‘I feel more confident and my self-esteem has had a real boost’ she said. Olivia Abrams is in Year 11 at Newstead Wood School and has recently taken on the role of Form Representative. When asked to reflect on why she took the role, she gave a typical answer; ‘it will look good on my CV!’. But she soon discovered that as well as being yet another amazing attribute to show off to her employers, her position as form rep helped her develop her character in many different ways she wasn’t aware of.
‘The best thing about the job is surprisingly, just helping people’, Olivia said while we talked in the library. Olivia attends regular form rep forum meetings where she debates and discusses many issues with teachers in order to bring about change for her peers and the rest of the school. To her, representing her class is ‘a huge responsibility and enormous privilege’ as it is her duty to get things done in the school and push for change. This aspect of the job greatly improved her communication skills as it was her responsibility to
Olivia was voted as form rep by her classmates, and when she won she was ‘extremely surprised but excited’. This vote helped boost her confidence levels as she saw that the class had respect for her and trusted her (not that this made it any easier to get them to be quiet!).
As well as giving her new-found confidence and improving her communication skills, her role as form rep also helped her to (obviously) become more organised. It’s vital that you keep all your notes from meetings organised as the class is really eager to learn about the outcome of form rep forums. It’s also important to make notes to transfer to teachers so they can understand our issues’.
‘It might sound cheesy, but overall I’m a better person’, she said reflectively. The skills developed during her role are vital for the school as well as for school life. ‘Critical thinking is a priceless quality valued by many and is well matured throughout my job’. Olivia does a fantastic job as form rep; and as a class we have seen her grow and become a more mature, confident and well-rounded individual.
So, why should you take on a leadership role? Whether it be at school, an office or a club, leadership opportunities are everywhere and offer to help you develop a varied skill set.
Leadership roles are proven to increase your negotiating skills. When you’re leading, you may come into conflict with other colleagues and getting your own way is not always possible. Being a leader, you will learn to establish priorities, not just for you but for the good of your group and be able to compromise. Negotiation is key to creating a successful team of workers or students and guarantees results.
Taking on a big role within your school or workplace also means you are able to have access to a higher range of contacts than you normally would. Being a leader means working with significant figures and this could present as a good opportunity in the future for references etc.
Finally, although this is a cliché reason to take on a leadership skill, it does look good on your CV. Although the specifics of each employer are different, generally they all look for qualities that demonstrate you are a leader. Taking on a number of roles is important to employers because this shows them that you are eager to get stuck in and are very involved in developing outside of the classroom.
So, whether you’re at school or work in and office, take initiative and get leading! Leadership roles are everywhere and are extremely valuable in developing your character. And as Olivia says, ‘the best part of the job is that I get a badge!’.
Thendrral Prabhakar, Newstead Wood School
