What the world needs now…is leaders!
The world today will need effective leaders tomorrow. At school, in business and in politics our community leaders will be needed to guide people through the growth and challenges that will be required to succeed in the future. The reality is that today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders. Possessing the necessary skills to be an effective leader, skills such as building relationships, public speaking, working with a team, overcoming challenges and much more, will be more important than ever in helping your child be an outstanding contributor to an economy and world that is changing faster than ever. These are undeniably core skills moving forward.
When I first started a school, I taught every class, from Ninja-Tots to Adults. As the school grew, I brought on staff and began training them on how to run a floor and work with the people that we were leading and serving. Initially, this process took a long time but now, I see massive improvements in just a few months in our staff. Staff members that were once shy and quiet begin to command a floor and earn the student’s respect as they become more effective leaders. Very quickly, teens become leaders and begin leading children and adults, helping them improve their lives. How did this happen?
During this process I’ve realized that you need three things in order to help someone become a great leader – the tools, the experience and feedback. Developing the tools to lead is the most challenging part. Teaching a person how to build relationships, plan for the future, celebrate success, anticipate challenges and learn how to deal with those challenges is crucial. While learning the tools is tough, there is a wealth of resources out there that can provide you with some direction. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell, Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl and The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo are a few of my favourite books that lay out the skills, traits and habits of a great leader.
While those skills are being learned, they need to be put into practice and developed. Without this, it’s like learning how to paddle a canoe without ever going into the water. Camps, local community events, school events and other similar activities where an individual has the opportunity to lead and work with people are great places to begin. During these activities, children will come across a variety of people, personalities and challenges that will provide them the chance to put into practice what they’ve been learning.
Finally, someone needs to be there to give them some feedback. To show them things that they’ve done well and help them navigate the times that they’re challenged will be key to helping them accelerate their learning. A great leader could still develop without it, however feedback will drastically help shorten the learning curve.
In the end, the good news is that while some leaders are naturally born, many leaders have had to work and develop their skills, meaning that almost anyone can become a leader of some greater quality.
I’m thrilled to see my students progress into a leadership capacity in class. If you’d like some information on our programs and how they can help your child become a greater leader, please click here.