9. Leadership then & now

My idea of leadership when I was in elementary school was basically seeing leaders as authority.  I knew that they were in charge and that I had to listen to them.  People in leadership over me were "cool," and I looked up to them.  As a kid, I never really saw their perspective of things.  I saw their position as their job, so they must love it and they must be good at it.  I never really thought about how hard it could and all the challenges they would face.  Now that I'm in leadership and I'm a lot older, I see things from their perspective.  For leaders over me, I am the kind of person who notices when they may be struggling or when things could be hard for them.  As a leader myself, I know from experience how hard it is to be a a leader sometimes.  I see leadership as less of something you are born into and more of something you work towards.  I am learning everyday what it means to be a leader.  I see leadership as less than just an authority and more of a time of challenge and growth.  Maturity with age is one cause for the shift.  I have grown older and am more aware of other people.  I see people as more than just their position.  I've also shifted my thinking because I have become close to some of the leaders in my life and gotten to know a little more about what it means to them to lead.  Also, I am a leader now myself, and I am learning different aspects to leadership that I never would have thought of.  It is such a sacrifice, and so much more than being in "authority" over people.  It is a lifestyle.  To be an effective leader, you can't just see it as a position, you must see it as a way of living.  You have to be in 100% or not at all.