Are you working in a group project or on a sports team? Leadership is required in our daily lives no matter what profession you go into. You may not be a boss, big-time CEO or team captain, but you definitely will use leadership skills at some point.

If you’re an upperclassman, then leadership is already quite frequent in your life. As a freshman, you may wonder how you can be a leader right now and you might say to yourself, “I am brand new, I do not know much, and I am young, so how can I possibly lead?,” or you may even think you already are a great leader.

Everyone has natural skills and talents, whether it be public speaking, athleticism, charisma or another attribute. However, all of these can also be trained and worked on. A strong vocabulary and well-formulated writing develops through practice and studying the same way that building muscle or endurance is gained through hard work and effort. 

Every amazing leader in the world and your own life started at the beginning of “not knowing” and “being new.” They decided on what kind of a leader they wanted to be and began working towards it. They made a dream into a goal and strived for it. Just because you are “new” or “young” doesn’t mean you can’t begin to practice and develop leadership skills. 

All the leaders you admire started from scratch and the first step they took was to figure out what kind of a leader they already were. The only way to figure this out is to begin leading. 

Figure out what works for you and what works to motivate or encourage others. Leading requires a lot of communication between you and your team. Leading does not mean you have to be in a position of power either, you can lead in your everyday life. For example, you could set up a carpool schedule to go to Howling Cow Creamery or volunteer for a big speech.

Just try taking command and see how people respond. Whether positive or negative, feedback is how you grow and improve, so don’t take it too lightly or too harshly. Glassdoor, the popular job search website, creates a list of reasons why employers search for strong leaders and the attributes those leaders possess. 

Most of you are probably amazed at how quickly time passes in college. Think back through your last semester and all the opportunities you had to be a leader and improve yourself. What kind of a leader are you right now? Are you someone who knows their team and empowers your members’ strengths? Do you lead from the front or bark commands at people while watching them do all of the work? Do you exclude your team and try to do everything yourself? What kind of a leader do you want to be? 

College may be our best opportunity to learn how to lead. The diversity, variety, opportunities and experiences you will be a part of are larger than ever before. Your classes, friend groups, sports teams and extracurriculars can give you the chance to be a leader. Will you stand up to the calling? 

Maybe you don’t consider yourself to be the best leader, or you’re afraid that you will not be able to perform to the expectations of that position. Do it anyway. This is your time to test yourself, learn what kind of a leader you are and then focus on what kind of a leader you want to be. The best leaders started by testing their skills and figuring out how they lead best. Go take your first step in figuring out what kind of a leader you are.