Although Pedler et al (2010) would disagree with me, noting that usually we do not like to put ourselves in leadership positions due to perceived arrogance and power hunger, I used to always enjoy being the leader. When approaching group work I usually took on a visible leading role, or at least tried to. This has worked for me in the past, because I am not afraid to take charge and do not mind the extra responsibility that a leader has, especially when I am passionate about the subject and possess certain skills necessary to complete the task. French and Raven (1959) described this as Expert Power, where I would exercise power because I possessed extra knowledge and competencies in the subject (Wilson, 2010). I now know that exercising power with only one source does not always produce
There were times where I was not enjoying the work that I had to do, particularly because it seemed insignificant at the time. An example of this were the meat-free recipe cards that I had to create, which took little time and effort, making it seem like a meaningless task. However, when they became an integral part of our promotional campaign I came to realise the importance of work that is not naturally motivating, but necessary. I now appreciate self-leadership’s requirement to self-influence oneself during work that is not naturally motivating.

University has changed the way I view leadership, shifting from authoritative control to a more balanced and effective form of power. However, it is this recent experience that made me aware of the importance self-leadership plays in developing leadership skills. Now that I am aware that there is lots of work to be done, I am excited to see how developing my self-leadership can help me become a more effective