“What do you need to become a leader?” by Ella Lent-Koop, Mountain View Moddle School

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”(John Quincy Adams). I am not completely sure what career I want to hold, but as a 12 year old I know that I want to be a helper. The characteristics that I believe I need to become a leader are humility, willingness to learn and hard-work.
Humility is the most important characteristic of a leader. To have humility, one has to understand that they don’t know all of the answers and be willing to ask the “whys”. Leaders need to think of themselves less often and think of others more. The best leaders all have humility. One leader that I look to and feel inspired by everyday is my Dad. My Dad shows humility everyday and is learning from those who work for him and who he works for. When one is willing to ask the “whys”, they will learn something and then in return they can be asked the “whys”. Having humility uncovers the willingness to learn.
“Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.”(unknown). When one starts asking the “whys” they realize that they have something to learn. A leader is always learning and needs to be willing to learn. All great leaders are lifelong learners so that are always getting better. A great example is Lionel Messi, one of the greatest soccer players in history. No matter what he does, he does not stop learning. He does not stop and say that he is good enough, he is always striving for more and to be better. But the leaders that are lifelong learners are hard-working. They don’t just lay back and see it happen in front of their eyes, they work hard to improve.
Hard-work, determination, and drive are characteristics of leaders who have the humility to ask the “whys” and have willingness to learn. Learning and improving takes effort. Lebron James works hard to get to where he is. Martin Luther King Jr. had to work to get to where he ended up. Improvement and change will happen will consistent effort and struggle. The transformation from an average to an elite coworker or soccer player will occur when one is willing to work hard every day for it. A person who is not willing to put the effort into their sport or job and is not wanting to improve upon themselves is not and will never be a leader.
I look to leaders everyday and all of them have gotten to where they are by having humility, the willingness to learn, and hard-work. These qualities are a circle of improvement, humility will uncover questions, which uncovers willingness to learn, which leads to hard-work, which then ultimately leads to more questions. I know that I will get to where I want to be and become a great leader with these qualities.

Ella’s essay is the first of five. Watch for more to come . . .