Experience as a Virtual Leader - Prarthana Shyam

Hi! My name is Prarthana. I am the president of the Phoenix Jewel of the East Leo’s club. For those of you who are new, Phoenix Jewel of the East is a non-profit organization. We dedicate our time to helping those in need. We have done various projects for the community, including the Andre House project as well as the Welcome to America Project. The interesting thing about our club is that we started it in May 2020 which, as many of you probably guessed, was around the time the coronavirus pandemic started becoming serious. Due to the pandemic, we have not been able to meet up in person. Instead, we have been conducting most of our projects online. Being a virtual leader is certainly different. Not hard or easy, just different.

Something that is particularly hard to get used to is the fact that you can’t physically see anyone unless it’s through a screen. Being a leader requires the trust of the people. It is weird not knowing your fellow club members as well as you would if we could meet in person. I believe that trust is built through friendship and understanding. Although it is strange, I have tried my best to get to know the needs of my fellow Leo’s. One way of building trust is to listen. Over these past few months, I have tried to listen and understand anything my fellow members are trying to tell me. I want them to understand that their voice matters to me and that they’re a positive asset to the PJOE Lions Club. One thing that I have learned from The Phoenix Jewel of the East Lions is that there is no ‘I’ in the team. I have watched them work countless hours to heighten the success of our club. They spend hours on end consulting every member of the team to make sure everyone’s on board. Whether it’s a simple meeting or a huge project they make sure everyone’s voice is heard and appreciated.

Being a virtual leader has taught me, what I believe, is the true meaning of leadership. I used to think that being a leader meant being liked by everyone and making all the hard decisions. However, now, I think that a leader is a safety net. They are a person anyone can bounce back on. Whether it is a small or big decision, a leader is someone everyone trusts to make the right decisions. They are not a person who is better than everyone else. A leader is a person who loves and values the opinions and thoughts of the people around them. Although I have not seen any of my club members in a very long time, I hope that they trust me and I hope that they know how much I value them. I hope that, through being a leader, I leave this world a better place

To visit the original post on LinkedIn, click here.