Leadership Qualities: Teaching Kids to be Leaders

As a parent I want my children to be extremely successful and happy, believing that their level of happiness will be their level of success. In short, I want my kids to lead a good and fulfilling life. As the parent of two children I am constantly gaining a further realization at what a monumental task this is. What do I teach them? What experiences can I share to further their journey in life? What skills and attributes do I feel are important to compete and survive in this world?
One of my key philosophies in life is stop and listen. In a hectic world with many distractions, stopping what I am doing and just listen has allowed me to ponder my existence and draw conclusions about life. One such instance of this has to do with the qualities of a leader. This is not to say that I want my children to go out there and be a CEO of some large corporation, but rather I wish my child to learn how to take control of their life and direct it for good. It just so happens that some of these qualities are those that have allowed businessman and women to do well in their line of work.
Whatever your definition of success is, the qualities that leaders should, and many do possess, are ones that parents could use to improve the quality of life for their children.

Teaching Communication Skills

In the early years of life, children quickly develop language skills and progress in their ability to effectively communicate their thoughts and desires.
A leader must have the ability to communicate effectively in a wide variety of situations, whether with employees, consumers, applicants, or the general public. A loss of communication leads to a loss of productivity and confidence.
Here are three tips and ideas to assist in fostering good communication skills with your children:

• The communication game:

Materials: Blocks, crayon/pen and paper, playdough, anything that will allow you to build or create something. All participants must have identical materials.
Participants: 2 to many
Time limit: 7 to 10 minutes
Participants are to face away from each other, and avoid peaking! One person constructs an object using the materials, and as they construct the object of their desire, they communicate with others the process. Each instruction is to be followed by the other participants, using the same materials as the "Master Builder". Once the Master Builder finishes the creation and walking everyone through the steps, all participants can look at how similar their creation is to the participant who instructed. This makes it so children have to rely on listening and giving good instructions to ensure everyone ends up with the same results.
Depending on age level, the adult may want to be the Master Builder for younger ages, and allow older children a chance to be the Master Builder.

• A handshake and hello:

One of the things I taught my son as a toddler was to shake hands and greet people with a, "Hello, how are you?" The simple gesture of physical contact and a genuine interest is a great way for kids to learn to communicate. Here are some things to work on when teaching children to greet in this manner:

1. Eye contact: Maintain before the handshake, during the handshake, and when talking
2. Good grip: Teach them to shake back and not be afraid to squeeze a little to show the other person they are there!
3. Speak clearly: When asking a question or saying hello, make sure the kids are speaking audible and clear
4. Listen: When asking the question, "How are you today?", teach your kids to listen and respond appropriately.

Written by Jared Zane Kessie