to find a topic that matters to the student or students. The right project is the key to unlocking students’ excitement.

Giving students ownership of their education and true responsibility helps build accountable, confident individuals. It also provides them with marketable skills that they can apply to future endeavors. Student leadership in the classroom and PBL help students develop skills they might not have otherwise had the opportunity to grow.

Project-Based Learning is not learning something and then making a poster to demonstrate what was already learned. Students are learning as part of the process of creating the project. Therefore, they often take a variety of roles just as people take a variety of roles in a business.

For example, if students are creating an application, there are various roles for students, including project manager. For graphic design and websites, we’ll have an art director. Editors work to proofread and bring continuity to applications, websites and blog posts. Different projects may have different leaders, but when the project is completed, students not only have a sense of accomplishment, but a valuable skill and title for their future resume that represents an authentic learning experience.

Educators must adapt their teaching to bring out the best in their students and help them learn through meaningful work. This helps build true student leadership qualities that will benefit students throughout their lifetimes.

Student Leadership Qualities Teachers Cultivate

Student leadership qualities look different student-to-student. It’s important that all students, regardless of personality traits or learning types, get the opportunity to grow their leadership qualities in their learning environment.

Everyone has influence. Each person can lead in their own way . In many schools, most leadership positions are by election or appointment. Students who aren’t interested in clubs or extracurriculars may graduate from high school without appreciating or developing their leadership ability.

Teamwork is an essential part of real-world success. Therefore, it should be part of a real-world classroom environment. Every school should have at least one class, if not more, that brings to the forefront each student’s leadership ability and helps to improve and develop it.

Building student leadership is about a classroom mirroring and affecting the real world. Only then do students build the skills they need to be leaders inside and outside of school.

Examples of Student Leadership

In her time in the classroom, Davis has witnessed many students discover their leadership skills and apply those skills to meaningful work and learning.

I had three girls design an app called iCare, which gave students ideas for ways to be kind to one another. Those young ladies have each gone on to lead in ways that show people they care. One became a camp counselor each summer to help girls know they matter. Another one, who was the art director on iCare, was hired by a company for a virtual internship to make movies in Atlanta.

One of my students learned Adobe Premier in a movie making class and went on to job shadow a local company that makes movies for businesses. She had already managed film shoots and edited film through her Project-Based Learning activities. She was offered a summer internship.

Davis takes great pride in seeing her students grow in a changing world. She believes that their ability to lead in the classroom helps them succeed in their future endeavors.

A tenth-grade student named Casey Cox partnered with another student in Bangladesh. They co-created a video and studied trends in Thomas Friedman’s book The World is Flat. These two young ladies won a top award for that project. Casey is now in her 20s and is a leader in the Georgia-Florida-Alabama Water Rights negotiations. She was recently inducted into Leadership Georgia 2019. She blogs for Intel and has been to the White House. She was even on a recent episode of Sesame Street! All because she understands and uses 21st century skills and leadership techniques. It is a new world, and she was ready!

It’s easy to see that given the right opportunities, students will blossom to be leaders in fields that interest them, making a positive impact on society.

Impact Student Leadership in Your Career

Are you an educator inspired to make a true difference in the lives of your students by developing their leadership skills? Teacher leadership may be the route for you. In fact, it’s the route Davis took.

My job is a hybrid role. I teach four classes and have three classes dedicated to instructional technology leadership. When an educator is allowed to teach and lead, I believe it brings out the best in education. Teacher leadership is a valuable education path for many teachers.

Many teachers are stepping outside of the classroom to help their fellow educators inspire their students through new instructional practices, including Project-Based Learning. If you want to expand your education and become a teacher leader, consider an online master’s in education leadership . Campbellsville University’s Master of Arts in Education Teacher Leader program prepares you to lead and mentor fellow teachers and students.

If your passion lies with helping special education students, Campbellsville University offers a program specifically for you. Our online master’s in special education with a focus in teacher leadership will help you prepare to meet the unique challenges of students with emotional, behavioral and learning disorders and the educators working with them.

Leadership Essay

27 August, 2020

12 minutes read

Author:  Richard Pircher

As a college student, you must write essays on a regular basis since the latter is one of the most common types of home assignments. All this means is that in order to get good grades and be successful with writing the papers, you need to have a sound understanding of the structure. Additionally, what you should never neglect is the variety of essay types. Indeed, your essay will significantly differ from one type to another: description essay will most likely have a structure that is slightly different from an argumentative one.

What you may have already encountered in your academic life is the work on a leadership essay. Although it sounds pretty complicated and vague, it is mostly possible to master an essay on leadership. Below is a guide for you to get an insight into this particular essay type.

What is a good leadership essay?

A good leadership essay is the one in which the essay writer has fully covered the topic of leadership and understood its core ideas. More specifically, to end up with a flawless leadership essay, you will need to indicate what makes a person a good leader. For achieving the latter, you will most likely need to conduct research and trace how a particular person reaches his or her goals. In other words, the task is to discover which actions the person undertakes, what their followers say about him or her, and how the person organizes the work. So, a leadership essay implies providing real-life success examples and further revealing them.

Above all, a good leadership essay is the one that follows a precise, clear, comprehensive structure. Structuring your essay about leadership in the most coherent way leads to a win-win situation: you have fewer troubles and barriers to writing a brilliant essay, and your teacher is able to comprehend the essay easily. This guide is what you will need to refer to to get an insight into how the flawless structure for a leadership essay looks like and how it will let you take a benefit.

How to write a Leadership essay?

To write a leadership essay that stands out, you first need to brainstorm all the ideas that you have and come up with a topic for your essay. If you are struggling with this step, you may think of some of the most influential people, read about them, and find out what makes them unique. Or, you can pick any topic which is mentioned at the end of this article. After you have chosen an issue, it is time to structure your essay appropriately.

As you already know, an essay constitutes three essential sections: introduction, main body, and conclusion. Below is the more detailed description of each of the parts.

Introduction

Of course, your leadership essay introduction will always vary depending on the topic of the essay. However, you can always begin by stating your vision of leadership regardless of the topic. Additionally, to motivate the reader and instantly catch his or her attention, you may use a quote of a famous leader, or simply a quote which you find relevant to the topic. Be aware that you should avoid outlining the essence and the role of the leadership in your introduction; leave it for the body paragraphs.

What you may also do in your leadership essay is ask a question, which will most likely intrigue the leader. Or it will at least give your reader an overview of what you will dwell on  in your essay.

Body Paragraphs

You will need to divide the main body into 3-5 paragraphs to make the structure more comprehensive. What you have to do at this point  is  give your reader a sound understanding of your ideas. Therefore, try to fit each idea in a single body paragraph so that you do not confuse your reader. Do not hesitate to indicate your examples to strengthen your arguments. For instance, you may explain a fact that makes a particular person you are writing about a real leader.

Also, always stick to your thesis statement and don’t forget that the body paragraphs should reveal the parts of your thesis statement.

As you may already know, you need to restate your opinion and briefly summarize all the points from the main body in conclusion. For instance, if you wrote your essay on qualities of an effective leader, state the most fundamental qualities and indicate why they matter the most. Besides, try not to copy what you have already written in the body – it is better to restate your opinion using different words. And, of course, beware adding any new and extra information; indicate only those points that you have already outlined in the text. Finally, keep in mind that it is always favorable to keep your concluding remarks short.

Leadership Essay Examples

Writing a leadership essay requires some research and time. In case you feel the necessity to go through an essay example, below is a leadership essay sample you can refer to.

Is leadership an inborn or an acquired feature?

Is everyone capable of becoming a leader, or is this ability innate? A lot of researchers have been struggling to answer this question. One assumption about leadership implies that the leader is the person who possesses particular characteristics. Another assumption claims that leaders are capable of acquiring specific features over their life span. As the evidence shows, leaders own many features that distinguish them among others and make more and more people become their followers. These might be cognitive abilities, psychological traits, professional qualities, and a lot more, and all of them will be either acquired or innate. Based on the importance of leadership qualities, such as commitment, stress resistance, and the ability to make quality decisions, it is reasonable to claim that leaders are made, not born. 

One can deem commitment as one of the top fundamental qualities of the leader. In essence, such a feature indicates that a person is passionate about the common goal, strives to be a team player, and makes every effort to reach a shared goal. As the history shows, none of the successful companies was uncoordinated by an influential, committed leader: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft – all of these companies are examples of dominant teams led by a dedicated leader. A committed leader also inspires his or her team to achieve common goals and put more effort into the shared activity. Besides, commitment is unlikely to be an innate feature; it instead comes with experience. This is so, since commitment implies dedicating oneself to the shared task, and one can reach it only via learning and continuous self-improvement.

Stress resistance is another incredibly important feature that every good leader should possess. This is because only a stress-resistant leader has sufficient capabilities to overcome any complexity and not let the anxiety and stress prevent him or her from making proper decisions. Besides, such a leader will most likely have a positive influence on the team, as long as leading by example will motivate the team members to attain the same emotional stability. What is so far familiar about stress resistance as an effective leader’s feature is that it can be either innate or attained. However, although some researchers admit that emotional stability is something one is born with, it is not entirely true; many people still put a great effort into self-improvement, changing the attitude to unfortunate situations, and so on. Therefore, being resistant to stress can be mostly attributed to a personality.

An ability to make high-quality decisions most likely determines the chances for an enterprise’s success. In particular, such quality is incredibly fundamental for a company of any size and professional orientation. Additionally, it is one of the top tasks of a good leader to make final decisions. What he or she should do implies brainstorming, discussing various opinions in the group, making forecasts, analyzing all the pros and cons. However, the leader is the one to make a final decision. Thereby, he is in charge of researching the market, discovering all the hidden truths, and analyzing the organization’s potential and capabilities to result in the most effective decision. As it flows logically from the latter, an ability to make sound quality decisions is purely a professional quality. This leads to the conclusion that one has to work hard to become a genuine leader and master the skill of making effective decisions. 

Overall, the leader may possess a multitude of different skills and master them perfectly. However, what has so far become transparent is that any leader, regardless of which team he leads, must possess three essential qualities. These qualities are commitment to the common goal, ability to handle and resist stress, and, finally, an ability to make effective decisions. All of the three qualities are most likely to be acquired over a lifetime. The statement below leads to the conclusion that even though some qualities can be innate, most are not the ones that leaders are born with. Hence, this answers an essential question: leadership feature is acquired, and not necessarily inborn.  

20 leadership essay topics

When coming up with your next leadership essay topic, it is imperative to brainstorm ideas and think of what leadership might be related to. If you are struggling with a topic of the importance of leadership essay or any relevant type of essay, you may quickly take a look at some of the possible topics we prepared for you:

• What are the main qualities of the leader?
• Successful Time Management as a feature of an effective leader
• The role that rhetoric plays in leadership
• The most exceptional leader in the history of the 20-th century
• The role of female leadership
• What are the challenges of the leader of the 21-st century?
• How college helps students develop leadership skills?
• Qualities of the leader that motivate people to follow them 
• Top things to avoid doing to become a team leader
• Examples of effective and ineffective leadership in the history
• Top techniques for developing leadership skills
• The interconnection of creativity and leadership 
• Is a university’s role fundamental in developing leadership skills?
• Dictatorship as an anti-example of leadership
• Liberal vs Authoritative leadership: which one works better?
• The influence of the leader’s role model on the followers’ mindset
• Main difficulties that the new leader may face in a new team
• Leadership of today vs leadership of the past: what has changed?
• Reasons why I want to become a member if the leadership program
• The role of cognitive abilities for the leader 

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Writing an Effective Leadership Essay: Tips and Examples

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Whether you’ve led a horse to water or led your team to a victorious championship, you’re probably more of a leader than you give yourself credit for. It turns out, college admissions officers want to hear about that horse and/or championship in your application essay. The leadership essay is one of the hallmarks of college essays, but what’s the right way to do it?

What Is a Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay is a subset of college application essays that help college admissions officers understand your previous experiences as a leader. While that might seem extremely specific, it comes with the understanding that leadership looks and feels different based on the person and situation.

To give you a real world example: The president is ostensibly the leader of the United States. However, the president has a whole cabinet of other leaders for every other aspect of running a country. You might not be a leader of foreign policy, but you might be a leader on the football field or within your community volunteer group.

Leadership Essay Ideas and Topics

While you might see a few variations, almost all leadership essays go back to two main forms:

• What is your leadership style?
• Describe a moment when you showed leadership.

There’s inherently a bit of overlap with both of these. You’ll likely give an example of a leadership moment when talking about your leadership style, and you’ll probably talk about your leadership style when talking about a leadership moment.

In either case, the school will want you to use anecdotal evidence that demonstrates the idea. Go with what feels right, whether that’s leading a club or team in school or leading some ducklings across a busy highway. Even if your experience sounds cliché, it’s unique because it involves you.

How To Write a Leadership Essay

Probably the biggest trap that people fall into is “Well, I’ve never been a leader.” Even if you’ve never held some sort of leadership position at school or had an official title, chances are pretty high that you have exhibited some form of leadership at some point in your life. Beyond that, the actual writing of the leadership essay is fairly straightforward.

Formatting Your Leadership Essay

Your leadership essay will include an introduction paragraph, one or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Depending on the word or page limits, you can almost treat this like a five-paragraph essay .

• Introduction - Capture the reader’s interest, define good leadership in relation to you, and directly address the given prompt
• Body paragraphs - Give some background information using anecdotes to describe your leadership style or moment
• Conclusion - End with a compelling statement about your leadership qualities and how you hope to apply them to your education, career, and the world in general

How Long Should a Leadership Essay Be?

The length of the leadership essay depends on what the college or application system says. Thankfully, this is the one part of the essay that you don’t need to question. Nearly every school will provide a word limit, typically ranging from 250 words (for supplemental essays) potentially all the way up to 1,000 words.

In the rare event that you don’t see an obvious word limit, stick to a maximum of about 500 to 600 words.

Tips for Writing a Leadership Essay

Unfortunately, we don’t know your personal life, and we certainly don’t know moments where you exhibited leadership. So we can’t write your essay for you, but we can give you some tips to at least guide your writing process.

Define Good Leadership Before You Start

Before you begin writing your essay, think about what qualities make someone a good leader, at least in your opinion. What great leadership qualities do you have? What makes a “good leader”? Make a list before you begin writing your essay. 

Leadership qualities can include:

• The ability to motivate others
• Personal integrity
• Placing a value on relationships with team members
• Prioritizing the larger good over any individual

Review your list and choose the qualities you want to highlight. Write your own definition of what makes someone a great leader as it relates to the quality you chose. It should be one or two sentences long. Use that definition as the backbone of your essay.

Tell a Story About Your Leadership

It’s time to turn that list of potential leadership qualities into something meaningful and interesting. The best way to do that is with an engaging narrative.

You should obviously state good leadership qualities, but that shouldn’t be your entire essay. Tell a story about your leadership.

• Did you face a specific challenge?
• How did you overcome that challenge?
• How has your leadership style changed over the years?
• Was there a specific moment or experience that caused that change?

Really ask yourself questions and dig into the concept of leadership as a real thing that has had real effects on your life.

Write With Your Own Voice and Style

Although you shouldn’t be super informal in college application essays, they are also designed to help you display your own voice and personality. College admissions officers want to learn about you, and your writing style is inherently a big part of that, whether that means using humor or puns, maintaining a unique level of sincerity throughout the essay, or being invitingly verbose.

Don’t Be Down On Yourself

Whether it’s your personal statement , a supplemental essay, or this leadership essay, avoid being too down on yourself. Admissions officers want to hear about all your successes, trophies, and kittens saved from trees. They really don’t want to read a whole essay about you saying you’re a bad leader.

Humility is definitely an important leadership trait, but there’s a fine line between being humble and being hurtful to yourself. Even if you’re normally prone to some self-deprecation, try to keep it at a minimum for this essay.

Leadership Essay Example

If you’re not sure where to start, take some time to brainstorm ideas. Even the weirdest idea can blossom into something neat. If you need inspiration, one of the best things is to look at other examples of leadership. That could be from your favorite show, a good nonfiction book about sailors, or the essay below.

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Leadership Essay Introduction Example

The introduction should pull the reader in while directly answering the prompt. When in doubt, try to start with something concrete over something abstract. Or as writers and writing teachers like to say: Show, don’t tell.

The room was filled with the gentle hum of microphones and video cameras, cut only by the occasional cough or cleared throat. It was easy to feel out of place in this room full of wood furniture, leather seats, and powerful men capable of changing not just my life, but an entire sector of television programming as we knew it. I had never thought of myself as a leader, but I also knew that this was about something bigger than me, something that I could actually influence.

Leadership Essay Body Example

The body is where you’ll get more into the details of your narrative and connect it to ideas of leadership. Try not to get too hung up on the exact wording of what makes a leader. That can get far too abstract. Let your story speak for you.

I took a deep breath and began to talk. I wasn’t known to have a particularly commanding or powerful voice, but people always seemed to listen, including these men with their name placards and tall seats. They had been ready to cut funding for public broadcasting, which included programming that they had never seen. I was simply someone who lived in a neighborhood and cared about children’s education, beyond just math and reading. All I could do was be honest.

Leadership Essay Conclusion Example

Your conclusion considers the broader effects of your leadership. How might your leadership evolve or change? How can you apply that leadership to your education, job, or community?

To me, leadership is about connection. I know that I have a voice and an immense dedication to emotional intelligence in children. My ability to focus on other people goes hand-in-hand with my ability to speak through a tiger puppet. Both are about closing gaps and bringing people closer to a basic understanding. I hope to use my leadership abilities within the field of psychology to build more connections between people and communities.

Essay on Leadership Experience As A Student

Students are often asked to write an essay on Leadership Experience As A Student in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Leadership Experience As A Student

What is student leadership.

Leadership as a student means being the one who guides or is in charge of others. In school, this can be being a class president, leading a project group, or being a team captain in sports. It’s about making decisions, solving problems, and helping classmates.

Learning from Leading

When you lead, you learn a lot. You find out how to plan things, talk to people clearly, and get jobs done. You also learn to listen to others and work as a team. These skills are important in school and in life later on.

Challenges of Leading

Leading isn’t always easy. You might face tough situations or have to make hard choices. Sometimes, friends may not agree with you. But overcoming these challenges helps you grow stronger and smarter.

Benefits of Leadership

Being a leader can be rewarding. You get to see how your ideas can make things better for everyone. It feels good to help others and see them succeed because of your guidance. Plus, it’s a great way to make new friends.

Encouraging Others

Good leaders also encourage others to lead. They share chances to be in charge and help their friends get better at leading. This way, everyone gets a turn to learn and grow.

250 Words Essay on Leadership Experience As A Student

What is leadership.

Leadership is when someone takes charge and guides others to achieve a goal. In school, students can be leaders too. It’s not just about telling people what to do. Good leaders listen, help, and inspire their team.

Being a Class Representative

One way to be a leader is by being a class representative. You get to speak for your classmates and work with teachers to make your class better. It teaches you to be responsible and to understand what your friends need.

Leading a School Project

Imagine your class has to do a big project. If you lead it, you plan who does what and check how everyone is doing. You learn to organize things and solve problems when they come up.

Helping in School Clubs

School clubs are great for leadership. You could be in charge of a sports team, a music band, or a science club. Leading a club means making sure everyone is having fun and learning new things.

What You Gain

By being a leader, you gain confidence. You learn to talk in front of people and make decisions. You also become better at working with others and making friends.

Leadership experience as a student is about growing and helping others grow. You don’t need to be the loudest or the smartest. You just need to care about your team and work hard to help everyone succeed. When you lead, you learn skills that will help you in school and in life.

500 Words Essay on Leadership Experience As A Student

Leadership is when someone guides or leads others. Think of it like being the captain of a ship. The captain must make sure the ship goes the right way and that everyone on board is safe and working together. In school, students can also be leaders. They can help guide their classmates in group projects, sports teams, or school clubs.

Being a Leader in School Projects

Imagine you are working with your friends on a big project for class. Someone needs to make sure that the work is split up fairly and that everyone knows what to do. That’s where a student leader comes in. They help decide who does what and make sure everyone understands the task. They also cheer everyone on and keep the group focused.

Leading a Sports Team

Playing on a sports team teaches you about working together. A student leader on a team helps the other players do their best. They show up to practice on time and work hard. They also support their teammates, both when they do well and when they make mistakes. This kind of leader sets a good example for others to follow.

Running a School Club

School clubs are another great place to be a leader. If you start a club or are in charge of one, you get to plan what the club will do. You might organize meetings, think of activities, and talk to teachers about your ideas. It’s your job to make the club fun and interesting so that other students want to join.

Learning From Mistakes

Even leaders make mistakes sometimes. What’s important is that they learn from these mistakes. If a plan doesn’t work out, a good student leader thinks about what went wrong and how to do better next time. They also say sorry if they need to and try to fix the problem.

Helping Others

Leadership isn’t just about being in charge. It’s also about helping others. A student leader might help a new student find their way around the school or help someone who is having trouble with their homework. By helping others, leaders show that they care about their classmates.

Working as a Team

Being a leader doesn’t mean you do everything alone. Good leaders work with others. They listen to ideas and suggestions from their team. When everyone works together, they can come up with better plans and do a better job.

Leadership as a student is about guiding others, being a good example, learning from mistakes, helping people, and working as a team. It’s a chance to make your school a better place and learn skills that will help you in the future. Whether you’re leading a project, a sports team, or a club, remember that being a leader is a big responsibility, but it’s also a great way to grow and help your friends.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Leadership Experience
• Essay on Leadership And Teamwork
• Essay on Coping With Stress

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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Feb 15, 2023

Essays on Leadership for Students | 200 - 500 Word Essays

Are you writing an essay about leadership? Check out these examples!

Leadership is often defined as "the action of inspiring others to act in concert to achieve a particular goal." It signifies the harmony in actions that lead to a common objective. A genuine leader not only exudes confidence but also paves the way for their followers towards triumph. Over the years, various leadership styles have been identified and discussed by psychologists.

 Qualities such as intelligence, adaptability, extroversion, innate self-awareness, and social competence often emerge as the hallmarks of impactful leaders. There's a consensus that these traits mold an individual into an effective leader. Interestingly, some theories suggest that extraordinary situations can thrust an ordinary individual into the spotlight, bestowing upon them the mantle of leadership. It's also believed that leadership isn't a static trait but an evolving journey. It underscores the belief that with dedication and the right resources, anyone can hone their leadership abilities.

 True leadership goes beyond merely advocating for a cause. It involves taking responsibility, igniting motivation in others, and differentiating oneself from just being a 'boss'. A leader's essence lies in their ability to inspire and propel people towards grand visions, whereas a manager typically focuses on oversight and operational aspects.

What Is a Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay falls under the category of student application essays and serves to provide student admissions officers with insight into your past leadership experiences. Despite appearing to be very specific, this type of essay acknowledges that the nature and perception of leadership can vary significantly depending on the individual and the context.

 If you find yourself in need of further insights or a unique angle for your leadership essay, consider exploring an expert essay-writing tool designed to assist students in crafting compelling narratives by analyzing vast data and generating fresh ideas within minutes. In this article, we'll also delve into various leadership essay examples to offer a clearer understanding of the genre and inspire your writing journey.

4 Examples of Leadership Essays

Qualities of a good leader, introduction.

Confidence is the most important attribute first of all. One of the most important qualities in a leader is confidence in one's own abilities. A lack of self-assurance is fatal to a person's leadership potential. If you want others to follow you, you need to exude self-assurance. It's imperative for a leader to have faith in his own judgment and actions. How can people want to follow him if he doesn't even know what he's doing?

Every effective leader knows that they need to be an inspiration to their followers. A leader needs to set an example for his team. In addition, he ought to inspire them whenever feasible. A leader must also maintain optimism in trying times.

What qualities a good leader must have?

Leadership is the ability to influence and guide individuals or groups toward a common goal. A leader must possess several qualities to be effective, including:

Communication skills: A leader must be able to communicate their vision and goals clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing. This requires excellent listening skills, empathy, and the ability to adapt to different communication styles.

Emotional intelligence: A leader must be able to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as those of their team members. This includes being able to understand and respond to the emotions of others, and handling conflicts in a constructive manner.

Visionary: A leader must have a clear and inspiring vision of the future, and be able to articulate this vision in a way that motivates others to work towards it.

Strategic thinking: A leader must be able to think critically and creatively to identify and solve problems, make decisions, and develop plans and strategies to achieve their goals.

Flexibility: A leader must be able to adapt to changing circumstances and be open to new ideas and perspectives. This requires the ability to embrace change, be innovative, and continuously learn and grow.

Integrity: A leader must have strong ethics and values, and be willing to make difficult decisions that are consistent with their beliefs. This requires honesty, transparency, and accountability.

Decisiveness: A leader must be able to make tough decisions quickly, without undue hesitation or procrastination. This requires courage and the ability to take calculated risks.

Empowerment: A leader must be able to delegate responsibilities, give team members the resources they need to succeed, and foster a sense of ownership and accountability among their team.

Conclusion 

These qualities are essential for effective leadership, and when combined with hard work, determination, and a commitment to excellence, can help leaders to achieve great things.

How one can be a Great Leader?

Leadership is the act of performing the duties of a leader. In the business world, for instance, it is essential to have someone in charge of a team to ensure everything runs well. Effective leadership is essential for any group that wants to maximize its prospects of success.

Leadership Comes from Experience

As we've shown, leadership can be innate in some cases but is more often learned through practice and exposure. Sometimes the best traits of a leader must be learned over a lengthy period of time, so that one can become a notable one, proving that leadership is not always about a person's innate qualities. Leaders should continuously be on the lookout for opportunities to grow their leadership skills.

Nobody can disagree that experience is a key component of leadership. Numerous examples exist to back up this claim, such as:

Instance 1:

Our school's head boy or girl has traditionally been an older student who has been around for a while and thus has a better grasp of the ins and outs of school politics.

Instance 2:

When there is a vacancy for a team leader, it is common practice for the employee who has consistently put in the most effort and attention to the office job to receive a higher number of votes than their coworkers. 

“The best teacher for a leader is evaluated experience.” - John C. Maxwell

How one can be a Great Leader/Skills to be a Great Leader?

Effective leadership is a skill that develops through time. Developing into a leader with all the qualities that are needed takes a lot of hard work and potential. Being a prominent leader calls for a wide variety of traits. Some of these characteristics are addressed in further detail below:

One should be a Good Communicator

To be an effective leader, one must be able to convey his thoughts clearly to his/her/its subordinates.

Should have Confidence

The individual should have faith in what he says and does.

Give Credit to other Team Members too

A leader not only needs to impose his viewpoints and opinions instead he must also hear to the suggestions of other members of the team and offer them credit if their concept is appropriate.

Good Bond with the Team

A leader's ability to command respect from his team members depends on his ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with them.

Leads with Responsibility

A leader needs to be completely committed to his position. It's important that he takes on responsibility so that he can effectively deal with the various challenges he will inevitably face.

Any group or organization needs a leader above all else. Leadership development takes time and effort. One needs to have lived through a lot to be an effective leader. It's not enough to simply have years of experience in the field; one must also have the traits that make one an effective leader. You can't be a great leader unless you possess certain traits.

What makes a Good Leader?

Trying one's hand as a leader appears easy when viewed through this lens. Is that so tough? Of course not; leading is difficult, and not everyone aspires to be a leader. The vast majority of us have settled into well-established careers where we report to superiors and make a living. Still, not everyone is content to go along with the crowd. They become leaders in whatever field they pursue. A leader is an example to followers and will prioritize the needs of those around them.

Some Unique Qualities of a Leader

Many individuals resort to their leaders to vent their frustrations, therefore it's important for them to be good listeners.

A leader ought to be completely forthright; they can't play favorites or give anyone preferential treatment. One of the most essential qualities of a strong leader is the ability to make decisions with integrity.

They need to be aware of the bigger picture and understand what makes an individual stand out or become a leader. It's their expertise in addition to other distinguishing traits. Their awareness of current events and the results of recent studies is essential. In many ways, this is helpful, and it's the leader's responsibility to stay current.

Since some might not understand them, they should utilize straightforward, easily comprehended language. Leaders need to be able to communicate effectively at all times. In reality, what sets them apart is their exceptional communication skills. Adolf Hitler was such a gifted orator that his followers believed every word he said.

No matter how you're feeling or what's going on in the world, if you listen to a leader, they may make you feel energized. Since leaders are in charge of inspiring confidence in their followers, they can't afford to be wary or unsure of themselves. People tend to blindly follow their leaders.

Whether you're a leader or a doctor, you should devote yourself completely to your chosen field. Everything we do is for the benefit of others; engineers, for example, spend much of their time designing and constructing buildings for other people. So, take pride in what you do, and if you possess the aforementioned traits, you are also a leader who doesn't have to rely on others to succeed. No matter what you do, aspiring to leadership positions will always benefit others.

What is Leadership in Management and what are the weaknesses and strengths of a Leader?

Simply said, leadership is acting as a supervisor or manager of a group. Different mental pictures pop up when we hear the word "leadership" used in conversation. One might think of a political leader, team leader, corporate leader, school leader, etc. Leaders facilitate order and efficiency in the workplace. Teamwork and success are fundamental to effective leadership. Leaders utilize their managerial abilities to establish courses and guide their teams to success.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Leadership

Able to express oneself more clearly

Growth of character.

Self-awareness.

Possession of teamwork skills.

Gain assurance in yourself.

Weaknesses:

Acting favorably toward one's teammates.

Having no faith in the leader.

Thinks they're better than everyone else, but act hypocritically.

Not living up to the promised standard.

Insufficient morals.

Leadership and Management

Management and leadership are inextricably linked to one another. Leadership and management are both vital to the efficient operation of an organization; but, they accomplish very different things in the process. Leadership is a necessary skill for anyone aspiring to be an effective manager. The terms management and leadership are synonymous with one another. In this manner, we are able to draw the conclusion that a manager who demonstrates the traits of a successful leader is, in fact, a manager who is effective.

Leadership in School

Leadership is essential in nearly every group, as we've seen above. That group includes one's educational institution. Every school needs an outstanding figure to serve as its head of school. Class monitor, assembly captain, cultural leader, etc. are all examples of leadership roles that can be taken on at school, but this raises the question of what makes a person a successful school leader.

Any student hoping to be chosen as a student body leader will need to demonstrate a wide range of competencies. He or she needs to be a consistent student who pays attention in class and does well in extracurricular activities. For the simple reason that no intelligent and hardworking kid would ever be considered for leadership. Student leaders are most often selected from among those who participate fully in all activities.

Leadership in Organization

Leadership in an organization, also known as organizational leadership, is the process of establishing long-term objectives that further the company's mission and help it reach its ultimate destination. This is a classic illustration of how Bill Gates often works with his team: they agree on a strategy, and Gates implements it. To the same extent, it is the responsibility of the leader in each given organization to determine what it is that the group is trying to accomplish.

Leadership in Politics

Leadership in politics, also known as political leadership, is the process of becoming actively involved in a political party in the role of a party leader. Knowledge of political processes, their outcomes, and the political agenda is central to the idea of political leadership.

An effective leader can be developed in anyone who has the determination and drives to do so. Both the strengths and the areas for improvement should be nurtured. Whether in the classroom, the workplace, or the political arena, leadership is always necessary. Therefore, one can exercise leadership anywhere they like inside their own organization.

What are the types of Leadership?

The ability to lead is a rare trait that not everyone possesses. The ability to do so is a gift, so count your blessings if you possess it. It's recommended that you hone it even more so that you can propel your career forward and serve as an example to people around you. However, it is crucial to grasp the various leadership styles before you go ahead and polish your skills.

Types of Leadership Styles

Democratic Leadership

In this style of management, subordinates are given a voice in decision-making. Although the subordinates' efforts are highlighted, the leader is ultimately held responsible for the group's actions. Many people find this type of leadership to be effective.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders motivate and inspire others to adopt new behaviors and ways of thinking in order to improve their own performance and that of their teams and organizations. A transformational leader is someone who encourages their team to strive for greater things and works to boost morale and output.

Team Leadership

A good leader fully incorporates his team into the task at hand. Members of the team are motivated to reach their goals and advance in their careers thanks to the leadership of the group.

Strategic Leadership

It requires a chief executive who doesn't restrict himself to brainstorming sessions with his superiors. He contributes on every level of the team. He is well-liked for his ability to unite the need for fresh ideas with the necessity of grounding them in reality.

Autocratic Leadership

The leader in a command and control structure is the center of attention. The chief executive has absolute power in this setting. He decides things on his own, without polling his staff. He relays this information to his staff and stresses the importance of swift action. The buck stops with him, and he alone must answer for his actions. Not much room for negotiation exists. It's no secret that this method of leading has its detractors.

Visionary Leadership

This kind of leader appreciates the abilities and requirements of his team members. He describes his ideal outcome and the teamwork that will be necessary to attain it.

Coaching Leadership

Leaders who coach their teams do so regularly in an effort to raise output. He inspires his employees to do better and works to keep them motivated. This approach to leadership has been much praised.

Facilitative Leadership

With occasional guidance, a facilitative leader ensures that the process runs smoothly for his team. As a precaution in case his team is ineffective. If the team is highly effective, the leader will take a hands-off approach.

Cross-Cultural Leadership

The leadership of this type is necessary when interacting with people from various cultural backgrounds. Because of the wide variety of cultures represented in the workforce across the United States, many managers and executives hold cross-cultural positions.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

The members of the team are given responsibility in this style of management. They are free to choose how they spend their time at work, with minimal oversight from the boss. It's not a good way to lead, according to experts.

Transactional Leadership

An interactive approach is integral to this kind of leadership. When team members successfully implement their leader's ideas and choices, they are rewarded with immediate, material benefits.

Charismatic Leadership

In order to bring out the best in his followers, this kind of leader makes the effort to change their attitudes, values, and actions.

This article should dispel the notion that leadership qualities can't be further subdivided. It should also assist you in pinpointing your own personal brand of leadership so you can perfect it over time.

Final Words

In conclusion, leadership is a complex and multifaceted concept that involves various qualities and skills. Effective leaders possess traits such as integrity, vision, empathy, decisiveness, and the ability to inspire and motivate others. They are able to navigate challenges, make difficult decisions, and lead their team toward success. Leadership also involves continuous learning and self-improvement, as leaders must adapt to changing circumstances and remain relevant. Effective leadership can have a positive impact on both individuals and organizations, fostering growth and creating a culture of success.

You can use Jenni.ai to quickly compose an essay on leadership, or any other topic, of your choosing. It's a fantastic choice that promises convenience and relief. Create an essay on any topic in a matter of minutes with the help of our AI-powered program. Membership is immediately available upon your free registration here.

You can use Jenni.ai to quickly compose an essay on leadership, or any other topic, of your choosing. It's a fantastic choice that promises convenience and relief. Create an essay on any topic in a matter of minutes with the help of our AI-powered program. Sign up on Jenni.ai and get a free trial.

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Anyone Can Learn to Be a Better Leader

• Monique Valcour

You just have to put in the work.

Occupying a leadership position is not the same thing as leading. To lead, you must be able to connect, motivate, and inspire a sense of ownership of shared objectives. Heightening your capacity to lead others requires being able to see how you think and act, and how your behavior affects others. Leading well requires a continuous journey of personal development. Yet people in leadership roles often eschew the long and challenging work of deepening self-insight in favor of chasing after management “tools”— preferably the “quick ’n’ easy” kind, such as personality type assessments that reduce employees to a few simplistic behavioral tendencies. Tools can be handy aids to good leadership. But none of them can take the place of fearless introspection, feedback seeking, and committed efforts to behavioral change for greater effectiveness and increased positive impact on others.

When you’re an individual contributor, your ability to use your technical expertise to deliver results is paramount. Once you’ve advanced into a leadership role, however, the toolkit that you relied on to deliver individual results rarely equips you to succeed through others. Beware of falling into the logical trap of “if I can do this work well, I should be able to lead a team of people who do this work.” This would be true if leading others were akin to operating a more powerful version of the same machinery you operated previously. But it’s not; machinery doesn’t perform better or worse based on what it thinks about you and how you make it feel, while humans do .

• MV Monique Valcour is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and management professor. She helps clients create and sustain fulfilling and high-performance jobs, careers, workplaces, and lives. moniquevalcour

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Leadership Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on leadership.

First of all, Leadership refers to the quality of leading people. Probably, it is one of the most important aspects of life. Above all, Leadership has led to the progress of human civilization . Without good Leadership, no organization or group can succeed. Furthermore, not everyone has this quality. This is because effective Leadership requires certain important characteristics.

Qualities of a Good Leader

First of all, confidence is the most quality. A leader must have strong self-confidence. A person lacking in confidence can never be a good leader. A person must be confident enough to ensure others follow him. The leader must have confidence in his decisions and actions. If he is unsure, then how can people have the desire to follow him.

A good leader must certainly inspire others. A leader must be a role model for his followers. Furthermore, he must motivate them whenever possible. Also, in difficult situations, a leader must not lose hope. How can a leader inspire people if he himself is hopeless?

Honesty is another notable quality of a leader. Honesty and Integrity are important to earn the love of followers. Above all, honesty is essential to win the trust of the people. Probably, every Leadership which loses trust is bound to fail. People will not work with full effort due to an immoral leader.

Good communication is a must for a good leader. This is because poor communication means the wrong message to followers. Furthermore, good communication will increase the rate of work. Also, the chances of mistakes by followers will reduce.

Another important quality is decision making. Above all, if a leader makes poor decisions then other qualities will not matter. Furthermore, good decision making ensures the success of the entire group. If the leader makes poor decisions, then the efforts of followers won’t matter.

A good leader must be an excellent innovator. He must display a creative attitude in his work. Most noteworthy, innovation is a guarantee of survival of a group or innovation. Without creative thinking, progress is not possible.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Real-Life Examples of Good Leadership

Mahatma Gandhi was an excellent example of a good leader. He was a staunch believer in non-violence. With his brilliant Leadership skills, he made the British leave India. Probably, this was the most unique independence struggle. This is because Gandhi got freedom without any violence.

Abraham Lincoln was another notable leader. Most noteworthy, he ended the slavery system in the United States. Consequently, he made many enemies. However, he was a man of massive self-confidence. His struggle against slavery certainly became an inspiration.

Sir Winston Churchill was a great patriotic Englishman. Most noteworthy, he led Britain in the 2nd World War. Furthermore, he was extremely inspirational. He inspired Britain to fight against Nazi Germany. His great communication motivated the entire country at a time of hopelessness.

To conclude, Leadership is required in probably every sphere of life. Good leadership is the door to success. In contrast, bad leadership is a guarantee of failure. Consequently, good leaders are what make the world go round.

FAQs on Leadership

Q.1 Which is the most important quality for being a good leader? A.1 The most important quality for being a good leader is self-confidence.

Q.2 Why Sir Winston Churchill is a good leader? A.2 Sir Winston Churchill is a good leader because he inspired Britain to fight in 2nd World War. Furthermore, his excellent communication also raised the motivation of his people.

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• How to Structure a Leadership Essay (Samples to Consider)

Leadership is a complex concept, but it’s essential for boosting your career. That’s why a leadership essay focuses on applying the theoretical models and concepts of successful management to real-life situations. 

If you don’t know where to start writing such a paper, please read on for professional tips!

What Is Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay is a paper that analyzes leadership concepts and their application to real-life situations that may involve everyday business management, crisis situations, and other scenarios. 

Every essay on leadership is about defining a concept. Then, it’s either comparing it to similar management tools or proving that it’s useful (or not).

While some students enjoy writing such papers, other learners hate them. The below samples will come in handy, no matter which group is yours.

What Does Leadership Mean to You? (Essay Sample)

It is one of the most popular topics for a leadership essay. If you need to write a paper like that, ask yourself:

• Who is a good leader?  
• What style do they use?  
• What are the situations when they might switch styles?

You may take a more personal approach to such an essay if your professor allows you to. In the example below, you will see the academic approach to this topic. It analyzes three leadership styles to discover which one corresponds to the meaning of leadership if one thinks of it as guidance and support.

Why I Want to Participate in a Leadership Program (Essay Sample)

It’s another example of a popular topic. Such papers often have a meaning beyond the classroom since they may decide whether you plan to participate in a specific program. It’s critical to make them as effective and compelling as possible.

A personalized approach is the best when it comes to essays like this. In the example below, you will see the paper that relies on individual beliefs and a personal life story to explain why it’s so important for the specific student to participate in the chosen program.

How to Write a Leadership Essay

Like every other essay, this paper has an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion summarizing your thoughts. (1) The most important part of the introduction is the final sentence,  aka  a thesis statement. That’s where you state your claim to prove or develop in your leadership essay.

Each body paragraph should correspond to the purpose of your essay. To ensure you don’t stray from the aim you’ve established in the thesis statement, write the topic sentences for all your paragraphs in the outline . In simple words, write the first sentence of every paragraph to define its development in advance and see if you cover everything you need.

And now, to the conclusion:

Its most essential element is thesis restatement or the first sentence of that paragraph. It’s not just paraphrasing your thesis; it’s also considering the new information you’ve discovered while writing the essay.

Structure :

• Introduction (End it with a thesis statement.)
• Body paragraphs (Each one starts with a topic sentence.)
• Conclusion (Start it with a thesis restatement.)

Understand the purpose of a leadership essay

When starting to write, think about why you’re creating this paper. Before you sit down and type the words, think about the ideas you want to convey and their meaning in your life:

Can this essay teach you to take responsibility? Or maybe will it help you understand how to be a leader in crisis situations? When you’ve answered the “why” question, begin outlining.

Build a strong thesis

Always start with your thesis statement. It will help incorporate your answer to that notorious “why” question into your essay. Once done, you can plan out the rest of the paper and start working on the body paragraphs as soon as you finish the introduction.

There’s another important tip —don’t rush into writing the conclusion before you finish everything else!

It might seem like a good idea to create a thesis statement and thesis restatement right off the bat. However, you’ll find yourself with more refreshing ideas after completing all the research and thinking necessary for the introduction and each body paragraph.

Decide on a structure; format accordingly

Even if your essay about leadership seems not so formal, and you can use personal pronouns, you still need a clear structure.

The best way to write any academic paper is to keep your introduction and conclusion as short as possible. (But no shorter than three sentences and four lines of text). 

Another important tip is to try making all your body paragraphs equal in length. That way, you’ll give the same attention to all the vital points of your essay.

Ready to Write Your Essay on Leadership Now?

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the most critical elements of a leadership essay. 

Remember the structure, grammar, and appropriate academic style to create a top-level paper. Please don’t forget to answer the “why” question and remember  why  you’re writing. Then you’ll impress everyone with your results!

References:

• https://lsa.umich.edu/onsf/news-events/all-news/directors-blog/writing-leadership-essays.html
• Essay samples
• Essay writing
• Writing tips

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CSUN Students March to Take Back the Night

The CSUN students raised their signs and candles as they chanted and marched, spreading awareness of sexual violence as it affects college students, encouraging students to commune with people of similar experience and take action in preventing future sexual violence. 

The Women’s Research and Resource Center  in the College of Humanities organized CSUN’s 20th annual Take Back The Night on March 28.  Take Back The Night  is an event that raises awareness and advocates for survivors of patriarchal violence including sexual assault, sexual abuse, trafficking, stalking, gender harassment and relationship violence, and to support survivors in their healing journeys.

Shira Brown, director of the Women’s Resource and Research Center, reflected on the importance of Take Back The Night. 

“People can become complacent…and it is important to publicly confront what is happening, and the best way to do that is in these ways because you can’t be silent around issues of sexual assault,” Brown said. 

Shalom Headly, a student who participated in the march, expressed why events like Take Back The Night are essential for bringing people together. 

“I think these events are important for raising awareness and building community,” Headly said. 

Another Take Back The Night participant, Cameron Woods, emphasized why bringing people together for serious issues like sexual violence can be a great resource for many people. 

“I came to the rally last year and I fell in love with it. It helped me find a community and it started really making me heal in new ways,” Woods said. “It is important to fight against sexual and domestic violence because of just how much it is still happening.” 

The event included various speakers expressing the need for Take Back The Night and how the dangers of sexual violence are still present today. Among the speakers was William Watkins, CSUN’s vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, emphasized the need for events like Take Back The Night, citing statistics that one in three women worldwide have experienced sexual violence and intimate partner violence, one in six men have experienced sexual violence, and two in three transgender people have been sexuality assaulted. 

The event kicked off with a performance from hip-hop duo Black From Home. During the performance, students painted signs for the march and checked out tables for the Women’s Research and Resource Center and various other resources provided by organizations like D.A.T.E. (Discovering Alternatives for Today’s Encounters) that deal with sexual assault that are available for students.

Photo Essay: CSUN’s 39th Annual Assistive Technology Conference

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NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public's trust

David Folkenflik

NPR is defending its journalism and integrity after a senior editor wrote an essay accusing it of losing the public's trust. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

NPR is defending its journalism and integrity after a senior editor wrote an essay accusing it of losing the public's trust.

NPR's top news executive defended its journalism and its commitment to reflecting a diverse array of views on Tuesday after a senior NPR editor wrote a broad critique of how the network has covered some of the most important stories of the age.

"An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don't have an audience that reflects America," writes Uri Berliner.

A strategic emphasis on diversity and inclusion on the basis of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, promoted by NPR's former CEO, John Lansing, has fed "the absence of viewpoint diversity," Berliner writes.

NPR's chief news executive, Edith Chapin, wrote in a memo to staff Tuesday afternoon that she and the news leadership team strongly reject Berliner's assessment.

"We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories," she wrote. "We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world."

NPR names tech executive Katherine Maher to lead in turbulent era

She added, "None of our work is above scrutiny or critique. We must have vigorous discussions in the newsroom about how we serve the public as a whole."

A spokesperson for NPR said Chapin, who also serves as the network's chief content officer, would have no further comment.

Praised by NPR's critics

Berliner is a senior editor on NPR's Business Desk. (Disclosure: I, too, am part of the Business Desk, and Berliner has edited many of my past stories. He did not see any version of this article or participate in its preparation before it was posted publicly.)

Berliner's essay , titled "I've Been at NPR for 25 years. Here's How We Lost America's Trust," was published by The Free Press, a website that has welcomed journalists who have concluded that mainstream news outlets have become reflexively liberal.

Berliner writes that as a Subaru-driving, Sarah Lawrence College graduate who "was raised by a lesbian peace activist mother ," he fits the mold of a loyal NPR fan.

Yet Berliner says NPR's news coverage has fallen short on some of the most controversial stories of recent years, from the question of whether former President Donald Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 election, to the origins of the virus that causes COVID-19, to the significance and provenance of emails leaked from a laptop owned by Hunter Biden weeks before the 2020 election. In addition, he blasted NPR's coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

On each of these stories, Berliner asserts, NPR has suffered from groupthink due to too little diversity of viewpoints in the newsroom.

The essay ricocheted Tuesday around conservative media , with some labeling Berliner a whistleblower . Others picked it up on social media, including Elon Musk, who has lambasted NPR for leaving his social media site, X. (Musk emailed another NPR reporter a link to Berliner's article with a gibe that the reporter was a "quisling" — a World War II reference to someone who collaborates with the enemy.)

When asked for further comment late Tuesday, Berliner declined, saying the essay spoke for itself.

The arguments he raises — and counters — have percolated across U.S. newsrooms in recent years. The #MeToo sexual harassment scandals of 2016 and 2017 forced newsrooms to listen to and heed more junior colleagues. The social justice movement prompted by the killing of George Floyd in 2020 inspired a reckoning in many places. Newsroom leaders often appeared to stand on shaky ground.

Leaders at many newsrooms, including top editors at The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times , lost their jobs. Legendary Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron wrote in his memoir that he feared his bonds with the staff were "frayed beyond repair," especially over the degree of self-expression his journalists expected to exert on social media, before he decided to step down in early 2021.

Since then, Baron and others — including leaders of some of these newsrooms — have suggested that the pendulum has swung too far.

Author Interviews

Legendary editor marty baron describes his 'collision of power' with trump and bezos.

New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger warned last year against journalists embracing a stance of what he calls "one-side-ism": "where journalists are demonstrating that they're on the side of the righteous."

"I really think that that can create blind spots and echo chambers," he said.

Internal arguments at The Times over the strength of its reporting on accusations that Hamas engaged in sexual assaults as part of a strategy for its Oct. 7 attack on Israel erupted publicly . The paper conducted an investigation to determine the source of a leak over a planned episode of the paper's podcast The Daily on the subject, which months later has not been released. The newsroom guild accused the paper of "targeted interrogation" of journalists of Middle Eastern descent.

Heated pushback in NPR's newsroom

Given Berliner's account of private conversations, several NPR journalists question whether they can now trust him with unguarded assessments about stories in real time. Others express frustration that he had not sought out comment in advance of publication. Berliner acknowledged to me that for this story, he did not seek NPR's approval to publish the piece, nor did he give the network advance notice.

Some of Berliner's NPR colleagues are responding heatedly. Fernando Alfonso, a senior supervising editor for digital news, wrote that he wholeheartedly rejected Berliner's critique of the coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, for which NPR's journalists, like their peers, periodically put themselves at risk.

Alfonso also took issue with Berliner's concern over the focus on diversity at NPR.

"As a person of color who has often worked in newsrooms with little to no people who look like me, the efforts NPR has made to diversify its workforce and its sources are unique and appropriate given the news industry's long-standing lack of diversity," Alfonso says. "These efforts should be celebrated and not denigrated as Uri has done."

After this story was first published, Berliner contested Alfonso's characterization, saying his criticism of NPR is about the lack of diversity of viewpoints, not its diversity itself.

"I never criticized NPR's priority of achieving a more diverse workforce in terms of race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. I have not 'denigrated' NPR's newsroom diversity goals," Berliner said. "That's wrong."

Questions of diversity

Under former CEO John Lansing, NPR made increasing diversity, both of its staff and its audience, its "North Star" mission. Berliner says in the essay that NPR failed to consider broader diversity of viewpoint, noting, "In D.C., where NPR is headquartered and many of us live, I found 87 registered Democrats working in editorial positions and zero Republicans."

Berliner cited audience estimates that suggested a concurrent falloff in listening by Republicans. (The number of people listening to NPR broadcasts and terrestrial radio broadly has declined since the start of the pandemic.)

Former NPR vice president for news and ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin tweeted , "I know Uri. He's not wrong."

Others questioned Berliner's logic. "This probably gets causality somewhat backward," tweeted Semafor Washington editor Jordan Weissmann . "I'd guess that a lot of NPR listeners who voted for [Mitt] Romney have changed how they identify politically."

Similarly, Nieman Lab founder Joshua Benton suggested the rise of Trump alienated many NPR-appreciating Republicans from the GOP.

In recent years, NPR has greatly enhanced the percentage of people of color in its workforce and its executive ranks. Four out of 10 staffers are people of color; nearly half of NPR's leadership team identifies as Black, Asian or Latino.

"The philosophy is: Do you want to serve all of America and make sure it sounds like all of America, or not?" Lansing, who stepped down last month, says in response to Berliner's piece. "I'd welcome the argument against that."

"On radio, we were really lagging in our representation of an audience that makes us look like what America looks like today," Lansing says. The U.S. looks and sounds a lot different than it did in 1971, when NPR's first show was broadcast, Lansing says.

A network spokesperson says new NPR CEO Katherine Maher supports Chapin and her response to Berliner's critique.

The spokesperson says that Maher "believes that it's a healthy thing for a public service newsroom to engage in rigorous consideration of the needs of our audiences, including where we serve our mission well and where we can serve it better."

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Gerry Holmes. Under NPR's protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

• Washington State University

WSU Spokane Celebrated Outstanding Nursing Students with Chancellor’s Excellence Awards

Washington State University (WSU) Spokane proudly announced the recipients of the prestigious 2024 Chancellor’s Excellence Awards from the College of Nursing. This year, several students were recognized for their exceptional leadership and community engagement activities. The awards were presented on April 10, 2024, at 5:00 PM in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ PBS Lobby and Auditorium.

The Chancellor’s Excellence Leadership Awards were awarded to three students from the College of Nursing:

• Charis Williams
• Christina Brumley
• Karen Watarida

These students demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities and made significant contributions to the nursing field through their innovative approaches and dedicated service.

Additionally, the Chancellor’s Excellence Community Engagement Award, given to Hannah Neill-Gubitz , recognized her for contributions to community health initiatives. In particular, Neill-Gubitz’s doctoral dissertation research examined the dual crises of the opioid epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic on incarcerated patients in Washington State.

About WSU Spokane WSU Spokane is the urban health sciences campus of Washington State University, dedicated to fostering excellence in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, and health sciences through innovative research, superior education, and community engagement.

Washington State University acknowledges that its locations statewide are on the homelands of Native peoples, who have lived in this region from time immemorial. Currently, there are 42 tribes, 35 of which are federally recognized that share traditional homelands and waterways in what is now Washington State. Some of these are nations and confederacies that represents multiple tribes and bands. The University expresses its deepest respect for and gratitude towards these original and current caretakers of the region. As an academic community, we acknowledge our responsibility to establish and maintain relationships with these tribes and Native peoples, in support of tribal sovereignty and the inclusion of their voices in teaching, research and programming. Washington State University established the  Office of Tribal Relations  and  Native American Programs  to guide us in our relationship with tribes and service to Native American students and communities. We also pledge that these relationships will consist of mutual trust, respect, and reciprocity.

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