Growing up in communities with distinct cultural backgrounds and ideas toward influence has significantly affected and shifted my understanding of leadership, as well as what it means to be a leader.

Recently, I have been re-evaluating what being a leader means to me as I completed my cover letter for the year 12 leadership positions.

Originally, I thought being a leader means being the best at something.

I attended a private primary school in southeastern China. It was a big school full of talented people with different ideas, hobbies, and strengths. I have always wanted to be the one that stands out to the community; therefore, I started to pay close attention to things that get acknowledged as positive and influential. In my community, we emphasize our individual strengths and we aim to become a role model in that particular area. For instance, I remember receiving a green badge for being the best at cleaning up in class. It was something small, but I wore the badge with pride, and I was determined to encourage people around me to look after our classroom. This was a motivation for me to use my strength to make positive outcomes in the community. From being the organizer of the class’s hygiene routine to the leader of the health inspection team, I was able to achieve my goal of standing out because I was the best at something. My community picks up on small strengths and makes them shine. We highly value the unique strengths in individuals because we believe all of us have the potential to make positive contributions to the community.

My experiences of being a leader in primary school gave me a good foundation as well as the confidence to go for leadership positions later on when I moved to Australia. However, as I undertook more opportunities to be a leader, I realised that being able to be the best at something is not enough.

As I grew up, being a leader meant giving and treating everyone in the team as equal, so that they have the same motivation to make positive outcomes as you do.

I was fortunate enough to lead a project called “take three for the sea,” where we recycled and created a sculpture using rubbish that had been collected by the community during hikes. In the beginning, we were hesitant because of our general impression of rubbish, but as I started putting my hands into the project, everyone in the team followed. In the end, we were highly satisfied by the final product, because it was the combination of everyone's ideas, we all felt it was a part of our own. That was when I realized the significance of giving and keeping everyone in the group company rather than trying to stand out as an individual.

Now, being a leader to me means taking responsibilities, giving to the best of your ability and looking after the team. I know this will be constantly changing as I become more experienced, but I also know that I will always seek help from my community to become a better leader.

So, what does being a leader mean to you?