From Personal Growth to Community Impact: my Journey as a Leader
Student-Author: Elias Mliha Touati (France) in the course Co-Creative Organizational Leadership – Spring 2023 – #GenZ, tales from Finland collection
I had always been a natural leader. From a young age, I followed my father’s advice, who taught me the importance of working hard and persevering to achieve my goals. Over the years, I developed leadership skills, becoming a role model for my friends and classmates. I was respected and admired for my insight, creativity, and determination. I always followed my father’s advice, who taught me to always remain pragmatic, even in the most difficult times. One day, I was invited to attend a leadership conference hosted by a renowned technology company. I had always been interested in the technology world, and I decided to take this opportunity to learn more about the leadership strategies that had made this company successful.
At the conference, I was immediately impressed with the presentation by the company’s CEO. The CEO had a very personal approach to leadership, emphasizing the importance of empathy, compassion, and active listening. I was fascinated by how the CEO was able to inspire and motivate his employees to achieve ambitious goals. After the conference, I had the opportunity to meet the CEO. I asked him questions about his leadership philosophy and the challenges he had faced in his career. The CEO responded with honesty and shared anecdotes about the difficult times he had to overcome to lead his company to success.
I was inspired by the CEO’s words and began to think about how I could apply these leadership principles to my own life. I began to take the initiative and become more involved in school and community projects. Over time, I developed a reputation as a reliable leader. I was known for my hard work ethic, commitment to the community, and ability to inspire others. I had earned the trust and respect of my peers and teachers.
One day, I was elected president of my student union. I was proud of this accomplishment, but I was also aware of the responsibility that came with this title. I knew that I had to be an example to other students and that I had to work hard to achieve the goals of the association. During my tenure, I demonstrated exceptional leadership. I worked closely with my colleagues to organize successful events and to raise funds for important causes such as humanitarianism. I have also ensured that the concerns and interests of all members of the association are taken into account, by holding regular meetings and listening carefully to their ideas and opinions. One of the biggest challenges I faced as president was organizing a major fundraising campaign for a charity. I worked closely with my colleagues to develop a solid strategic plan and to mobilize the community around our cause. Through our determination and hard work, we were finally able to raise a significant amount of money for the charity. This experience taught me the importance of organization and planning and the value of teamwork.
After completing my term as president, I continued to be involved in school and community projects. I also began to consider my professional future, focusing on careers that would allow me to use my leadership skills to make a positive difference in the world.
In the future I sincerely wish to do meaningful work that will serve as many people as possible, although many of my family and friends see it differently and prefer that I focus on a personal career, my education, and personal experiences tend towards another path that I find will be more beneficial to others and that I personally enjoy. Through the teachings of my father and the inspiring guidance of the CEO of the technology company, I was able to develop a clear vision of my leadership goals and priorities. Today, I am proud to say that I am on a successful path, and I want to share it with as many people as possible.
References
Mliha Touati, E. (2023). Personal experience.