Have you ever been a leader? I have, and I nearly lost two friends because of my leadership role. 

Everyone has a different personality; only some people want to stand up and take responsibility. But in life, there are times when if you don’t like to take the spotlight, someone will force you to. Even if that doesn’t happen, having the experience of being a leader can impact your life. Here are some reasons why you should try to be a leader: 

Being a leader allows you to see the true nature of people

I always thought I was a good judge of character. After I became a leader, however, I realized I was dead wrong. 

I had two good friends in my class. After I was elected as the director for the school play, they congratulated me and said I would be an awesome director. A few weeks later though, both of them abandoned me while I was drowning in my responsibilities. 

Why they suddenly wouldn’t help me is unclear, but instead of talking to me about it, they got everyone in the class together and tried to remove me as director. Maybe they thought they could be better leaders than me, or maybe they had other complaints. But in the end, I was basically left alone. I was devastated.

However, a wise teacher reminded me to look at this obstacle as an opportunity. If I had never become the play director, I would’ve never seen how two-faced my former friends were. Being a leader can show you the true nature of people, which can help you to choose your friends more wisely. 

Once you start to take on bigger responsibilities, people may turn on you, but you have to treat this as a chance to shed scumbags who called themselves your friends.

You become a more efficient and organized person 

I had so many tasks to accomplish while being director, it was squeezing the life out of me. I also had to save time to work on my academic projects and find time to study to make sure my grades didn’t fall. Doing all of these things at once required great organization, but I was the biggest procrastinator you have ever seen before becoming director. 

I changed after I took the role of director. I started to schedule events in a clear and organized way. I improved my time management skills and learned what to prioritize and what I could skip. When you master time management you can save a lot of effort at school and have time to try new hobbies, or use this time to take a break. 

Better speaking skills and more confidence

While being the director, I had to speak to everyone in class and all kinds of different teachers daily. To be a leader, I had to understand how to speak in front of the whole class to boost morale and get people to trust and rely on me.

All of this requires speaking skills and confidence.

The same goes for a leader in any domain, whether you are a leader in a workspace or a leader in a class project. If you speak like a mouse and let others walk all over you, they won’t respect you. You can develop strong self-esteem and charisma through the hardships of leadership. 

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Being a leader may sound tiring, boring, or even out of character for you. But in many cases, the benefits of being a leader outweigh the negatives and you can learn many skills to improve your life. Next time there’s an activity that requires a leader, don’t be shy and raise your hand and volunteer.