Student Interviews: What Does Leadership Mean to you?

At PEPY, we focus on developing the hard and soft skills of youth in our programs. Hard skills are technical skills that an individual needs to have to perform their respective job tasks effectively. Soft skills are common or core skills applicable and valuable to all professions that help an individual thrive in the workplace. They include critical thinking, problem-solving, public speaking, professional writing, teamwork, digital literacy, leadership, professional attitude, time management, work ethic, etc.  

Leadership is an extremely valuable soft skill that contributes to our youths’ ability to achieve success in both their personal and professional lives. We define leadership as the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to influence and guide followers or other members of an organization. In our courses at PEPY, teaching leadership involves helping youth to learn to make sound and sometimes tough decisions, how to create and articulate a sharp vision, how to establish achievable goals, and how to provide the team with the knowledge and tools necessary to achieve their goals.  

We believe that leaders come in many shapes and forms and that everyone has the potential to be an effective leader! Recently, we asked our youth at the Learning Center what leadership means to them to get their insights on effective leadership and the type of leaders that they would like to be. 

Chamroeun, age 21, male 

What does leadership mean to you?  

“For me Leadership is for people who have management skills that can manage what the companies or organizations need based on his or her ability to lead a group to reach the target goal of success”  

Who is the leader in your life? 

“I think I am the leader of my life because everyone’s life depends on ourselves to set goals for what we want to be in the future, based on our ability to achieve a dream. A person must have a mindset to lead, and choose the path to find the right for own life, and to determine ourself to achieving it.” 

Chamroeun’s top qualities of a leader:  

• Ability to lead the team, group of people  
• Morality, good manners  
• Virtuous 
• Be patient 

Dakin, age 18, female  

What does leadership mean to you?  

“A leader is a person who is good at leadership, smart, honest, open-minded and can see the human mind around him.” 

 Who is a leader in your life?   

“When I was younger, my parents were my leaders, as I needed support from them, every decision i needed help from them to guy me. But now I am a leader of myself because I live far away from them to study in the Siem Reap City, I need to depend on myself.” 

Dakin’s top qualities of a leader: 

• Good at problem solving, good at communicating and wellbeing with the people around him 
• Encouragements/innovative idea in leading  
• Responsible person  
• Listen to the feedback to his team and support the team to have knowledge and build their confidence in doing jobs. 

Sarak, age 17 female  

What does it mean to be a leader? 

“A leader is a person who is selected to lead in a unit or institution to perform a task or company planned.” 

Sarak’s top qualities of a leader:  

• A good leader is the one who starts with a good listener, open mind and acceptance of everything from those around him and be a person who continues learning throughout his life.  
• A good leader is self-control.  

• Always teach teamwork to be strong and brave to have the same goal and want those around you to have the same knowledge as you. 

Sine, age 21, female 

What does it mean to be a leader? 

“A leader is a person who is capable and able to develop his or her personality and skills to achieve his or her intended goals.” 

What are the top qualities of a leader? 

Sine’s top qualities of a leader:  

• Heathy: If he/she is not healthy, he/she cannot lead the team for a long time, and it can be affected his leadership as a leader in his/her organization as well. 
• Ability: His/she needs the ability to lead the team on plan and problem-solving skills always encounter each problem peacefully, smoothly and leads well 
• Virtue: Because he/she had to be able to control his emotions when solving something, think carefully, to lead himself to the path of righteousness. 

Sarun, age 23, male 

What does it mean to be a leader? 

“A leader is an influential person who manages and assigns work to subordinates so that they can perform effectively and efficiently.” 

Sarun’s top qualities of a leader:  

• Be a responsible person 
• A person full of good influence (brave) 
• Have a strategy to solve the problem 
• Most look at long-term results (have a long-term vision) 
• Good health  
• Knowledgeable and virtue 

We hope you enjoyed hearing from our Learning Center youth!  

What does leadership mean to you? Let us know in the comments or message us so we can share your ideas and insights with our youth.