A ONE Institute
Nov 16, 2024
Today, we’ll explore what is necessary to exercise leadership effectively.
Understanding others is fundamental when discussing leadership. Leadership involves guiding a group toward a conclusion aligned with one’s vision by effectively presenting and advancing one’s perspective.
To do this, four key elements are required:
Persuasion and Logical Reasoning To bring about changes in others' behaviors, logical reasoning is essential. It allows for clear, compelling arguments.
Just Cause A just cause is critical for effective leadership. We’ll discuss this in more detail below.
Reducing Imagination If reasoning is strong, it limits the room for speculation or negative assumptions. For instance, an applicant persuading college evaluators minimizes any factors that could lead to negative judgments.
Habit of Making Decisions Most people make decisions based on available data, but students who struggle with indecision often lack sufficient information to guide their choices. Cultivating the habit of making decisions is crucial for establishing leadership.
A just cause refers to values that are universally respected, such as justice, freedom, and independence. These are values upheld by leaders like President Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. Companies like Tesla, Microsoft, and Patagonia, though profit-driven, often emphasize their commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles in advertising to improve public perception. When a company has a clear just cause, it is easier to settle internal conflicts over differing opinions. Similarly, a just cause can help students shine in their leadership roles.
Let’s look at a concrete example: if a student wishes to add "volunteering" and "leadership" to their activity list, they might consider creating a volunteer club. If they say, “There’s only one volunteer club in the school, and it’s small. I’d like to create another to offer more activities,” this leaves room for doubt about their sincerity. However, a student who genuinely wants to exhibit leadership should know how to leverage a just cause effectively.
This involves researching the issue and presenting their case logically. For example, if the club’s theme centers around refugees, studying refugee issues and gaining experience with relevant organizations can strengthen the just cause. The student might start by showing statistics to their teacher about the global increase in refugees and explain how the U.S. has a legal obligation, based on legislation like the Refugee Act of 1980, to assist refugees.
By presenting research findings, such as how the gap between the required and actual number of refugees admitted has widened since COVID-19, the student could argue that forming a new volunteer group focused on this issue would fill an important need.
Establishing a volunteer group should be pursued logically for the best outcomes. I encourage you to ensure that whatever activities you engage in, they reflect genuine interest through consistent, sustained commitment.
If you would like to develop leadership skills, please contact us at A-One Institute, where we are happy to assist you.
Thank you.