You play a crucial role in preparing your child to be a future leader by modeling the behaviors you want to foster in him or her. Engaging with your child in everyday teamwork situations demonstrates the value of collaboration when working together to reach a shared goal. Joining your child in his or her developmental journey readies him or her to take on more complex social situations with ease and confidence.
Tracking Progress and Achievements
Enable children to track their progress toward clear, realistic goals. By modeling and encouraging goal-setting with their children, parents can help them develop responsibility in their learning. This can be a powerful tool for children, guiding them through longer-term projects and study programs. Help them parse out the steps needed to complete a larger goal, and celebrate each checkpoint they achieve. This confers a sense of mastery and rewards thoughtful, systematic work, and can serve as a valuable foundation for learning how to lead.
Lead by Example
As a parent, you must always lead by example, particularly when it comes to upgrading yourself both personally and on the job. By seeking an online bachelor's degree nursing, as an example, you will equip yourself to move into a specialty area such as education, informatics, nurse administration, or advanced practice nursing options — the options are wide open. More than moving up the career ladder, you set a powerful example for your children about the importance of lifelong learning and personal growth.
Responsibility and Accountability
Teach your kids responsibility and accountability as a way to encourage integrity. As children are held accountable for the things that they do, they develop a sense of ethics and fairness that are essential elements of good leadership. Encourage them to own their mistakes and think about what they might do differently, and this will help them see the cause and effect of their decisions.
Encouraging Decision Making
Make it a habit to let your children make decisions, especially when they are young. What book should I read? What project should I do for my science fair? What outfit should I wear? What should we have for dinner? Letting your children make choices empowers them to think independently and feel good about their abilities. This step alone can help to turn them into leaders. When people have confidence in their ability to make good decisions in the face of pressure, they are much more effective leaders.
Promoting Independence
By allowing your kids to pursue their passions and make their own mistakes in a safe setting, you give them the ability to make choices, experiment, and learn from their experiences, which will serve to instill a sense of independence and self-reliance. It’s a critical characteristic for a leader to have. When you give them space, you can give them autonomy.
Becoming Effective Team Players
Teach your kids about cooperation so they can be good team players. Leadership is not only about being in charge but working with others to achieve something together. Encourage your kids to take part in team sports, when they play in bands, or have group projects in school. When they work together, they learn how to communicate, respect each other’s opinions, and compromise.
Your job of developing your child’s leadership skills is paramount and multi-faceted. Only by modeling your own personal growth, helping them set and achieve goals, and teaching them responsibility, independence, and cooperation, are you setting the stage for them to build upon and preparing them to lead with confidence and integrity in whatever they choose to do.
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Article by Jenna Sherman - August 8, 2024