Throughout my first year of college, I was given the opportunity to embrace the meaning of leadership from many different perspectives and disciplines. Prior to this, I understood that the fundamental principles of leadership include honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, and various other qualities; however, my first year at Agnes Scott College has reiterated the idea, for me, that successful leaders must also be willing to let others lead. I often ask myself if humans are superior beings and what does or doesn’t make us superior to other organisms. I also wonder how good and bad leaders surface and gain their following. Throughout the semester, the Leadership 102 class sessions have allowed me to come to my final beautiful question: “Can certain humans be superior to other humans? If so, what qualities make them superior? Why do humans feel the need to express dominance or superiority?” This question was shaped by the different class sections; however, I believe that it closely aligns with William Cronon’s “Only Connect… ,” which was introduced in my Leadership 101 course. Cronon’s piece includes several principles mentioned in each Leadership 102 class session; therefore, it holds utter significance to the framing of my beautiful question.

In addition to Cronon’s significance to my beautiful question, it is also noteworthy that Dr. Scott and Dr. Will’s presentations played a large role in the framing of my beautiful question. “Only Connect… ,” Cronon identifies several leadership qualities that one acquires through a liberal arts education. Within his writing, he mentions that a liberally educated individual must practice humility, tolerance, and self-criticism. This principle identifies with the ideas explained in Dr. Scott’s presentation, which places emphasis on the value of growth and authentic leadership. Cronon’s writing and Dr. Scott’s presentation helped shape my beautiful question by emphasizing that leaders are often seen as superior for good and bad reasons; however, the lecture and writing express ideas behind how a person becomes that leader and what qualities establish their credibility. While recognizing the means various leaders take to maintain their dominance, both Cronan and Dr. Scott argue that the best sense of dominance or leadership is through authenticity. Cronon also mentions that a liberally educated individual must be able to solve a wide variety of puzzles and problems. Dr. Will’s presentation focuses on diagnostic questioning and the perspective of broken or functioning individuals. Cronon’s writing and Dr. Will’s presentation helped shape my beautiful question due to the fact that they allowed me to form a hypothetical answer to my question and understand that the feeling of superiority is often achieved through a false sense of questioning and satisfaction.

In final analysis, this semester has given me insight on what people may think makes them superior to others while also teaching me that superiority is not an essential component to leadership. Each rotation has also provided analysis on various forms of flawed functioning and reasoning, which can give a false sense of dominance and superiority; however, I now understand human superiority is only a superficial aspect of leadership, and that a true superior leader must embody the values outlined in Cronon’s writing and each of the class sessions.