Leadership and Diversity

Leadership and diversity is something we all strive for in our lives. Whether we achieve this accomplishment or not, is another story; however, in the back of your minds we all want to be in charge of something.  So what is leadership? Leadership can be described as a representation of a group.  In the words of John W. Gardner writer of Grendel, he states, “Leadership is the process of persuasion and example by which an individual (or leadership team) induces a group to pursue objectives held by the leader or shared by the leader and his or her followers.” An essential part of leadership is diversity. In the workforce many companies do their best in having a diverse environment. They want their customers to feel comfortable working with someone they can relate to; someone with a background of their own. In other words diversity encompasses cultural differences. With both being intertwined together, leadership and diversity can have a great impact on organizations and the workforce. It makes the environment fresher. Diversity is definitely something that has not been around forever and the more equality we have in organizations, the more excepting it will be. As a result of leadership and diversity, the best way to begin this journey is in college. I encourage every college student, commuter or not, to get involved. Please get involved in things that you are passionate about and take a stand. The more you show your passion and the more you take charge, shows that you have the potential to be a leader. Also, when taking charge, always be professional about any situation. In the words of some of Georgian Court’s finest women, “Have Finesse!” and you will go far.

Jennifer Valentin