A month ago, I won a multistate election to represent this region's students at a national professional organization. It's humbling, but it's also a bit frightening. While I ran out of my own free will, I did it more or less as a favor to others. It's not that I didn't want the job (I do), but I was never really vested in the outcome, and in many ways I am still not. Add that to that fact that I have Aspergers, and while it is rather unnoticeable, it is there, and I have no examples of leaders with similar communication issues.
This is the first election of any kind I have ever won. I am now struggling with three issues pertaining to it:
1.) I really do not feel qualified. I am certainly not the most intelligent person in my district, nor the most involved (other than through this new position). I sometimes think I'd be president of the U.S. by now if I worked half as hard as some of the people I know.
2.) I now realize this position requires my leadership on several issues. I have never really thought of myself as one before, and have especially never asked others to look up to me.
3.) Most leaders at other organizations seem like zippy, bouncy extroverts. I am the exact opposite of that. I can appear pretty extroverted in spurts, but need tons of alone time to recover.
I don't really know what I'm asking here. It's always nice to know how a leader should act, but I'm just concerned because I am now uncomfortable, and have no idea who to reach out to. After all, if I reach out to the wrong person, it may discredit me.
02 Apr 2014, 10:33 am
