Remove any part that isn't about teamwork and that the feeling of achieving something together is better than winning alone.  This is the essay: When I look back at my time in high school, leadership wasn’t a role I actively sought out; rather, I found myself in it. It was the last subject pick for our school’s science fair project, chemistry. This was not necessarily out of choice but by default, as every other team had already chosen their subjects and thus, classmates. Even if it wasn’t my first choice, for both subject and members, I wasn’t any less determined to excel. Despite being formed this way, I actually couldn’t ask for more comfortable classmates than us four. 

My role as what you can call a leader, came about more as a matter of fact than something grand; it was about ensuring we all used our strengths to get the job done right. From the start, I was keen on each of us understanding our capabilities and handling tasks that fit us. This was done not just to be efficient, but to build trust and a sense of shared responsibility, which truly mattered in letting everyone feel valued and needed so we can help each other.

Yet, as we progressed, the realization that my delegation skills needed work became apparent. Concerned with meeting our standards within the constraints we faced, I found myself shouldering the majority of the workload. It was challenging to balance my instinct of personal intervention to oversee every detail for reliability against the necessity to trust and open up to my team.

While this approach seemed practical to me at first, it soon became clear that despite my preparedness to take on the project almost single-handedly, there were aspects I simply couldn’t handle alone. The realization that collaboration was not just beneficial but necessary was pivotal.

More importantly, this journey through the challenges of our project illuminated a fundamental truth about teamwork and leadership for me. The prospect of bringing the project to fruition as a team held a promise far beyond the satisfaction of personal achievement. Yes, I was ready to take on much of the work by myself, but the thought of sharing the journey, the stress, and eventually, the success, was far more appealing. The anticipation of sharing laughter and a sense of accomplishment with my classmates—who I was now proud to call my friends—outweighed the solitary pride of individual achievement. That was why I chose to go through journeys together whenever I can.

This project taught me the power of “we” over “I.” While I had initially underestimated this, it became the most rewarding part of our endeavor. The notion of collectively overcoming challenges, experimenting, and eventually succeeding together brought a sense of joy and fulfillment that solo victories could not match. It was a profound lesson in leadership for me: real success was in the shared journey, the mutual struggles, and the collective victory.

The sense of accomplishment and the camaraderie that we developed over the course of the project were incomparable. It was about achieving something together that we initially didn’t know was within our reach. This shared success fostered a sense of community and friendship among us that went beyond the confines of the project. It wasn’t just about the science fair anymore; it was about building relationships, learning from each other, and growing together both personally and professionally.

In retrospect, my leadership journey through this project was as much about managing the task at hand as it was about understanding the intrinsic value of teamwork and shared success. Recognizing that some tasks were beyond my ability to tackle alone was humbling, and it reiterated the importance of each team member’s contribution. Ultimately, the joy and laughter shared in accomplishing something as a team were the true measures of our success, leaving me with cherished memories and invaluable lessons on leadership and teamwork.