Leadership skills are qualities that inspire others to work together toward common goals. Everyone, even students, can benefit from developing these qualities because they’re applicable to broad areas of work and life.
What Are Some Examples of Leadership Skills?
Image via Unsplash by Jehyun Sung
Leadership skills promote accountability and cooperation, enable independence, and help instill confidence, which are all ingredients for success and well-being in one’s pursuits. With that in mind, consider these examples of the top leadership skills you may want to develop:
- Communication
- Listening
- Accountability and diligence
- Compassion and patience
- Teamwork
- Positivity and motivation
- Problem-solving and conflict management
- Critical thinking and decision-making
- Goal-setting
- Delegation
How To Develop Leadership Skills as a Student
If you’re a student interested in developing leadership skills, follow the strategies outlined below:
Find Opportunities To Lead
Because all skills require practice to develop, you’d do well to seek opportunities in which you can put your leadership to the test. If you aren’t sure where to find such opportunities, look around your school or community. Run for student government, start a school club, join a team, or perform community service.
Focus on Conversation
Conversation is a two-way channel of communication and listening, which are two of the key leadership skills. It’s also a skill, so it can be improved through regular applied effort. Improve your conversation skills by being an active participant in your interactions — being attentive to what other people say, providing verbal and nonverbal feedback, and asking questions to build out ideas.
Welcome Feedback
Feedback not only tells you what you’re doing well but also helps identify areas of improvement. If you want to become more leader-like, encourage others to be honest with you about your personality and manners of interaction. Listen to their feedback without being defensive and use it to fill the gaps in your leadership skill set. Take the best personality test to see what areas you excel in, and others that you might not be the strongest in yet but can improve on!
How Parents Can Help Their Kids Build Leadership Skills
Parents of students can support their children in developing leadership skills in several ways.
- Lead by example: To set a good example for student leaders, parents themselves should strive to embody leadership qualities.
- Encourage their pursuits: If your child wants to pursue leadership opportunities at school or around the neighborhood, give them your full support.
- Guide them: As your child pursues leadership opportunities, their enthusiasm for growth may lead them to take on more than they can handle. To keep them from becoming overwhelmed or burned out, help them find opportunities that suit their interests and strengths.
How Schools Offer Leadership Development for Their Students
Schools offer leadership development opportunities through extracurricular activities. Sports teams and special interest clubs, for example, are excellent environments for fostering skills like teamwork and communication. Other leadership pathways a school may offer are internships, volunteer opportunities, and social groups.
In some schools, leadership development is part of the academic mission. For example, leadership skills in Catholic school is often an integrated part of the curriculum, which is concerned with building personal integrity as much as intellectual capabilities.
Hopefully, with the information you’ve learned here, you have the resources to become a stronger leader or to guide your child toward a leadership role. Remember, though, that leadership is a skill, and skills take time to master. Be patient and diligent, as a leader would.
