The Buck Stops Here — What I Think of Leadership

There’s a very real possibility that I’ll be the president of a governing business organization this coming year. The opportunity excites the heck out of me — having the ability and influence to build community between and unify our nineteen fragmented pre-professional organizations.

This is honestly what excites me: being able to build community and influence culture; to build cultures, especially ones that are corporate and rigid, to become ones that are inclusive, welcoming, productive, and encourage ownership and innovation.

Thinking about how I can help connect our graduate school of business to our undergraduate orgs, and how new policies regarding organizations and usage of our meeting spaces (some giant beautiful business conference rooms) puts a smile on my face that is only slightly lowered due to the amount of correspondences, logistics, health guidelines I know our new team will have to operate under in order to do so safely.

A team to operate with — a team that I am chiefly responsible for, and in which all mistakes and failures are my fault.

Saying that is invigorating but also, quite frankly, scary.

I’ve been involved in leadership positions in university organizations, high school clubs, and even in City Council. I’ve been the 2nd in command, or Vice President of many organizations. While I acknowledge that these roles may seem trivial when compared to my eventual goals of becoming a partner in a $30+ billion (in revenue per year) firm, I feel like the ideas are still comparable.

As a 2nd in command — you take responsibility for your organization and team, but there’s still someone else that the good and bad results falls to — regardless of whether or not you want it to. And that person is the chief, the president.

Once/ if I become president, I fully take on responsibility for ALL failures of my organization. Even if it’s a mistake made by a team mate, as president, I take responsibility for it. There is no passing of the buck, no more blame to pass. There’s a pressure on you as you are the spokesperson to the firm or organization.

This pressure makes my stomach a little nervous — it makes me uncomfortable and excited. But I know it’s because it’s something that will help me grow as a leader, as a confident spokesperson, and future business partner and entrepreneur.

This ownership mentality, the idea that our own goals/ failures/ successes are determined by our actions is a mantra that I continue to instill in myself, and want to bring to my new board.