I’m sure you sat in an elementary school classroom at one point in your life in the month of December and your teacher gave you a blank white piece of paper. After being instructed to fold and cut it, you later opened it and noticed that you made a snowflake. Your teacher then went on and pointed out that everyone’s snowflake looked a little different. No snowflake is exactly the same, yet they are equally as beautiful.
There is something magical about how one snowflake couldn’t be noticed lying on the ground alone. Snow only becomes noticeable when it all stick together and collects to form a glistening blanket on the sidewalk. Snowflakes and leaders aren’t too different.
No snowflake is the same, and neither is every leader. You bring your own unique talents and traits to every group, friendship, and conversation you are a part of. There is no perfect list of traits that make the perfect leader. When you use whatever your our skill set may be to better your own life and the lives of those around you, you are a leader.
I think this is something I struggled with myself for a long time. I was never the loudest person in a room who could stand in front of a big group of people and be charismatic. I never sat in the front of the room, raised my hand first, or went out of my way to initiate conversation with others. Because of my introverted personality I always thought of myself as less of a leader compared to those who were comfortable with being the center of attention. Over the years I have become more comfortable with my own leadership style. I have come to recognize that I am just as much of a leader as anyone else.
The magic truly happens though when different leadership styles come together. Just as snow can only be seen when it all comes together, leaders are only effective when they can combine their strengths.
The good news is you don’t have to be great at everything! We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Take the time to develop relationships with those who are completely different than yourself. These relationships can be the perfect leadership balance to a team; when you’re able to find someone whose strengths are your weaknesses and vice versa, you are so much stronger than you would be alone.
Remember, leadership comes in all different shapes and sizes; there is no perfect leader. Use your unique strengths to promote positivity around you. Lastly, you will be better together than you ever will be alone; lean on each other for support.