A key leadership principle of the United States Marine Corps states, “Know yourself and seek self-improvement.” At the core of this sentiment is the belief that a person never becomes great at something until they learn from their mistakes.
As a Marine Corps veteran and current law student, I harken back to the opportunities I had to seize — despite my inexperience — in order to continue to develop as a leader.
My experiences in college gave me a strong foundation to grow wiser. Growth often came from the struggles that resulted from mistakes I made while pursuing leadership positions. The building blocks of multiple failures allowed me to learn a great amount of skills that I now use to empower others.
As a freshman in college, I loathed public speaking and feared being in leadership roles. However, I realized that I would not become an effective speaker or leader without constantly working at it.
I seized every opportunity to lead a meeting, ask questions in front of a group or lead a prayer in church. These opportunities gave me a unique chance to face and conquer my fears.
I was encouraged to approach things head on, and I knew that college is a unique time when young adults are expected to make mistakes as they continue to develop personally and professionally.
It’s okay if a student fails at something because, odds are, no one will remember those failures in the future or fault them for early mistakes. However, if one takes a risk and succeeds, they could possibly become the next Mark Zuckerberg, who founded a successful business while still in college.
College students should understand that leadership opportunities are equally about the mentorship you seek and provide.
In the military, I learned that the entry-level ranks allowed time in which one could learn to be an effective leader while being molded by those more experienced, as we were expected to make mistakes while training for leadership.
The amazing non-commissioned officers created an environment for us to learn from our mistakes while being mentored, teaching us where we went wrong and showing us areas in which we could grow.
Continuing this model, I later worked as a university administrator, mentoring and working with student leaders. It was expected that student leaders would mess up and seek guidance from advisers in order to grow from that experience. Therefore, getting involved on campus gives students a proving ground to work on deficiencies while gaining new strengths.
College is the ideal time to seek self-improvement while your failures are forgivable and expected.
Seeking new challenges allows you to develop different viewpoints and may even ignite a curiosity gained through setbacks.
We often find our greatest strengths in our biggest weaknesses.
As you start this new school year, do something you were afraid to do in high school and begin to develop into the leader that you desire to become.
jasowell@indiana.edu
