A leader is someone that many people look to for direction, guidance, and inspiration. It is important for leaders to have the ability to make difficult decisions and do what is right for the people. A higher sense of authority is needed for supervising and regulating others, as well as being an example of a hard and dedicated worker. As a senior in high school, it is your duty to play the role of a leader. This is because you are the individuals that most represent the school as a whole. You are the individuals that underclassmen look up to. And lastly you are the individuals that set the standard for the school including work ethic, attitude, and participation. All good leaders are expected to have certain characteristics.

Character is arguably the most important characteristic of a leader. A person’s true character is shown when they are put in a difficult situation. A good leader with character and composure in tough situations will have many followers. When asked what her first instinct is when faced with a tough situation, senior Ashley Sulkin said, “I play back the situation in my head without anyone influencing me. I focus on my morals and ethics and make a decision based on what I believe is right.” Ashley, like many other seniors, has the mindset of a true leader. She follows her instinct in tough situations. Ashley is setting the example for the underclassmen, knowing that someday they will need to fill the seniors’ shoes as leaders.

The second characteristic is competence. Having competence means that you know what must be done. This quality is vital for a leader because they need to know how to command others. I previously interviewed a close adult friend of mine, Debbie Davidson, who is a mother of two boys. She plays a huge leadership role as a mother. When I ask her how she teaches competence to her children, she said, “Everything I do, I try and do it right. That way I am teaching my kids without physically telling them that it is important to try and do things the right way.” This lesson is very important for parents to teach their kids. It is something that applies to seniors in high school as well. When seniors perform tasks in school the right way and to the best of their ability, they’re teaching underclassmen the standard that is expected of students in high school. Hopefully the underclassmen will follow in their footsteps.

Thirdly, compassion is important very important. When a leader shows people compassion, they will be more trusting of the decisions that he or she makes. Compassion is always a necessity when gaining ones trust. Seniors have to respect the underclassmen and not have a pompous attitude towards them. This characteristic reminds me of my soccer team. I was a captain this year and for me to gain my teammates’ trust, I had to be the friend they could lean on first, before I became the leader that they grew to respect. True compassion from a leader will always lead to trust from their followers.

Every senior class will improve the reputation of their school and set the bar high for future generations if they stick to their instinct and self morals. Seniors that are strong individuals that aren’t afraid of making their internal moral decisions public, contribute to their class and their school tremendously. Effective leaders must have character, competence, and compassion. These characteristics are the factors that give someone the capability to successfully lead. Character allows you to make the right choices. Competence is the ability to know your job and what needs to be done. And compassion is a fairness and respect for your followers.