Confidence

It is my opinion that the most important thing a leader can be is confident.
I can tell you now that I haven’t always been a leader, nor have I always been confident. You wouldn’t be able to tell now, but I used to be a very shy person. As a kid I often enjoyed playing alone or with one other person rather than in large groups. I didn’t play many sports in high school (mostly due to my lack of ability, which holds true to this day); instead I worked at one of the grocery stores in my home town of Eau Claire. It was that job where my journey to becoming a leader began. Well sort of…
My journey really began when I was a boy scout where I had the opportunity to lead people; I just wasn’t very good at it then. I would often do projects myself rather than delegate the tasks. That is why I say my journey didn’t begin until high school.
I used to work at Copps. I started off as a bagger and worked my way up to a front end supervisor position. I was in charge of making sure all of the cashiers and baggers got their breaks on time and to make sure the small odds and ends jobs got done. This is where I began to come out of my shell and enjoy working with other people.
It wasn’t until my second semester that I was more confident and was able to really begin being a leader. I attribute a large part of that to a class, Communication 101. I think a lot of students wouldn’t agree with me that this is one of the best courses offered, but let me explain my reasons. A leader needs to be able to speak in front of their subordinates. I have always had something to say, whether it is in class or in an informal setting, but I never felt comfortable saying it. Comm 101 forced me to get in front of a group of my peers and say something.
The first time I had to give a speech I was a nervous wreck. I was pacing all over the place and stumbling over my words. By my final speech I was confident and felt like I could argue the best orators out there. I probably wouldn’t win, but I would have a great time doing it. Before that class I couldn’t imagine myself talking to a group of people I had never met. Today I give tours to prospective students and their families and absolutely love it.
I highly encourage you to take that class as soon as you can. Not to get it out of the way, but because you will learn a lot about yourself and you will leave it feeling like you can speak in front of just about anyone. Like I stated before, confidence is the name of the game. If you can confidently speak people will listen to you and you will be a more effective leader.