Leadership as Presented in a National Honors Society Application
"But of a good leader, who talks little: when his work is done,
his arm fulfilled, they will say 'Our work is done.'" -Lao Tse
One of the standards of the National Honors Society is that of leadership.
Members are expected not only to strive to
improve their social environment, but act as a role model, and influence his or her peers
in a positive and responsible
manner. Students must also balance assertiveness with a compassionate heart. Through my
experiences as an editor on the
newspaper and captain of the {ENTER SPORTS TEAM HERE], I believe that I demonstrate the
NHS ideal of leadership.
As editor of {POSITION} for the school newspaper, I have learned to handle my
position with authority while gaining
the respect of the staff. Every month, the editors of the newspaper are expected to put
out a newspaper for the student body
that meets the high standards set by past editors. Needless to say, there is little room
for error during the process and it is up
to us to show the staff initiative and a no-nonsense attitude. Recently, I was put in
the position of demonstrating authority
with one of my peers when a very important article on Founders' Park was chosen for the
front page. The writer of the piece
had to be pushed and prodded and it was my responsibility as an editor to not only help
her with the article, but keep her
from skipping out of class when she should be working on the story. Through my
experiences with the school newspa-
per, I have learned that leadership, one of the ideals of NHS, means getting the job
done successfully and in a responsible
manner.
There is also another side of leadership that is often overlooked, yet I came
across it while captain of the {SPORTS
TEAM] We had the potential and talent to have a wonderful season, but inner conflicts
and personal problems got in the
way. Finally, I realized that it was time to take the initiative and show my teammates
that we were not only a team, but a
family and would always be there for each other. I held a meeting one day after school
and my teammates and I shared what
we each thought was troubling the team and how we could solve these problems. As the
season progressed, the team saw
success and at the Championship, every athlete started and finished the grueling 3.1
mile course for the first time in two
years.
While leadership does require taking a stand to guarantee success, it is also calls for a
compassionate heart, someone who is
willing to take time out to insure the happiness of those who follow. I have learned
many lessons while holding my positions
at [SCHOOL} and feel that I have demonstrated through my accomplishments the National
Honor Society ideal of leadership.
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