Leadership Report

I want you to think of someone iconic. Someone who truly changed the world for the better. Who do you think of? Maybe you think of Martin Luther King Jr., or maybe Susan B. Anthony. They share a very notable trait. The trait that I am talking about of course, is leadership. The proper definition according to Merriam-Webster of leadership is “the act or an instance of leading” (“Leadership”). Being a leader means being called up to be in charge of whatever specific topic it is. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, instructor, or really anybody, a leader has a huge impact on the end result of something. When I think of leadership, I tend to think of my definition, which is that leadership is someone who can drive people in the right direction that

For the sports we have here at SJHS, we tend to call these leaders coaches. The coaches in any sport related activity is by far the most important asset to the team, and leads the team by teaching us how to improve our skills. You can have good athletes, but without a good coach they won’t be able to get better. Here at SJHS, the swim coach is none other than Paul Hirn. While being a controversial coach, there is no doubt that he makes non-swimmers into swimmers. Hirn reflects my definition by being able to lead our team successfully. Being able to turn somebody into something they weren’t previously is such a good aspect of being a leader. After twenty years of coaching at SJHS, Hirn still shows up to every practice so that he can improve his swim team. Hirn teaches swimmers two main things, being respect, and technique. He wants all swimmers to not only have respect for other swimmers, but also for the sport in its entirety. In The Odyssey, Odysseus was the leader of that story. Like how Hirn is able to lead our team to swim meets with respect and grace, Odysseus leads his men through Ithaca and Greece. Throughout the book, Odysseus demonstrates courage, wit, and intelligence. Those qualities are all great qualities of a good leader, and are qualities of a coach. Odysseus lead his men, and Hirn lead us through successful swim seasons each and every