On My Journey To Be A Leader… By Justin Monsewicz
A leader is someone that can easily be observed or spotted in a crowd. We can tell who a leader is by the way they’re acting, the way others approach them, or even by the way they’re dressed. Leaders are, in my opinion, noticeable. Leaders are noticeable by others. Are leaders noticeable to themselves though?
Reflecting on my life up to this point, I can observe how I have been in leadership positions or how others have put me in leadership positions. For some reason, those people saw something in me and pushed me, or even forced me into roles and situations. To be completely honest though, I never personally saw myself as a leader until a few months ago.
My elementary school had its own TV station where students would give the morning announcements and such as if they were a news team. I was an anchor my fourth grade year and signed up to be a camera person my fifth grade year. After one newscast the faculty member in charge of the news informed me I was to be pulled off the camera and was a permanent anchor. She told me I was one of the best at it. At the time though, I didn’t realized it all meant she believed in me.
In high school I was a member of SkillsUSA, a leadership development organization. All four years, I participated in extemporaneous speech competitions on the regional level. I was able to move on to the state level competition twice, both in my freshman and senior years. And to brag on myself for a second, I won first place at regional and then third place at state my freshman year. After that year, after proving myself, the teacher who led it didn’t want any other student to enter that competition. He wanted me to be the representation of my high school. Again, he believed in me.
Currently, I’m a student at the University of West Georgia pursuing my bachelors in Mass Communications with an emphasis in public relations. For the second year in a row, I’m the Chapter President for my university’s Public Relations Student Society of America Chapter and a student leader (and assistant promotions director at one time) at the campus radio station, the WOLF Internet Radio. I gained these roles by getting involved, but when those in charge saw my potential, they led me into these roles.
Before being Chapter President, I assisted our campus advisor, Dr. Amber Smallwood, with the application process so my university could receive approval to begin the Chapter. The Chapter began last fall and it has been an amazing experience. As Chapter President, I lead our meetings, but I also have had to step up in several ways. Last fall we were applying for a grant that would allot us funds for the Chapter. Due to schedules, our campus advisor and I had to postpone working on the application. Well, a few days before it was due, we realized we needed our professional advisor’s signature on the document. Jacob Hawkins of Ogilvy Atlanta is our professional advisor and his office was in Atlanta. As Chapter President, I took responsibility for postponing the application. The day before it was due I drove to Atlanta, received Jacob’s signature and then hand-delivered the document where it needed to go. I spent hours driving around Atlanta, had to cancel lunch on some friends and spend my personal time on this task.
It was worth every second of it and we received the grant. Sacrifice comes with leadership. I’ve been able to learn that as Chapter President.
I realized that I was a leader due to my leadership role as Chapter President. My chapter is one out of over 300. PRSSA is a respected and well-known organization on a global scale. It is the daughter organization of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). All of that hit me, instantly. And yes, it stunned me. With that came the realization that my fellow classmates possibly saw me as a leader. The realization that my professors most definitely saw me a leader occurred to me as well. All of a sudden I realized that classmates, professors and others I may never have a conversation with saw me as a leader. In an instant I went from my mind being blown to thinking “…Oh crap.”
Being a leader is not a bad thing at all; do not think I’m saying that for one second. What I am saying is that being a leader changes your life. I was already acting as a leader, sure, but when I realized I was a leader, I began putting my effort into being a leader. I hold myself to a higher standard and I present myself differently now. I’ve always believed in personal development, but even more so now.
Allow me to show my geek for a second and quote Ben Parker from Spider-Man: “With great power comes great responsibility.”
About Justin Monsewicz….
Justin Monsewicz is a senior at the University of West Georgia studying public relations. He is the Chapter President of the Public Relations Student Society of America organization on campus. Justin has a passion for public relations, social media, personal branding and plaid. You can learn more about him by visiting his website.
Thanks to Justin for sharing his passion for leadership and his journey with #bealeader. It is wonderful to see someone starting on their long road to leadership with such great spirit.
justin, your story underscores how leaders ‘emerge’ from within and you can’t just say “i’m going to be a leader…”. the respect other extend to you – deeming you a leader – is earned from a track record of making the right decisions — even if others don’t particularly agree with the decision. keep up the good work.
Thanks for reading the post Leonard. You make some good points as well. I definitely agree that becoming a leader occurs due to others recognizing your actions, not by stating “I’m a leader.”
I agree with Leonard: leaders “emerge from within” and are defined by others, not themselves. We can assume “leadership roles”, but it is only when others see leadership qualities in us that our actions have impact. To be of service is the highest honour, and true leaders serve. Cheers! Kaarina
100% agree that leaders serve Kaarina. When I see leaders, especially those in high positions, giving back and investing in those “beneath” them, it’s an amazing thing to witness. If I am ever in a higher up position, my goal is to get to know and spend time with my employees. I’ve experienced that this summer personally, and it’s fantastic. Can you imagine what an intern would think if a CEO called them up and invited them to lunch, one-on-one? That’s what I want to do. I want to make interns, and anyone else, feel valued and important, because they are.
Love this statement.. “but when I realized I was a leader, I began putting my effort into being a leader.” Simply stated that is the point at which leadership happens. Great post. Thank you for sharing your story.
I would like to quote a couple of paragraphs from a recent Bank-On-Rain.com post~ ” GIVING with strings attached….” ~ it’s about leadership which is relevant to this post, and getting things done in a developing country. Disclosure I am a co-founder of Bank-On-Rain.
“Changing an entire village to embrace “SAFE SANITATION FIRST” is in fact a “social engineering” initiative, and requires committed leadership within the village community as well as the non profit. This is where Safer Future starts; by finding the influencers (and not necessarily the chief who is the appointed leader), but those who “light up” with a spark of obvious interest during the first village meetings.”
“It appears you can recognize the “natural leader” pretty easily by that certain “fire” of interest in their eyes …… this first person in essence chooses him or herself to be the “natural leader” by being the first to show interest, and then being the first to actually construct a single household latrine. This process sets an example for the rest of the village by influencing and motivating others to do the same. Safer Future enlists these “natural leaders” or influencers within villages to help train their neighbors, and takes them through a phased program…”
Thanks for reading and glad you enjoyed it Scott! Being a leader definitely takes a conscious effort, but definitely worth it.
I will quote Dr. Seuss: “Oh the places you’ll go” with that mindset, spirit and attitude:)
I love that quote, Kaarina
Fire in their eyes. I like that, Carolyn. What sets a leader apart from the crowd, their character, the way they carry themselves. There is a spark and noticeable way of their interaction and spirit that makes one to be a leader.
Hi Justin,
Thanks for sharing your story. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. You are a leader and an inspiration!
Thanks, Nicole. I appreciate your comments as well. Justin is an outstanding, emerging leader. I’m very proud to showcase his talent and leadership as part of the #bealeader series.
You’re welcome! I tried to find you on Blogging Mastermind (the article) but couldn’t (haven’t been there in awhile), so I sent you a tweet. Justin seems like a great guy!
Thanks for the kind words Nicole! Glad you enjoyed the read and thanks for commenting. For me, it’s a humbling experience to be able to do guest blog posts and an even more humbling experience when those who read it leave comments.
Justin, I’m so glad you to have you as part of the guest writers series. You have been wonderful to take the time comment. Thank you so much
You’re welcome! Having done several interviews for other blogs and one guest post (so far), I can relate to what you said about receiving comments – which is why I left one for you! It’s always nice to receive them.
Thanks, Nicole. It’s great to create conversations in the comments. Very excited to bring in great writers who create conversation and keep the community here excited. Cheers.