By Shakina Blackstock Pearce – Contributor

The world’s images of leaders have negatively impacted people’s views on what they think a leader should look like. Most often, people do not see value in their unique leadership qualities because society has not identified them as valuable. Although the world’s description of a leader may not represent the majority, we all have unique leadership qualities that we deserve to flourish with. According to the popular online learning platform Emeritus, “A leader is someone who directs and motivates a group of people or an individual to accomplish a certain goal”.

There is no exact image of what a leader should look like because every person expresses leadership differently. Some individuals do not present to thousands of people or lead a team, but they are leading their friends to take the right path, supporting their family as best as they can or inspiring their community to be the best versions of themselves. Sometimes these leaders are in the public eye, and sometimes they are not. Both leadership in public and in private ways are valuable and bring direct change in communities and beyond. 

Most often, students are eager to lead and share their expertise, but they do not have access to tools that will help support their leadership. Bishop’s University’s leadership retreat is a valuable gem that most students are not aware of. It helps students identify the unique leadership qualities they have and encourages them to flourish in their leadership. It is a retreat where students have the opportunity to be challenged and reflect on what they believe leadership is, have a deeper understanding of leadership, connect with like-minded people and self-reflect on who they are. The retreat gives students the liberty and security to express themselves and discover the unique qualities they have to offer to their  community and beyond. 

Past participant Mohammad Alfotihi states: “I had the opportunity to connect with an incredible group of individuals dedicated to making a positive impact on society. Learning from both my fellow participants and the exceptional trainers, I gained valuable insights and successfully embarked on my journey, achieving milestones like establishing my first non-profit organization and actively participating in government meetings and events. I’m immensely grateful for the leadership retreat for enabling these accomplishments”. Retreats such as these are worth experiencing because students leave with a strong leadership foundation and the confidence to own and express their unique leadership qualities. They can shift their communities and the world’s view on leadership.