Literary Analysis Essay on "Am I Really a Leader?" by Sally Helgesen

Introduction

The excerpt is about a writer known as Sally Helgesen that aims to demonstrate what it means to be an authentic leader. Learning about one's self is a critical step in being a true leader. The case study focuses on the role of self-awareness in Sally's story while also exploring the reasons why Sally was an authentic leader (Helgesen, 2013). In the end, the case study relates how the act of being on the mantle of leadership is connected to the concept of a leader's authenticity.

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Self-awareness played a critical role in the journey of Sally's self-discovery. It is interesting to note that Sally did not have much self-awareness when she was starting her journey. It is, for instance, highlighted in the excerpt that she had never described herself as a writer and it only took the intervention of a cat that resembled her muse that she introduced herself loud as being a writer (Helgesen, 2013). The journey to New York to satiate her restless temperament was inspired by the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's (Northouse, 2016). Her self-discovery only began after she accepted that she was a person who was meant to be a writer and not a college professor as she had led herself to believe. The symbol hence played a critical role in helping her to rediscover herself, and it is through the journey of self-discovery that she was able to actualize herself and write a book (Helgesen, 2013). The self-discovery also helped her to dedicate herself to become more grounded in her passion seeing her become an acclaimed writer and a fulfilled one at that. Self-awareness hence played a significant role in helping her to make critical decisions about what was supposed to be done for her to become a writer and follow her passion.

The accurate description of Sally's authenticity as a leader would be one that is angled at internalized moral perspective (Helgesen, 2013). Sally trusted what she believed to be right or wrong and used this to guide her role as an authentic leader. She, for instance, believed that the story about the murder would be one that would provide the desired breakthrough. She believed that she was doing the right thing and thus used this to guide her behavior as an authentic leader. Another aspect that convinces one of Sally's authentic leadership is the fact that the leaders are not swayed by outside forces (Helgesen, 2013).

Similarly, Sally stood for what she believed to be the right thing even when the decisions forced him to live in the trunk and with friends. The lack of funds did not detour her from doing the right thing. Such instances serve to demonstrate to the reader about the authenticity of her leadership skills.

Taking on the mantle of leadership was an essential step in Sally's authenticity as a leader. The stage was an important one since it put her in a flight or fight situation where she had to be decisive and assertive in her decisions (Helgesen, 2013). Fleeing from some of the situations that saw her pressured to quit, was not a behavior an authentic leader would embrace. One of the examples that made Sally to be perceived as a leader who stood for what she believed in was the fact that it was important that the leaders withstood uncomfortable situations for the larger cause. Sally's decision to take on a project that would not only drain her financially but would also take up most of her time was a genuine depiction of a true leader. Instead, Sally saw the need to assess the possibility of her accepting the challenge of her taking on the mantle of leadership (Helgesen, 2013). Her decision can be interpreted as her ability to become a great proactive leader who was ready to take on all sorts of challenges that were presented to her. It is not, however, possible for every leader to embrace their role as Sally did. Not all leaders enter into their leadership role as Sally did since it is probable that some would not be as willing as Sally was to go through the entire struggle as long as her goals were achieved. For instance, it is not possible that every leader would be willing to lose their homes, dedicate all their time and even start living in their cars to see the dreams that they have fulfilled (Nieuwhof, 2018).

Sally affirms the notion that no matter the path that one decides to take on their career path, there will always be the need to take on leadership roles (Patel, 2017). The fact that Sally took on a small project and used her newly discovered self to work to its end helped her to have confidence as a writer and a leader (Helgesen, 2013). She even describes herself as an outside observer who believes that it is necessary that people accept their role as leaders as it will help them in the realization of their goals. The case study hence helps one to introspect about what it takes for one to be a true leader.

References

Helgesen, S. (2013). Am i Really a Leader?. Retrieved from https://sallyhelgesen.com/sallysbooks/

Nieuwhof, C. (2018). So Are You Actually a Leader? A Simple Way to Tell In Less Than Two Minutes - CareyNieuwhof.com. [online] CareyNieuwhof.com. Available at: https://careynieuwhof.com/actually-leader-simple-way-tell/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2018].

Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership. (6th ed.).

Patel, D. (2017). 6 Ways To Figure Out What Type Of Leader You Are. [online] Forbes.com. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/deeppatel/2017/03/13/6-ways-to-figure-out-what-type-of-leader-you-are/#21e1132c62d3 [Accessed 15 Dec. 2018].