The best way for a society to prepare its young people for leadership in government industry or other fields is by instilling in them a sense of cooperation not competition

The ability to lead is one avidly sought for in the modern world. Education now pushes young people to become leaders. From class presidents to student councils, teachers are encouraging their students to step up and take on responsibility; student activities give out proof of a leadership position in hopes attracting participants who are eager to add one more thing to their curriculum vitaes; university admissions, most often than not, require that college hopefuls show their leadership experience, regardless of their major. It seems that the younger generation are encouraged to compete in order to lead. Yet, being a leader is more than just vying for a title. Being a leader is about cooperation, for there is no leader without a group willing to be led.

It would be disastrous if the young were encouraged to compete more instead of cooperate. While competition most often brings out the best of people, in terms of their capabilities, it also brings out the worst in people when competition is not tempered with morals. When one strives to be the top, eyes are set upon a specific goal, with little regard for anything else, let alone the well-being of others. This is exactly what happened to the multiple Russian athletes who had cheated in the Olympics, resulting in the change of their name from Russia to ROC in the 2021 Olympics. Despite being illustrated leading athletes who represent their country, they disregarded what matters more than competition themselves—to be role models that fight fair.

Additionally, leaders should not be those who focus on the importance of a competition and thus overlook their team members. All problems worthy of solving build upon the cooperation of multiple people. This is why new research has to be based on past research; researchers need to learn from mistakes made in the past so as to improve their experiments and analysis for the future. Another example is of the coronavirus outbreak, something that cannot be solved through a competition to get the virus in check. To truly eradicate the pandemic, help is needed through the cooperation of individuals who are not only capable of inventing suitable vaccines but also distributing them to those in need.

That being said, a competitive spirit should no doubt be encouraged. Human beings have achieved wonders through a race for a better life. In order to strive above others to make greater profit, businesses work diligently to come up with innovative ideas while technicians toil tirelessly in order to provide outstanding products. Again, what is wrong would be a concentration on competition with little regard to cooperation. If the world is a place where “every man is to himself,” and that being a successful leader means the failure of all others, what would be the point of living in a society?

The thirst to win allows the young to tackle problems with gusto, yet their competitiveness should not be valued over their ability to cooperate. To be a leader, the young need to learn that respect should be earned through not only their abilities to compete but their abilities to communicate with their team members and pull them together to face adversities. Real leaders are those who keep their group in mind, and thus overcome challenges that can only be solved together.