John Maxwell defined Leadership as Influence. Hence, be it a positive or negative influence you champion, you are a leader.
Back in secondary school, we junior students were often treated with little or no kindness. we were errand girls, helpers or a showcase of a senior’s brutality and primacy. Quite frankly, I detested boarding school. However, there were some seniors who were poles apart. Senior Beauty was one of the few. Every junior girl liked her. She was bold and impersonal, she didn’t wear her badge of seniority when she was with a junior student.
One day at the School fellowship, senior Beauty came afront the podium, holding a microphone in her hand, we all cooed with excitement, and in anticipation. Her head was bowed, and her fingers pierced into the handheld microphone. It was obvious that standing before a crowd was nerve-racking for senior Beauty.
We waited patiently as senior Beauty stood before us. At last, a rasping sound came forth- A song of God’s love for us in a local dialect. It was beautiful. We listened a few more times, and then sang along. Even today, the melody of that special song emanates in my subconcious, and I find my self singing and swaying unwittingly.
I remember my days in secondary school with a blur. However, a few memories like senior Beauty’s special song will never leave me. I am not only reminded that senior Beauty’s behavior and personality, gave me a reason to smile and cope amidst the existing harshness in school, but also her special song kept me aware of God’s unconditional love for me.
Senior Beauty was a good influence on me.