By: Sepeedeh Hashemian, Edited by: Lila Ojha Dhakal
Introduction
My name is Sepeedeh Hashemian and I’m currently a senior public relations student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In May of 2015 I will be graduating with a combined bachelor and masters in journalism and mass communication and a minor in special events.
I have had the opportunity to intern in the hospitality, government, entertainment and beauty industries. Some notable companies include Lionsgate, The Weinstein Company and Tarte Cosmetics.
Aside from my professional internships I am also the publicity director for HerCampus ASU, which is Arizona State University’s chapter of the national online women’s magazine that was first started at Harvard University. I am also currently working on my honors thesis project where I am creating a social media campaign for aBloom Salon in Phoenix with the hopes to increase and strengthen brand awareness and connection.
Quality leadership is driven by passion
Simply defined leadership is the action of leading a group or organization. But there is more to leadership than just leading others. Kevin Kruse, writer of It’s Time to Reinvent YOU, explained leadership best when he said that leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. Kruse stressed that it was social influence and not authority or power that made someone a leader. I definitely agree with Kruse in that just power and authority alone does not make a leader because leaders need to inspire and motivate others to strive for more.
Someone who I believe possesses leadership qualities, is one of my favorite actresses, Sophia Bush. At first glance, it is easy to dismiss her as another beautiful face that graces our TV screens. However, she’s more than an actress, she’s a philanthropist. Of course most celebrities have their charities that they support but Bush has a passion for making change. In an interview with Buzzfeed Bush said, “One of my best friends describes me as an activist who is inconvenienced — in a good way — by her career as an actress. I love my job, but I couldn’t keep doing this if it ever actually precluded me from working on the world. I would just get another job.”
A prime example of her passion for philanthropy was when Bush used crowd funding and social media to raise $30,000 for Pencils of Promise for her 30th birthday to build schools in Guatemala. Pencils of Promise is an organization that aims to create schools, programs and global communities around the goal of educating all children. It was Bush’s birthday wish that all her family, friends and fans forgo gifts and donate to her cause instead. She was able to meet her $30,000 goal before her birthday and went to Guatemala to help build two more schools. Looking back at Kruse’s definition of leadership, Sophia Bush falls perfectly under the category of a leader. She has social influence and inspires the people around her to ban together so they maximize their efforts to help reach a common goal.
Hi Sepeedeh,
I think Kevin Kruse’s explanation of how leadership is a process of social influence is great. When it comes to leadership, social influence is much more important than just possessing authority. You included a really good example to go along with his definition of leadership. Sophia Bush’s passion for philanthropy definitely shows how she demonstrates good leadership skills. Nice post!
Mei