I see leadership as a force on earth that controls how we think, how we act and how we collaborate. At a young age, I had always admired Spiderman, a hero who would go around the neighbourhood helping others. Now, I have come to realise Spiderman is a leader. Spiderman is not only the name of a superhero, but he is also an excellent role-model, showing other people how it is best to act and empowering everyone to be better, kinder, caring and more thoughtful towards one another.

Earlier this term, SBS hosted a leadership conference, which included a repertoire of inspirational speakers.

James Atkins, a professional wrestler, showed the benefits of being proactive by consistently practising and attending 10-12 wrestling matches a week which allowed him to develop an exceptional career.

Damian Hosen, a successful video game designer, showed that despite failing his GCSEs, it is never too late to follow your dreams through persistence and hard work and the academic route is not the only route to being successful.

Richard Kingscote, a professional jockey player, racing for royalty and travelling extensively, displayed his evident successes whilst maintaining a humble demeanour.

Major Richard Grimsdell displayed his leadership qualities by explaining how he remained composed during high pressure situations while specialising in crisis management. He stressed the importance of not worrying about the things you cannot control. This was particularly significant for Major Grimsdell as he had to think rationally when faced with unprecedented circumstances, such as when his boss was fired and he had to take on extra responsibility.

Across all these speakers, there was a common principle. Each speaker highlighted that while there are many paths to success and being a leader, there are core fundamentals to becoming successful and developing the ability to successfully lead a group - motivation, persistence and self-belief. 

This conference was an invaluable experience, teaching me the importance of applying leadership qualities such as confidence and persistence. With these qualities we are able to approach any task and situation, from tackling a hard question in a lesson to delivering a speech to hundreds of students. I believe that to become a good leader, we must be equipped with these qualities to act as a role model to others and collaborating with other people to achieve a common goal or shared purpose.

In conclusion, just like Spiderman and the inspiring leaders at the student conference, becoming the best versions of ourselves is a pivotal change we should strive to meet within our lives so we can become successful, lead and inspire others. I believe we shouldn’t just focus on leadership in this term but embed it within our culture, uplifting and encouraging others to step out of their comfort zones so that they can develop as a person, voice their opinions and bring about change.

We are the leaders of our own lives and is our responsibility to create the life we have aspired to achieve.

 

Jayden Simpson
Athenian House Captain
St Birinus School