Leadership

By Kitty Bice, CP

What is leadership? What makes a good leader? Is it a call? Can you become a leader, or are you born to lead? All good questions and there are a lot of websites that will describe the characteristics of a good leader. Leaders are proactive, good listeners, humble, delegate to and motivate others, organized, resourceful, open-minded, good communicators, open to change, educated, objective and adaptive. There are different types of leadership skills: authoritarian, democratic, transformational, charismatic, autocratic, transactional, and laissez-faire.

Leadership requires working with others towards a common goal. In order to work with others, you must be a good listener, humble, objective, organized, open-minded, etc., but to be a leader you must also be willing take responsibility and be confident in decision-making. Bill Gates said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” Warren Bennis described leadership as “the capacity to translate vision into reality.”

I believe you can learn to be a leader if you have the desire and time to dedicate to the organization or cause. Being forced into a leadership position does nothing for the group or cause.

I have found being in a leadership position with Richmond Paralegal Association (RPA) has provided me the opportunity to meet and work alongside incredible people who are dedicated to making paralegals stronger team members in the legal profession. The members of the RPA Board are leaders bringing their individual leadership skills to provide a voice for paralegals in the Central Virginia legal community. 

My experience in leadership roles with RPA has been rewarding. I encourage others who have the time and commitment to the paralegal profession to consider becoming a RPA Board Member.