Leading

By Katharine Wang

You can’t use a formula1. formula: 公式，这里指惯例或常规。to create a leader, or to even describe one, or to find it within yourself. But, undoubtedly, it is a question that high school students everywhere attempt to answer in a 800 word essay. Every year. Life or death. To get into college. I, too, fell into this very same trap.

When I wrote about leadership, several hundreds of years ago, I should have used parentheses2. parentheses: （parenthesis的复数形式）圆括号。around it. Some examples:

I was voted class president during my first year in high school. My contribution to politics was donut fundraising.3. donut: 炸面圈；fundraising: 募捐，资金筹集。I was not re-elected.Stupe fied, I asked for a recount.4. stupefied: 目瞪口呆的，呆如木鸡的；recount: 重新计算选票。

I had no vocal importance or dramatic flair in theatre.5. vocal: 声音的，有声的； flair: 天质，天分。[Note: I was the one who stapled a wobbly set together that precariously hung in place with masking tape, bent nails, and faith.6. staple: 把……订在一起；wobbly: 不稳定的，摇晃的；set: 道具，布景；precariously: 不牢靠地，不安全地；masking tape: (绘画或喷漆时用以遮盖无需着色或油漆部分的)遮蔽胶带。]

In softball, I hit my coach in the right ovary.7. softball: 垒球；ovary: 卵巢。She gave me a thumbs up8. thumbs up: 翘起拇指，赞许。while dropping to her knees. “Great job, Kat. You managed to make impact with the ball. Don’t worry about my ovary, I have two.”

Despite my nonsensical, verbal diarrhea about leadership, I still got into Stanford; it was seemingly a miracle, and thankfully not a cruel joke.9. 尽管我对领导能力的见解有些荒谬，言语有些嗦，但我仍然进入了斯坦福大学；这似乎是个奇迹，但还好这不是个残酷的玩笑。nonsensical: 无意义的，荒谬的；diarrhea: 腹泻，此处用比喻义。

If you oh-so-casually asked me today—oh hey, Kat, can you tell me something about leadership? —I would probably point and laugh at you.I might even try to hit you with a softball.

But, in all seriousness, the following is some of my rambling10. rambling: 杂乱无章的，漫无边际的。notes on the subject. To inspire this, be assured that I did not have any grand epiphany11. epiphany:（对事物真谛的）顿悟。. I did, however, work for someone who is captivating12. captivating: 迷人的，有魅力的。—who makes me want to ask the question and find an answer.

When I first met (let’s call her) Brill, I was in the common area at work—minding my own business, peeling a tangerine, pondering the meaning of life.13. tangerine: 橘子，柑橘；ponder:沉思，默想。She stormed in, dropped a bunch of loud (and some very creative) profanities,14. storm: v. 气冲冲地去某处；profanity: 亵渎，侮辱grabbed a banana and stormed off. I blinked a few times, swearing that I saw a wake of dust behind her.15. blink: 眨眼睛；wake: （船行中船留下的）尾流，船迹，此处为暗喻。

Ever since that moment, my de finition of leadership went topsyturvy16. topsy-turvy: 颠三倒四的，乱七八糟的。. I’m sure there are several types of leaders, but Brill doesn’t seem to fit any of the ones I knew. She isn’t quite the invisible leader—a leader who builds an empire that will succeed without them. But, she also isn’t the typical dynamic leader—the kind where the success or failure of a project/company is dependent on their vision.

I would drive myself insane if I tried boxing her into a style. But, I will offer a few observations based on my meetings with her:

She is uncomfortably opinionated17. opinionated: 固执己见的，刚愎自用的。. Not in an obnoxious kind of way,but in a very decisive and clear-the-path way.18. 她不会采用令人不悦的方式，而是采用一种非常果断的、能扫清一切障碍的方式。She comes prepared with a principle to back up her thoughts. And, she will argue until you change her mind.

She does change her mind. She is not a stubborn person. She dotes on19. dote on: 喜欢，宠爱。people who she finds capable, and who will also speak their mind.

领导力是一种诚于内而形于外的特殊品质。领导力如何，会直接影响到与被领导者的关系，最终影响到领导工作的效能。现代社会，人们对领导方式更是见仁见智。如何成为一名充满魅力的领导者似乎已成为一门错综复杂的艺术。那么在一位斯坦福大学学生的眼里，怎样的人才会成为有吸引力的领导者呢？让我们一探究竟。

She puts the user first; politics last. She will get on the phone, and will embarrass a senior politician for putting politics before the good of the users. I’ve seen this firsthand.

I think anyone can lead—whether a dance, a song, a story. But, only a small few can be a leader. And only a small few within that few can be a great one. From what I have observed, the key ingredient to a great leader is not a manufactured one—not one money or power can buy. It’s inherent—of truth and humility.20. inherent: 固有的，与生俱来的；humility: 谦卑，谦虚。

Brill will be the first to apologize and admit failure. She will stand in front of 10,000 of us and admit that the team screwed up21. screw up: 弄糟，搞乱。. “But, here’s how we are going to fix it.” Failure doesn’t happen often, but when it does, people admire her for standing up and telling the truth (the whole truth). She doesn’t gloss it up; doesn’t smear some lipstick on a pig and call it a stallion.22. gloss up: 使……光鲜，粉饰；smear: 涂抹，涂上；stallion: 成年公马，种马。

It’s not easy. Guiding a team takes up your life, as you feel responsible to each and every individual. It can keep you up at night, ruin your dinners, and take a toll on23. take a toll on: 给……造成重大损失。your relationships.But, if you hunger to make a difference, you better start throwing that softball.

Hi readers! Call me Kat.

I’m a writer and reader enthusiast; a native Harbin-er; a current tech geek in the Silicon Valley; an unapologetic food-lover and sojourner. Above all, I’m a romantic. If you’ve read my other stories—Been There, Done That or my previous ELL column—I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

My goal in writing, especially writing for you, is to bring a bit of happiness. As Roger Ebert spelled out: “We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health,our circumstances. We must try.”

So, keep calm, and read on!