10 Reasons to Explore the Importance of Leadership Skills in College

College is a fantastic time in any young person's life. It's an opportunity to discover passions for knowledge and make long-lasting connections that extend far beyond your tenure at the school.

It's also an opportunity to hone important skills that can have a direct impact on your career.

Take leadership skills, for instance. Quality leadership is an important component of any successful organization.

Now is the time to develop these skills and give yourself a leg up in today's competitive job market. Here are 10 reasons why you should explore the importance of leadership skills in college.

1. You'll Learn About Your Leadership Style

Leadership isn't a cut-and-dry quality. In fact, it's quite the opposite. There are many nuances to leadership that people fail to consider.

One of the primary reasons to learn leadership in college is to see how you prefer to lead.

According to experts, there are nine different styles of leadership:

• Autocratic.
• Laissez-Faire.
• Transformational.
• Transactional.
• Bureaucratic.
• Democratic.
• Situational.
• Servant.
• Charismatic.

Learning leadership skills can help you get in-tune with your own personality and see how you lead.

Are you the type of leader who prefers direct input from their workers (democratic)? Or are you the kind of leader who prefers to use personal experience and knowledge as the bottom-line of leadership (autocratic)?

2. Understanding the Importance of Leadership Skills Can Help You Land a Job

While learning leadership in college is a fantastic way to learn more about yourself as a person, it can also help you get a great job.

Taking on leadership roles in student organizations is a fantastic way to build up a resume that employers will love.

Soon you'll be able to say that you drove student engagement or helped generate funds for your program. These in-demand, tangible skills will give you a competitive edge in the job market.

3. Developing Leadership Skills Can Facilitate Personal Growth

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

It's a powerful quote that gets tossed around all the time, but have you stopped to consider its meaning?

It means that it's up to you to take responsibility for the world you want to live in. While it'd be far easier to do the bare minimum, this doesn't lead to a fulfilled life.

It's up to you to make the type of world that you want to live in. And learning how to be a leader in college is a fantastic opportunity to start that shift.

4. You'll Be a Better Student

Are you wondering how important leadership skills can translate to better grades? Upon further inspection, it makes total sense.

Leadership revolves around three core components: Responsibility, accountability, and dependability.

You'll need responsibility to help you own your mistakes, like a lack of studying. Accountability can keep you honest when you're not making the best use of your time.

Dependability shows your fellow students and professors that they can count on you, whether it's helping out with your organization or turning in great work.

5. Leadership Roles Make for Fantastic Networking Opportunities

Networking is a lot more than schmoozing future employers or hanging out with your peers. It's about forming genuine connections and establishing your own personal brand to help others learn what you're about.

These friends and colleagues can have a major influence on helping you find a job right out of college. In fact, 85% of people find a job due to a personal connection.

By getting out of your comfort zone and networking with other leaders, you'll be well on your way to starting the dream job you've always wanted.

6. You'll Save Money

It's no secret that obtaining a degree can be an expensive endeavor. According to the Wall Street Journal's findings, the average student graduates with over $37,000 in debt.

That debt can follow you for decades to come. It can influence your ability to buy a house, finance a car, or even start a family.

But developing important leadership skills can help you save some money throughout college.

There are plenty of scholarship opportunities, such as the Emerging Leaders Scholarship, that student leaders can take advantage of. These scholarships can help reduce the cost of tuition, books, and living expenses.

7. It's Fantastic for Your Confidence

There's nothing quite as rewarding as recognition for your accomplishments and contributions.

Learning leadership skills and experiencing the accompanying growth can do wonders for a person's mental health.

The positive momentum from your newfound skills will influence everything in your life. You'll see improvement in your performance in job interviews and your interpersonal relationships.

It's amazing what you can accomplish!

8. Leadership Teaches Communication Skills

A core component of important leadership skills is learning how to say what you need, when you need to say it, in a way that drives results.

If you've ever worked on a group project or lived with messy roommates, you know that not every communication style works. It's easy to come across too aggressive or passive, neutering your whole point.

Working in a leadership role can teach you about how you tend to communicate and how (in)effective that may be.

These skills are especially important for those who want some type of corporate leadership position later on.

9. You'll Learn Skills You Never Thought You'd Have

By the time most student leaders finish college, they've done things they never thought they could do.

Whether it's traveling to fun new locations or delivering a speech to hundreds of people, college is a great time to learn practical new skills.

Accepting a leadership role is like opening the doorway to a newer, better you.

10. Leave Your School with a Legacy

The leadership choices you make today will influence your school's direction in the future.

You can set the tone and improve things for the next group of students by taking a leadership role, making impactful, positive changes.

When it comes time to walk across the stage and accept your diploma, you'll know that you left your school a better place than when you found it.

It's Impossible To Overstate The Importance of Leadership Skills

As you can see, the importance of leadership skills extends far beyond what many think.

A quality leader is someone who knows themselves, their surroundings, and their peers.

A leader knows how to deliver real, actionable results and affect positive change in a way that benefits all.

But most of all, a leader is someone who has what it takes the change the world. If you're interested in becoming a better leader, become a member of Honor Society today.