This is leadership.

Once, when I was in school, one of my teachers was very angry at our class and she was scolding us. As this was happening, a student's pencil box fell on the floor and everything got scattered.

We were all frozen, not sure what to do. After all, the teacher was still angry and still scolding.

In the middle of all this, one of my classmates got up and started to help this student pick the stuff up from the floor.

I was not sure what's going to happen. I thought the teacher would make an example of this kid. He is ignoring her while she is speaking.

She did make an example of him. The right kind of example. She asked us if only one of us saw what happened and had the humanity to help. What about the rest of us?

That stayed with me. That has guided me all my life.

I never want to be the one who stands and watch. I always want to be the one helping to pick the stuff up.

I think this is what leadership is. It's not something glorified. It's seeing where we can be a contribution and choosing to be one.

This classmate of ours was a leader for sure. But my teacher was a leader too. One led by doing, the other by teaching.