WRITING LEADING

During production day I like to make small talk with the other newspaper members. I feel overall this is where a lot of the connections I made started, and I feel as though having such a small staff it was easy to get to know everyone. I think during class time I could have spent more time connecting with my peers, as I only really tackled them when we were having big group meetings and not one on one. It has always felt a little awkward working in a leadership role when around peers. It can be hard to be a boss when we are all the same age (sometimes people are even older than me. Overall, I think it is more important to be respected. Maybe it is just because the word “popular” instantly reminds me of Mean Girls, but I believe having mutual respect for everyone creates a more kind and professional atmosphere, while still having fun.

As I can be a bit of a control freak, being a leader is something I enjoy. Being a control freak can also make leadership difficult, as when something isn't being done the way I feel it should be, it can be hard to tell my peers that (as I don't want to seem ruthless). But as long as you take a deep breath and approach with an open mind, I find things work out in the end.

To create an award-winning publication month after month, teamwork finds itself to be vital. There is no way to put together an entire newspaper if we can't all work together to share ideas and keep each other on top of work. We all must help each other out when someone needs to find an interview or get a photo. And making sure we can all communicate and be nice to each other, makes not only a clean newspaper but an award-winning one.

I do agree that having a vision is vital in leadership. Many people look up to leaders to guide them a certain way, or be their rock when they need some support, and when you do not have a clear vision it can be hard to do any of these things. You may find yourself astray otherwise, and unsure what to do. However, I think the essence of leadership is cooperation. To be a leader you have to think about the people you are leading. You must be able to relate with them to better speak up for what they want. Nobody wants a dictator.