Hello ladies and gentlemen, as I look into your bright faces, I am proud to be here to talk about aspects that can make you rise and be the best. It was 18 years ago that I sat in this very space you are in today about to be installed as head boy of C.I. Gibson. Therefore, I can identify with the honor and excitement you are felling right now.
As high school leaders, you are already on the path to success; therefore, I am only guiding you to be steadfast, resilient, and innovative leaders. The four most outstanding traits that you should strive for include being a visionary, possessing the ability to accept failure, be dedicated to continuous improvement, and be adaptive to changing situations. You can manage to fit the archetype of an excellent leader by combining these abilities to overcome barriers and attain success.
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An excellent leader is a visionary person. In this sense, you should firmly believe in each activity that you tackle. For one to have a robust vision, one should not be afraid to encounter barriers that others might find impossible to surpass ( Goleman, 2012) . Again, an excellent leader will always serve diligently even when things are going wrong. They approach a problem from a new angle until they find a probable solution that works. Take the example of Elon Musk, who believes that one has to fail to innovate (Urban, 2015). He has demonstrated several times how he constantly adapts and reviews his strategies to get the right formula. One aspect Musk always appears to get correct is his passion for continuous improvement. For example, he acknowledges feedback as a way of becoming a better leader. Musk encourages his team and invites people to give him constructive feedback. A focus on such truthful feedback improves Musk, his team, and the entire organization. Musk fits the archetype of an excellent leader since he is able to combine his abilities to overcome barriers and attain success. He has made sustainable progress in the technological domain as he always seeks to learn and improve. As a leader, he has set a good example for many upcoming entrepreneurs
A leader should be willing to adapt to changing environments and situations. Situational leadership is an adaptive leadership technique. The strategy inspires leaders to account for their team members, examine the variables in the organization, and select a leadership style that best enables problem-solving (McCleskey, 2014). Situational leadership is flexible. It adapts to the current work environment and needs of a situation. The leader modifies his/her style according to the needs of the environment. It means that you strive to be instrumental and expressive leaders. An instrumental leader is one who focuses on attaining goals. Such a leader endeavors to maintain productivity and ensure tasks are finished effectively ( Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014) . An instrumental leader makes a good manager since they get the job done. However, as they are so focused on the job, they tend to alienate people around them. Contrarily, an expressive leader focuses on preserving group cohesion. Expressive leaders attempt to maintain friendly relationships, warmth and look after the well-being of other people. Such leaders make good bosses since they have genuine care for their workers ( Treglown et al., 2020) . However, they can lack organizational skills and efficiency. By combining both traits, you can become exceptional leaders in your respective fields.
As I close this speech, I want to give you practical tips that will help with your future trajectories. I know the future seems unknown to us right now. You should stop worrying about it or even get scared of it. Just make sure you find someone who will guide you through life and most likely towards the future. You should also know that life is not always fair, you will fail more than once; but during my time in this school I learnt that nothing is a failure. What you failed in was not just meant to be. Do not be afraid to face the future because fear only blinds us, take risks and step up in tough times, push away that fear in you. Most importantly believe in yourself and you will succeed in the future, stop whatever fear you have and instead spend that time in living, exploring and working. Believe in yourself and your abilities to make courageous choices and believe that you will leave a legacy at everything you do. Keep your eyes ahead at what you want in the future and don’t lose that focus no matter the distractions that life throws at you, Run your own race and you will get there. By doing this, you will be just okay and instead of dreaming, wake up and do it. This mentality will not only make you powerful, it will also make you the most successful people of this generation in this society.
I want to thank the faculty for giving me the opportunity to speak to these bright minds. It is important to note that what I have said to you is not written in stone, it is merely a guideline that will help you become steadfast, resilient, and innovative leaders. I have full confidence that you will attain your goals as you have already reached this far. You are already leaders, and that is really outstanding. I commend for you that. Continue being visionaries and I hope to encounter you soon. Thank you all!
References
Goleman, D., Welch, S., & Welch, J. (2012). What makes a leader? (pp. 93-102). New York: Findaway World, LLC.
Nanjundeswaraswamy, T. S., & Swamy, D. R. (2014). Leadership styles. Advances in Management, 7 (2), 57-62.
Treglown, L., Cuppello, S., Darby, J., Bendriem, S., Mackintosh, S., Ballaigues, M., ... & Furnham, A. (2020). What Makes a Leader? An Investigation into the Relationship between Leader Emergence and Effectiveness. Psychology , 11 (9), 1381-1400..
Urban, T. (2015). Elon Musk: The World’s Raddest Man. Wait But Why .
McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly , 5(4), 117
