This year's Pupil Leaders' Investiture welcomes the newly appointed Head Prefect, Muhd Shahir Adha from 3 Aspire.
Read on and discover more about the strong, charismatic leader's take on 'Metamorphosis' and how it applies to his Leadership Journey.
3 years as a Prefect in Evergreen Secondary has been an eventful journey. I have gained numerous experiences through these years and all of them have benefited me in one way or another. Every time we hear of stories about leadership being told, we think of amazing people who have made major changes in people’s lives. We think of famous people who have influenced the society and the world. But what actually inspires these people to embark further on their leadership journey? What really makes one person be able to influence and lead a group of people in his society? Firstly, I believe that a leader makes the change in himself before changing others. They must undergo an important process in life that everyone should go through in order to achieve their goals. A process called ‘Metamorphosis.’
As a leader, I have learnt a lot through the years. However, I did not just simply learn from every lesson. I took it a step further by willing to apply and make the change in myself based on what I have learnt. Yes, indeed we can have all the knowledge of leadership we need in our heads, but what makes us different is whether we have the heart to change ourselves and apply our knowledge. It is not just about seeking knowledge, instead, it is about the applying the knowledge acquired, that matters more.
In Secondary One, all I ever thought of as a Prefect was to do my best in everything I had. I did not set specific goals, and neither did I tell myself who I wanted to become two years later. True enough, things went smoothly and as per normal, but in the end, I felt that I lacked something. I felt that something was missing, something in my life as a student leader was incomplete. And so, I soon came to figure out that goals and aspirations were what I lacked the most. Thus, I sought out to make the change. I told myself who I wanted to be, where I want to go, and how I will get there. That was when the first stage of Metamorphosis occurred in my leadership journey.
After being promoted to Secondary Two, I knew that I had no more time to waste. It was my time to shine, my time to succeed, and my time to achieve. I started observing people’s mistakes and learned from them. Indeed, as a human, I committed my fair share of mistakes. However, only by learning from them, can we grow stronger as a leader in our society. Committing a mistake is a necessary evil in this winding journey that we call Leadership. Also, as a leader, I learnt the most important value that I lacked: Heart. I truly believe a leader without heart is a leader who has no followers. I realized that I should not think of how I can lead better, instead I should think of how to lead, so that I can serve my people better. It was an eventful year full of ups and downs, but when I said goodbye to Secondary Two, I was certain it was not regret, but it was actually a lesson, that I can put to good use when I reach Secondary Three. True, there were much more downs than ups in my Secondary Two leadership journey, but I personally do not believe that they were letdowns. They were actually personal wake-up calls for me to strive and work doubly hard in order to achieve what I aspire for.
Thus, when I reached Secondary Three, I applied every single lesson that I have learnt over my past few years and used them to make myself a better person in whole. Secondary Three, I knew, was not a time for me to slip up. It was the time for me to pull myself higher from the ground. I could feel a significant change occurring within me. I felt that I have grown a lot as a leader since I first first started out in Secondary One. Finally, I was prepared to take on a higher leadership responsibility.
I believe that my leadership journey is strongly related to Metamorphosis. When a person is not willing to make the change in himself, he will never get better. I have gone through and learnt a lot from every challenge, but what’s important was that I made that change in myself before wanting to change others. This process of Metamorphosis has taught me a lot. It is hard, challenging and definitely not just a stroll in the park. However, if you persevere through, you will evolve to be a much better leader in life. Metamorphosis does not make an individual better than others, neither does it make you different in society. I believe that Mtamorphosis makes you unique and special in your own way.
As a leader, I have learnt a lot through the years. However, I did not just simply learn from every lesson. I took it a step further by willing to apply and make the change in myself based on what I have learnt. Yes, indeed we can have all the knowledge of leadership we need in our heads, but what makes us different is whether we have the heart to change ourselves and apply our knowledge. It is not just about seeking knowledge, instead, it is about the applying the knowledge acquired, that matters more.
In Secondary One, all I ever thought of as a Prefect was to do my best in everything I had. I did not set specific goals, and neither did I tell myself who I wanted to become two years later. True enough, things went smoothly and as per normal, but in the end, I felt that I lacked something. I felt that something was missing, something in my life as a student leader was incomplete. And so, I soon came to figure out that goals and aspirations were what I lacked the most. Thus, I sought out to make the change. I told myself who I wanted to be, where I want to go, and how I will get there. That was when the first stage of Metamorphosis occurred in my leadership journey.
After being promoted to Secondary Two, I knew that I had no more time to waste. It was my time to shine, my time to succeed, and my time to achieve. I started observing people’s mistakes and learned from them. Indeed, as a human, I committed my fair share of mistakes. However, only by learning from them, can we grow stronger as a leader in our society. Committing a mistake is a necessary evil in this winding journey that we call Leadership. Also, as a leader, I learnt the most important value that I lacked: Heart. I truly believe a leader without heart is a leader who has no followers. I realized that I should not think of how I can lead better, instead I should think of how to lead, so that I can serve my people better. It was an eventful year full of ups and downs, but when I said goodbye to Secondary Two, I was certain it was not regret, but it was actually a lesson, that I can put to good use when I reach Secondary Three. True, there were much more downs than ups in my Secondary Two leadership journey, but I personally do not believe that they were letdowns. They were actually personal wake-up calls for me to strive and work doubly hard in order to achieve what I aspire for.
Thus, when I reached Secondary Three, I applied every single lesson that I have learnt over my past few years and used them to make myself a better person in whole. Secondary Three, I knew, was not a time for me to slip up. It was the time for me to pull myself higher from the ground. I could feel a significant change occurring within me. I felt that I have grown a lot as a leader since I first first started out in Secondary One. Finally, I was prepared to take on a higher leadership responsibility.
I believe that my leadership journey is strongly related to Metamorphosis. When a person is not willing to make the change in himself, he will never get better. I have gone through and learnt a lot from every challenge, but what’s important was that I made that change in myself before wanting to change others. This process of Metamorphosis has taught me a lot. It is hard, challenging and definitely not just a stroll in the park. However, if you persevere through, you will evolve to be a much better leader in life. Metamorphosis does not make an individual better than others, neither does it make you different in society. I believe that Mtamorphosis makes you unique and special in your own way.
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1 comment:
Good luck Shahir as you continue your leadership journey! =)
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