Research indicates that students can boost their leadership skills during the college years and that increases in leadership development in turn enhance the self efficacy, civic engagement, character development, academic performance, and personal development of students, yet if leadership is not handled properly can lead to mental pressure, conflicts, failure and disambiguation of the team. (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Benson & Saito, 2001; Fertman & Van Linden, 1999; Komives, Owen, Longerbeam, Mainella, & osteen, 2005; Scales & Leffort, 1999; Sipe, Ma, & Gambone, 1998; Van Lin- den & Fertman, 1998).
The research article I have mentioned puts enthusiasm in you to be a leader yet warns you of it drawback. I can say from my experience also that being a leader helps oneself in many different ways but still there can be drawbacks of being a leader too+.
There are many people who have motivated and warned us about being a Leader, by giving their views over leadership and some of them are mentioned below:
- “Good leaders make people feel that they’re at the very heart of things, not at the periphery. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens people feel centred and that gives their work meaning and if that does not happen, it disintegrates them and puts bad blood among them.” ~ Warren Bennis
- “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Either you make them feel good or bad.” ~ George W. Goethals
- “It’s not empowerment that’s magic, it’s accountability. Give people responsibility and the resource to get something done. Let them understand that they will be held accountable for it, that you are expecting those results, and that they are going to share in the success. Then watch what happens. But if they feel that leader is least interested or not in control they will hold him accountable” ~ Brian Tracy
- “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. If that is the case you are not doing your job well.” ~ Ralph Nader
- “The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point that they eventually surpass him or her in knowledge and ability; and not the one who will just ask his followers to blindly follow instructions.” ~ Fred A. Manske, Jr.
- “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion. If you lack this then too you might be a leader but not an effective one” ~ Jack Welch
- “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. And if it’s not a case then step down and let somebody else to lead.” ~ John Quincy Adams
These phrases mentioned are not only words but the values that these people have implemented in their lives and became great and successful leaders. A leader can delegate the “grunt work” to his group, while devoting his own time to deciding on the best actions for the group. Leaders also get a deal of recognition and sometimes fame. This can be nice for those who appreciate attention. On the other hand, leaders can be blamed for failures, and often have a good deal more stress than the followers.
From my own experience I can say that properly managed, team leaders can be effective members of the group. They are people who have to thoroughly train themselves on the details of their work as he/she will be the one who will be held accountable. They should work well with people and handle tasks with authority and maturity. Team leaders serve as first-line supervisors who will assist their group of people to accomplish their task, as well as report to the in-charges on behalf of their group.
The purpose of narrating all these is because I just want you to know that “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” and if one fails there can be severe consequences of it. The points that I would like to discuss now are all related to pro’s and con’s of being a student team leader.
- Marks
Team leaders often enjoy an increased percentage of marks in comparison to their group mates. While positive results from the right team leader makes can even help the group members score better marks in comparison to other groups, negative results from a poorly placed team leader turns everything in negative and even effects the marks of group leader as well as the group members.
- Experience
Quality team leaders often have good amount of knowledge of the matters and problem he or his group members are going to solve and are comfortable dealing with problems and difficulties and other severe aspects. They know how to manage the issues among group members or between different groups, resolve issues and accomplish tasks with quality methods. But if the leader if leader is not able to handle such situations he may make it even worse.
When leader is able to handle such issues he gains experience and in turn, benefits from his experiences.
- Independence
To achieve success, team leaders often have more independence and flexibility in their positions. But if the independence and flexibility not used wisely can lead to clashes and disintegration of team.
- Placement
The experience of leadership and values and lessons you learn from leading a team can help you get a job opportunity. Companies do search for students who are extrovert and have good leadership qualities and experiences. And hence it can help you in placement process. If you were just a leader and not a quality leader than you might get placement in some company but you will face problems related to leadership as you had no experience in handling situations.
Concluding this I would like to say that “Successful team leaders can streamline the daily activities and help you achieve great things, while struggling team leaders can cause more challenges than warranted.”
BY BASMAH ANSARI
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