Leadership is a skill that can be honed

As a freshman basketball player in college and being the youngest on a team of interns at DragonTree Media, I’ve quickly learned that there is a reset point at many moments of an individual's life.  

At one moment, an individual could be on the top of the world and then the very next, at the bottom of the food chain. I’ve learned that in order to be given the status of a leadership role, there must be sacrifice and willingness within an individual.  

This could mean a player on a basketball team is willing to sacrifice one's points per game if it will lead the team to a win. In a professional workspace setting, that could mean sacrificing one’s ego and taking a smaller role on an assignment or project until more responsibility can be entrusted to them.

When thinking about leadership, I like to think about ancient civilizations, more specifically the hunter and gatherer civilizations. The hunters would risk their lives for this civilization by fighting crazy animals to bring back food for the tribe. In return, they got the first choice of food and ate as much as they wanted. The individuals who essentially did nothing for the tribe had scraps for food. 

For me, I have realized the importance of sacrifice and willingness through my recent internship. I’m currently the youngest on a team of interns at DragonTree Media Group. Early on, I won’t really get the opportunity to take the lead on some assignments that the other interns are receiving. I’ll play a smaller part until the managers feel more entrusted in me to take a bigger role or possibly the lead role in a future assignment or project. DragonTree provides me with a safe space to learn and grow and I am excited to take on bigger projects as I continue to develop.

These sacrifices have been made by humans throughout the years and that's why they have their leadership roles and are considered the alpha of their groups. As Simon Sinek once said, “The responsibility of leadership is not taken, it is given.” Throughout history, all of these people have sacrificed their egos and individual goals for the betterment of the team or group, and it has paid them back in some pretty incredible ways.