What Leadership Means to Me?

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” -Lao Tzu. A leader realizes that the success is of my team and the failures are all mine. A leader inspires a team to see the successes to come, and must hold themselves accountable if a goal isn’t met. I’ve had seven plus years of success leading the financial services and banking operations. Over the years I’ve developed a blend of real world and education leadership experiences that has molded my character. Specifically, the three following traits truly encompass what leadership means to me: Strategy, Integrity, and Change Management. Starting as early as middle school I walked a different path than most of my peers. I was placed in the Talented and Gifted Program commonly known by its acronym as TAG. That program built upon the innate talents my classmates and I possessed, however the most important lesson learned was strategy. We played chess in teams on Friday and I soon reigned victorious among my peers. At that time I viewed it as fun and games, not realizing its importance. Great leaders master the art of strategy. A leader provides the vision for an organization and must strategize to implement their visions. In one quick move, the playing field changes and a leader must anticipate what is to come and formulate a strategy to overcome those obstacles. During all four years of undergraduate at Troy University in Troy, AL I was a leadership scholar. I worked for several professors in the accounting and finance field and quickly learned each day not to expect a set routine. Change is the only guaranteed constant. However, when implementing change great leaders realize that change must be measurable, realistic and achievable. More importantly, who is affected by the change and