Mahatma Gandhi was a great leader who is known for leading the Independence Movement in the fight against the British colonialists in India. Gandhi portrayed desirable leadership qualities in fighting for the freedom of the people and the country at large. There are three key lessons that I learned about leading from Gandhi. They are ethics, equality and listening to others or understanding the needs of others which I can apply in my current role of teaching English as a second language (ESL).
Gandhi’s leadership was guided by ethics. Ethics entails many values. These are honesty, kindness, fairness, perseverance, humility, enthusiasm, confidence and inspiration. As a teacher, to be ethical is a professional expectation. Having confidence in my students and in myself will make my work easier. Believing in my students will lead to trust in themselves and confidence in whatever they do. Students learning English as a second language can tend to lose confidence in themselves when they constantly fail the tests. Perseverance is also what I have learned about leading. Gandhi was resilient despite being belittled and he eventually succeeded in his mission. Being ambitious is all it takes to achieve one’s goal. I face many challenges in my role as a teacher, especially as a second language teacher. Some students are reluctant or lack interest in learning English while others miss classes intentionally. I have learned that perseverance brings positive results and by applying it in my current role, I will achieve success. Honesty are values that I can also use in my current roles. Gandhi won peoples trust by being honest even in his actions.
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Equality is the second lesson I have learned about leading; that a great leader should be fair and just in their roles. Being fair and just as a teacher will enable me to create unity among the students. I learnt that Gandhi treated everyone with fairness and he also fought for equality in the country; that men and women should all be treated equally. I notice that males lack interest in learning English which has led to some of my classes having many female students than male students. Applying equality in my role as a teacher will help the few male learners in class not to feel inferior. Also, giving them equal opportunities despite the gender balance will enable me to achieve my goals as a teacher. Equality will help build confidence and inspire the male students.
Gandhi was a humble leader who lived with the poor. He even dressed like a poor person despite his position as a political leader. I learnt that Gandhi was empathetic in his leadership and it helped him draw a huge following in his fight for equality and against the British colonialists. Empathy involves listening to others and understanding other people’s needs. As a teacher, I will apply humility in my role. Being free with my students will enable them to open up to me about what they face either at home or at school and it will enable me to gain their trust and understand their needs. Gandhi’s art of achieving his objectives through non-violent act was also fascinating. I learnt that he was an intelligent man; that the art of listening to others is all it takes to achieve the expected goal without violence. Listening will help me solve issues among students which will avoid situations like some being involved in strikes and others developing a negative attitude towards the subject.
In conclusion, to achieve the set objectives as a leader, one needs to be determined despite the many challenges that may arise. This is portrayed by the leadership of Gandhi. I learnt that having ethics, being empathetic and embracing equality makes a good leader and I believe that applying these lessons in my role as a will enable me to achieve my goals.
