Who shaped my view of leadership?

One person who really shaped my view of leadership is Jay-Z. I know I talked a little bit about him in my last blog but he has really had that big of an impact on me. Jay-Z was born in rough neighborhood known as Marcy in Brooklyn, New York which I can relate to coming from a rough neighborhood myself. The reason he's been such a big inspiration of mine is because Jay-Z made something from nothing and still remained true to himself. He never earned a Bachelors degree let alone a High School diploma and is now one of the most successful Musicians/Entrepreneurs. The fact that a man can push himself to be the best even with the lack of education and still out-due a lot of successful people is very impressive. Now I know that a lot of Hip-Hop artists don't even end up graduating but not every artist is capable of creating a multi-million dollar clothing company like Jay-Z.

When Jay-Z isn't working on music or dealing with his clothing line he handles his foundation called the Shawn Carter Foundation. The Shawn Carter Foundation helps children from the lower class further their education, providing them with the resources they need in order for them to succeed. This really speaks out to me because it shows Jay-Z sees the struggle families are going through and it shows he cares and would like to help out in any way possible. A lot of times you might witness a celebrity get a taste of fame and just get out of control, caring about no one other than themselves.

My view of leadership is a successful person who always stays true to themselves and never feels like their job is done. Another trait of a leader is someone who's always willing to give back, recognizing the hardships families are going through and making a change. Jay-Z's music speaks for itself with it's positive vibes and the stories he tells about how he escaped the dangerous lifestyles. It really shows me that leadership doesn't just have to be about giving back by donating money, etc. Leadership can also come from motivation and influencing others to dedicate themselves to what they truly love to do through your music. This is why I try to dedicate myself to really inspire people through my music because I know coming from the lower class kids don't have much to look forward to. But I want to influence them that the world has much more to it than just violence and drugs, and that you can really do anything if you dedicate yourself to it, just like Jay-Z inspired me.