As far as leadership goes, I have always prided myself on being a leader and the person that people can turn to for anything and at any time. I think that in order to be someone that others can look to, requires authenticity, honesty, and a level head. I try to embody the term “servant leader,” which means to lead with the betterment and growth of others as the number one priority. With that said, I would say that my leadership prior to coming to Stockholm was always one that put others first, whatever the situation would be.
My position here really does not require any leadership of others. However, due to the unconventional structure of my daily work life and the majority of the company being remote, I have to be a leader for myself. Whether it be planning out my days or holding myself accountable, it is all up to me. There really hasn’t been anyone telling me what to do or when to do it. The results of my work are solely contingent upon keeping myself goal oriented.
However, just because I have not had to lead others in the workplace, does not mean that I have not learned anything. As I mentioned before, a key to good leadership is to remain calm and keep a level head, no matter the situation which I always assumed to be during times of chaos. But during this internship, I have learned that it is equally important to remind level headed during the monotony, not just the hectic times. It is so easy to become distracted and lose sight of what is important during the same day in and day out routine. If you get lost in the distractions, your goals are as good as dead. In a distracted headspace, your’e useless to others, and certainly no good to yourself.
Another thing that I have learned, through the actions of my supervisors, is that you cannot micromanage everything and that sometimes things are going to be far from perfect. An attitude that they have here is “done is better than perfect.” Sometimes, as long as something gets finished, it is good enough. It may be far from perfect, but due to time constraints and the manpower that it would take to perfect something, it might just be better to leave something as is. I think another reason that this is a good mentality to have is that you will likely drive yourself, maybe even others, crazy trying to nail something. And sometimes, things are just going to be out of your control. It could be that you are not able to completely convey your vision to others. On the other hand, your vision may not always be the best one. Sometimes, you might have to take the backseat on something in order for the team too achieve the best possible outcome…and that’s okay.
Overall, I don’t think that leadership is having all the answers for everyones problems or being the best fit for the job. Often times, it is far from that. To me, leadership is handling the current situation to the best of your ability. Being a good leader means putting the group first. It’s great being the best you can be, but it’s not always best for the group to take the spotlight. I cannot further emphasize the importance of letting others take the wheel and have the group play off the strengths of others. I feel as though more often than not, being a leader is letting others take the spotlight while orchestrating things behind the curtain. For instance, a celebrity’s success certainly takes talent, a lot of it. But most of the time, they could not achieve such greatness without someone else carefully planning out every move. I’m not saying that being a digital marketing intern is glamorous work or a position of the utmost importance, but no matter the position, I think you can see the analogy.
