For a promising future, youngsters must be prepared for leadership. Children with strong leadership skills are more equipped to inspire, influence, solve problems, and even face difficulties in order to direct their careers and lives positively.
Despite the abundance of talent coming out of our higher education institutions, recruiting managers often struggle to identify competent candidates. There is still a wide gap between academia and the workplace. This emphasises the need for leadership training for youngsters to stay competitive by global standards. Leadership training, however, is not about attending a few classes. It is often about how young leaders make meaning when they are growing up.
From the lens of executive presence, here are 9 recommendations for parents, teachers, and guardians for developing leadership skills among children:
Children learn through imitation and so it is essential for the adults whom they are surrounded with to give them attention when they need it. Try to take interest in their daily routines, dreams, and commonalities with you. Often, it is simply about listening rather than giving them solutions, because their ideas will change, but their relationship with you will only strengthen if you are intentional about it.
Children are hyper-aware of their own senses and feelings in the moment. In fact, they are also aware of the emotions that others might have even if they cannot name it.
Helping these future leaders maintain this awareness will help them learn to observe their surroundings and gain insights even as they grow up. Allow them to share their observations without necessarily correcting them. If you absolutely want to help them gain perspective, the best way might be to ask them questions.
Children are often full of energy and they need guidance that will help them engage that energy. As a parent, teacher, or guardian, you can choose to always give them the spotlight to share, play, and even make decisions where appropriate. This will not only make you likable but will also teach them that their opinions matter, so helping them become decision-making leaders.
With exposure to the world around them through social media and the multiple classes that children attend, it is impossible to manage the messages that children receive.
Thus, it is more important than ever to share optimistic perspectives to instill self-belief in children. The more they believe in themselves, the more they will know how to re-align with their own goals, no matter the situation. As an adult around children, find opportunities to be a role model who surrounds themselves with positivity and power with great comfort.
Emotional management, response to various situations, the ability to negotiate, to share ideas with clarity, and to command attention are all excellent traits for a leader to cultivate.
Setting a good example and discussing scenarios when these qualities are present or absent will help to promote these abilities. Children should be asked about what they would have done differently and why, so that they continue to cultivate their own composure.
Young children who are given tasks are better equipped to take charge of a group. Encourage them to volunteer early on so they can gain experience in a variety of fields and improve their leadership and work ethic.
This will introduce them to various fields of expertise and help them build their own network of relationships. Over time, these young leaders will learn that they then stand out as exclusive.
Everyone, young and old, likes appreciation. As an adult around future leaders, make the time to reflect on what these children are doing right and then tell them about it. Appreciation should be offered generously.
Also, encourage children to see how the contribution from others is making their life better. This instils humility and respect for others and instils a sense of trust towards the world.
Relaxation is essential for growth and even healing when required. The most successful leaders learn how to handle setbacks with the same grace they handle victories and relaxation helps.
When children are exposed to disappointment rather than being protected from it, they learn to see vulnerability as key to self-care. The idea is to understand that the chase is for growth, not perfection, and so one must concentrate on endurance with self-love.
