We all grew up asking ourselves “what would Superman do?” in any sticky situation we found ourselves in. Maybe it wasn’t Superman, but, it was probably a hero that showed bravery, compassion, and strength. Whether it was Buzz Lightyear, Harry Potter, or Luke Skywalker, we all looked up to someone as a kid. Many of us change our heroes through the years to people who have made a difference globally such as Tom Hanks, Harriett Tubmen, and Nelson Mandela. The people we look up to may have changed but the fundamentals as to why we picked them are the same. We look up to those who are amazing leaders. A leader is someone you aspire to be and look to in times of need. A leader is a genuine person that seeks out to be compassionate, strong, and brave for everyone, and leads with the intention of building others up to create a healthy and stable efficient environment.

I always use to pretend to be Spider-Man as a kid. I wanted to help people, do the right thing, and lead by example. A good leader doesn’t just tell everyone to be a better person, they show them. A leader will be the best they can be which sets standards for how others will act as well. When I began my journey as a leader I knew I could only expect the people around me to act as good as I did. So now, whenever I am in a leadership role, I won’t ask someone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself. In Nor’easter news, members are asked to write an article every other week. I made sure to never ask someone for an article unless I too had written mine. But I don’t just tell people to do things, I like to make them fun. I try to find the game in everything. Whether I make cleaning into a race rather than a chore or give prizes to whoever seems the most enthusiastic about the task at hand, I genuinely believe doing things together can make anything entertaining. To allow others to find their own definition, I show them how I lead and how I would rather see myself as an equal rather than a person in charge. I give the people around me a chance to be in a leadership position in open discussions so that everyone feels their voice can heard. My hope is that people will take the opportunity to spread their wings and enjoy their time helping others around them as well. Putting the responsibility on another person takes a lot of trust, but, I feel it is necessary if you want those around you to succeed in the future. They will learn and, as a leader, I can guide them until they are independent leaders of their own with their own way of leading. Given the chance, we can uncover the leader in all of us.

Recently, at my internship in Disney, I came across a moment that I needed to step us as a leader. I was work register and a woman approached me asking where the Merida merchandise would be located. I told her the princess section has dresses and her bow. The woman thanked me in a sad manner and walked off. As a Disney employee, this was unacceptable. My job is to go above and beyond to make a guest happy. I followed the woman and asked is it was a gift for someone, she said yes. When I asked some more questions she told me that she is a teacher and one of her students needed a heart surgery, but when a donor was found the girl got sick with the flu and almost died. The woman told me that her student shouldn’t be alive today but was so brave and fought so hard. She cried as she told the story and I knew I had to find the perfect gift. I took her to the jewelry section where I showed her a silver bracelet that a charm with Merida on it and read “be brave.” The woman was so happy that we had found the perfect gift. But, when I went to get it from stock they were all out. Normally I would call a manager to ask what to do but earlier that day all the lines were busy due to spring break. I decided to take matters into my own had. I called a few other stores in the park and lucky one had a couple in stock. I asked the women if she has a moment to wait and she said all the time in the world. I ran over to the other store, got the bracelet, and came back. I found a few other co-works and asked for their help to wrap the gift extra special. I then called guest relations and told them of the situation and arranged for Merida herself to film a video for the girl wishing her luck on her next heart transplant. When the day was over that moment really stuck with me. The woman was so happy, and I know the girl will be too. I love that I can do that for people. Even though I wasn’t in a position to step up, such as a manager, I did anyways. I took the risk of getting in trouble to make the lady and the girl happy. It was worth it. I was able to get my co-works to help me out as well, I asked them to do something for me I could have done myself, but I really wanted to the extra help to make even more magic. Now, people come up to me and ask how I got a hold of guest relations so that they can do it too for guests. I showed them how far we can go and now we are all striving to spread pixie dust.