Response to Riggi Solinap’s Light From Many Lamps Post (Week 4)

This is my response to Riggi Solinap’s post on I am the master of my fate:I am the captain of my soul by William Ernest Henley. 

Hi Riggi, your post is a good reminder that being in leadership means increased responsibility and expectations. Despite personal circumstances, a servant leader must continue to lead and oftentimes, to place the well-being of the followers first.

What I appreciate a lot about Henley is his transparency. He did not try to hide his struggles and pain. Instead, he used them to inspire others to push forward and press on in the face of difficulty and obstacles. Northouse (2016) describes leadership as a process where interactions between the leaders and the followers affect both groups (p. 6). Henley found strength in inspiring others through his writing and poems. I believe that transparency is one of the most important characteristics of a leader. It helps build trust and community within the group when members, especially leaders, are vulnerable and allow others to see their flaws and struggles.

Thank you for sharing your thought-provoking post!

References

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.