What is effective leadership?

Every young person has the potential to be a great leader – the right opportunities and support are all that is required.

Many successful leaders attribute their leadership skills to positive childhood experiences. From watching a coach rally a team before a big game to a classmate helping peers study for a test, children learn how to recognise the qualities of a leader.

What is effective leadership? According to the teachings of Abraham Hicks, it is less about managing others and more about mastering one’s own emotional state. The goal of self-leadership is emotional wellness that involves recognising, understanding and responding to your own emotional needs to gain an overall sense of positive well-being.

A true leader attracts positive experiences and inspires others by example. Parents can help develop leadership skills in their children by focusing on skills such as responsibility, empathy, problem-solving, and communication through everyday interactions and supportive guidance.

• Be a role model – children learn by observation, so demonstrate the qualities you want them to develop.
• Admit mistakes – show your child that leaders are not perfect by owning your errors and discussing what you learned from them.
• Demonstrate emotional management – be calm and fair when handling disagreements to teach good conflict outcomes and emotional intelligence.

While not all young people aspire to be leaders, all children can benefit from learning leadership skills. Some may excel in certain aspects of leadership, for example:

• being good at making others feel included in a group project or developing a plan to get it done on time,
• energising a team,
• sharing goals that everyone can contribute to,
• being open to new ideas and willing to speak up for a group,
• motivating a team through rough times and celebrating good times.

Some of the important benefits of empowering your child to be a leader include the self-confidence that develops, the motivation to work hard at goals, the courage to try new things, and the confidence to speak out.