As parents we want the best for our children and I thought people would have an interest in grooming their children for future leadership.
Q: Are people born leaders or are they groomed?
A: The answer is a little of both. We are born with certain attributes and personality characteristics which give us a better chance at being a successful leader, and then leadership is groomed in us based on our life experiences.
Q: What are some of the genetic qualities of leadership?
A: Let’s keep in mind first of all that everyone can be inspired to demonstrate leadership skills. That said, it can help your leadership skills if your personality tends towards being decisive, willing to take some risks and being outgoing in your communication. Some stubbornness and tenacity is helpful. I notice these differences in my children. My daughter is more shy than my son and both are willing to take some risks especially in getting up in front of people.
Q: What about providing kids with experiences to get them ready for leadership?
A: We want to give our kids the chance to think through decisions – pros and cons and then decide. We want them to work on their communication skills one-on-one and in front of groups. We want kids to have a chance to be in charge of certain things. We want them to gain an understanding of emotional intelligence – how to read and understand the feelings of others. We want our kids to get comfortable trying something new and sticking with something even if they are struggling with it. We want to give them a chance to teach us or someone else how to do something. We want to coach them not to be too nice or too bossy.
Q: How do the schools impact kids becoming leaders?
A: The schools seem to be doing a better job than ever in getting kids ready with good skill sets. They get kids doing projects and giving speeches. Teachers have to be very aware of the impact they have on the children in their care. I can remember getting comments on my report card – Greg talks too much in class – and here I am a professional speaker and trainer.
Q: Anything to watch out for as we’re grooming kids to be leaders?
A: Yes, its interesting that some of the behaviours that we try to steer our kids away from become strengths as adults. For example, take stubborn kids – it may be annoying when they are little and yet having tenacity helps you achieve success. We sometimes want our kids to not take any risks and yet having a sense of adventure and taking on new challenges is a leadership strength. We may tell our kids to be quiet when instead we want to teach them how to articulate their feelings.
Kids are like sponges – always watching and listening to their parents. This programming will in most cases have a life long impact. So parents have to be conscious of their own behaviours, actions and decisions to see if they are giving kids positive leadership lessons.
No Charge Teleseminar
Yes, I invite all AM800 listeners to join me for a no-charge teleseminar on August 29th – I am going to focus on leadership success habits – so if you are a leader now or aspire to become one, please visit LeadershipWizard.com to register online. Again the teleseminar is August 29th – you attend by phone – it is no charge. Get all the info at LeadershipWizard.com or go directly to: http://www.AskGregSchinkel.com
