Leadership Skills

Leadership is one of the hardest words to define. Is the President of the United States a leader? What about your local business people or librarian – are they leaders? Are you a leader?

When it comes down to it, leadership is part of everyone – your Mom, your dentist, your yoga instructor, your trash collector – and yes, even you can be a leader. Even if you were a follower.

Followers are waiting to be leaders.

They’re waiting for their time. But, why wait? A lot of leaders don’t make their mark until college – or even later. They spend the majority of their life following. And following doesn’t get you anywhere.

The problem is this: followers won’t know they are capable of leading unless someone puts them in a leadership position, teaches them how to get things done, and bring a team along with them.

Here’s why student leadership is so important:

1. Focus

Finding something to do is easy as a student – there’s homework in every class, hanging out with friends, practicing for a role in the play, etc. Student’s lives are chaos. Leadership skills help students focus on what’s important. They know what needs to happen to get everything done. Whether that means scheduling it out on a calendar or sacrifice (see #3), it’s going to help everyone if they’re focused.

2. Courage

You’re at the top of a wall, facing the opposite direction of your peers down below. One step backwards, and you’re falling into the arms of your classmates. That’s terrifying (so are spiders). Leadership gives students an extra dose of courage. And if you’re teaching a classroom of leaders, they’ll coach each other through the team exercise. Courage gives students the power to do anything. After all, the scariest thing for students to do is get something started. Be courageous. Start a movement.

3. Sacrifice

Leaders realize what needs to go to get the team (you know, the followers) to the finish line: sacrifice. I remember when I was on a particular team project. My team members could have cared less about the project (because they knew I was the leader). I stayed up all night to get the project done – and done well. That’s sacrifice. Teach you students early and you’ll see an instant bump in quality. Because to do well you have to do less.

4. Planning

Disorganization is not the name of the game for young leaders. Teach project management to a leader and they’ll put it into action by splitting up the project, delegating, and bringing everyone else full circle.

5. Execution

Related to planning, execution is what leaders do: They get things done. Crossing a task off their to-do list is amazing, Turning in a research paper? Even better? Walking out the door on the last day of class? The best. Students who live for execution of tasks have leadership potential because they are fantastic planners (see #4). They know what needs to be done. Wouldn’t it be great if your students always knew what needed to be done and, well, just did it? That’s leadership. Students helping students to complete the task.

6. Team

Speaking of help, another reason to teach leadership to your students is the team aspect. Ever since you teach them to add and subtract, they’ll be in teams. Whether it’s helping each other, or trying to figure out how to approach a problem, good team work comes from amazing leadership. And amazing leadership doesn’t always have to come from you. In fact, it’s more important if it comes from your students. Go team!

7. Impact

I even went to economics & leadership camp. Yep – I spent one week of my summer in Boulder, CO learning economics in the morning and leadership in the afternoon. I not only made life-long friends, but was able to walk away being deeply impacted by what I learned and experienced. Leadership is powerful. Leadership is life-changing. Be a part of that impact for your students.

Leadership, while important for self-development, is also crucial for others to see – “Yes, I can do the same thing Billy is doing. I’m just as capable”. No, it’s not competition. It’s simply survival. Leaders get ahead. Leaders get things done. And they do it selflessly.