I have read passages from great leaders who have mentioned that leadership is a very lonely thing. I have vague memories of my father talking about this, and slightly more recent experiences with Dr. Zimmer; they both pretty much said the same thing.
It’s human nature to want people to like you, to fit in, to be accepted. The very idea of protecting yourself from being an outcast goes back to our earliest ancestors; to be cast out of the clan meant almost certain death in a very harsh world.
My dad never put it in those terms, but he often spoke quietly with me about not sacrificing my values and ethics in order to temporarily placate somebody else. It’s tough enough for adults to overcome this, but (as Dr. Zimmer pointed out) ten-times more difficult for a teenager, when peer pressure is stifling.
I have been assigned the task of leading a group of people, and many times I must forcibly remind myself that my job is not to make everyone happy all the time, but to do what is right. It means often sacrificing short-term popularity, and that’s hard…but necessary.
It’s best to remember that what you are giving up IS truly short-lived; the person you have appeased will eventually move on and want you to give in again on an entirely different issue, while you must live with your decisions for the rest of your life.
Not everyone has the strength - the guts, really - to take on leadership. However, if I’m able to help even one person, to influence a decision that helps others, then it’s worth the lonely seat at the top.
(Now it’s your turn, Galahad fans. What do you think of Triana’s thoughts on leadership? Have you ever struggled with a decision because you knew it would be unpopular, yet you also knew it was the right thing to do? This is your forum, so speak your mind.)
I think the part about “what you’re giving up is short lived” is very true.
Dom outside of his books encourages kids not to “dumb down” just to be cool.
so don’t sacrifice something that might haunt you forever, but make the right
decision now.
Plus, if you make the right decision, someone else might agree with you. Maybe
even someone who had thought the same thing was afraid to open up and be
different, but your speaking up helped them to speak their mind.
I think leadership is a chance to stand up and it is important it makes you
feel known but popularity is big to some people but it really is just a
feeling of being liked.
I think being a leader is such a great thing. It doesn’t matter if you’re
popular or not, you’re a leader who does the right thing. Because other people
look up to you and then soon you get all the friends. Being popular just puts
you in the wrong. At first you get all the friends, but then sooner or
later… your friends start to realize what the leader is doing, and then the
popular people lose at their own game. So be proud id you’re a leader, fight
for the right!
I think Triana should be honored as being a leader. Being a leader is a chance
that you could have if you’re not acting silly and turning the plan upside
down. Being popular is what most people want to be. They want to be part of
the cool crew and they want to like by other people. A popular kid would be
mean to the other kids that weren’t strong. They would make fun of the geeks,
nerds and losers of the school. Being the leader is an awesome chance too, so
take advantage of it.