"Have you always been a Leader?"

  I was surprised when my research partner asked me this question yesterday. Then I thought to myself, why was I surprised by the question?
  I am truly a lifelong learner. I think anyone with the spirit for entrepreneurship can classify him or herself as one. A few years ago, when I went back to school, I surely did not see myself as one even though I had leadership responsibilities in the retail industry. I would have to say that I did not gain any confidence until after I left high school. It was not that high school was traumatic, I just figured, why add to the drama?
  After high school, I slowly worked on my abilities to be a good worker and to be useful to the particular boss I had to follow at the time. Like anyone else, I have put up with my fair share of good and bad leaders. It was not like picking out good and evil people like the movies, it was more like, this person is great at this or I like this behavior versus that behavior does not work in this scenario.
  I have also made my fair share of small and large mistakes. They were risks that I took and learned from them. Experience helps to shape the type of leader we want to be but that is only part of the story.
  There comes a moment in time when you choose to become a leader but in doing so for the sake of the greater good and the organization versus the ego. Fulfilling the needs of the ego in a business environment leads to less satisfaction with the end result. For me, there has to be value tied to taking on the leadership role.
  Where did my leadership opportunities come from? Most of it has been from volunteer opportunities. I have helped out various private and public school students in the past. I did not only teach the subject, I was also teaching soft skills that were important to that subject area. I also volunteered as a science fair judge and on regional science fair committees. I found I really liked being part of a group where the end goal was to make sure that students had opportunities engage in science.
  As I became more involved in retail, I took on a variety of roles. When I left Sears in Massachusetts, the staff was calling me #1 (yes, after Riker on Star Trek Next Generation) because I had become my boss's right hand. I enjoyed the problem-solving aspects of working retail and took those skills with me to Staples when I moved to Virginia. I have been a Human Resources Lead and an Electronics Supervisor. Each role had varying degrees of leadership responsibility.

Leadership skills may also be developed at conferences.

  Moving on several years, it seems that I am in several leadership positions but in a very different aspect. I took on leadership roles because no one else was doing them or interested. Leadership is not only about experience, it is also about having the guts to stand up and say, "I will do it." Since then, I have focused on getting the Society of Physics Student Chapter at my college back on it's feet and mentoring the next round of students to understand the importance of an having active chapter and maintaining it. I am also a Senator in student government, a role I never would have seen coming my way a couple of years ago. However, I enjoy both of these roles and I hope I am giving a voice and an accurate representation to do so.
  Leaders aren't born, they are made. This is one of the reasons why, even though they exist, that young leaders are not all that common. When you look at the Board of Directors of any company or organization, the majority of those roles are filled by people over 40.
  Listed below is a set of beliefs that I have learned and hope to pass on to future leaders.

• Make sure your expectations are communicated properly and clearly.
• Never ask anyone to do something that you have not done before or would not be willing to do yourself.
• Make sure you communicate your appreciation for your co-worker's or employee's efforts, gifts, and talents. 
• Don't finger-point or single someone out. You are on a team, it is everyone's problem. 
• When you feel that someone you work with has hit a roadblock or a behavior problem, ask, "what can I do to help you through this?" 

  I especially feel that the last point is important. Sometimes, by opening up a conversation in such a way that does not put the person on defensive, can lead to greater strides in employee improvement and morale. I believe that you would call this skill, support. Support is one of the best leadership skills that can be developed. If your employee feels supported by you, they will generally make greater strides in maintaining that relationship with you.