Leadership Lecture

Who are your leaders? The first thought that arises in most people’s mind would be their parents or someone who is a positive influence in society. This is how Chris Lowey introduced his lecture about leadership on Monday. He then went on and asked the audience if anyone considered themselves a leader. This was a surprising thought to me. Ever since I was younger a leader was always thought to be someone older, wiser, and influential in society. I never have considered myself a leader.
Lowey is a very successful man. He has been a Jesuit in formation for seven years, has doctoral degree from Mary Mount Manhattan University as well as the University of Great Falls, and he works for the very prestigious JP Morgan. To gain all this success he had to be a leader in his own life to achieve all these goals. He reminds us that everyone should be their own leader. He also gave four aspects of a leader. One aspect of a leader was to know about themselves. This is very important because if you don’t know who you are and what your strengths and weaknesses are then how can you help and lead others in the right direction. Another aspect was willing to adapt to change. In life things never stay the same so having the ability to change to our ever changing society is a very important aspect of being a leader. The third aspect was heroism. When I think of heroism a super hero usually comes to mind. The lecture showed me that being a hero is not what it is in the movies but it can be as simple as knowing when to do the right thing. The last and most important aspect of being a leader is to love the people you lead. If there is no love for the people you lead they will not follow you and listen to what you have to say.
Attending a Jesuit institution such as Loyola will give me the opportunity to become a leader not only in the classroom but in the areas surrounding the campus. It is part of the Jesuit’s mission statement to enrich not only the intellectual being but also the being as a whole. This is important because during the speech Lowey went on by saying you can’t enter the world without first going through school and life; education can only take you so far. Loyola will give me experiences I couldn’t receive any where else. It will show me the city of Baltimore and show me life outside where I live and what I am use too. On Tuesday we discussed how traveling to the city will help us eliminate bias in our lives. It will help us see everyone as an individual and help us have an open mind when meeting people instead of judging them before we get to know them. This is an aspect of life and knowing the world around us.
Lowey gave the dictionary definition of being a leader, “pointing out a goal and pursuing it.” This made me believe that I can really become a leader in my life if I put my mind to it. Being a leader is usually associated with power and authority but during the lecture he encouraged everyone to be their own leader and not wait around for someone to follow and take control of your own hopes and dreams.
Leaders are seen in many aspects of literature. An example of a leader could be Kahu in the Whale Rider. Even though she was young and wouldn’t normally be considered a leader she pointed out her goal of making her grandfather happy and pursued it. When the whale was being beached she didn’t wait around for anyone else to take charge of the situation, she took control herself.
There are not enough leaders in the world and there are too many followers. This lecture made me realize that as long as I stick to my goals and believe in myself people will follow in my footsteps and then they will become leaders themselves.