Does someone truly accept the role of being a leader out of genuine passion and commitment or merely because there is an audience to impress and a title to display?
A question that runs around in your head as you witness students changing their display frames, sharing posts about leadership webinars, and claiming to be a leader in their online platforms when you know they refuse to contribute or even simply make themselves present. This is a reality many exhausted students experience, and despite them shouldering all the struggles and work, they refuse to call themselves leaders.
Imagine yourself, exhausted and weary while working late at night to finish the work that was meant for a group. You shoulder the work alone, with an exhausted body and a heart full of understanding.
Being a leader is not easy and students can prove it so. Leadership is not just a title—it comes with responsibilities, accountability, and integrity that comes along with it. Many have carried the weight and experienced the struggles that the title bears alone and unaccompanied.
Students witness it first-hand—meetings, silent discussions, and responsibilities that are left to the few. And as those so-called “leaders” step up on their self-made podium and speak of responsibilities they don’t even carry, the true meaning of leadership shifts into a personal desire, rather than serving others.
This raises a bigger question: why go through all the trouble of calling yourself something you’re not? Oftentimes, students don’t see leadership as a calling to serve others and lead, but a way to be recognized. The idea of others looking up to them is enticing and irresistible. It would mean you have power, authority, and appreciation. Thus, many pursue the title, claiming every chance to be called a leader.
In a sense, there’s a line where our reasons meet—the thirst for validation. The feeling of being validated feels good, even if we don’t fully deserve it. Many students are tired, mentally exhausted, and depleted of energy, reaching for a standard that is never fixed and will continue to change as if being blinded by a light that is leading you nowhere but a useless chase.
In their eyes, even a small ounce of validation can make it seem like their efforts are still worth holding onto. But taking on a role that you refuse to embody even in the most basic settings is not leadership—it is a performance, a hollow display of titles without substance.
As they continue their act, principled leaders remain overlooked and unheard. They carry the weight without complaint, only to watch those who abandoned their duties rise and be recognized. What appears to be trust is, in truth, neglect—we do not empower them, we burden them, stacking more upon their backs simply because we refuse to bear our share.
Leadership is not for the weak and never will be. It is grounded in service—not applause, recognition or validation. A true leader does not wait to be seen—they continue to serve, even when no one is watching.
