Take the Lead

Just because he’s the youngest doesn’t mean your child can’t be a leader. DR RICHARD C. WOOLFSON outlines 10 leadership skills he needs.

The “baby” of the family is six years old and he’s more of a follower than a leader, preferring to go along with whatever his older siblings say, without offering alternative ideas or suggestions of his own. He is also a follower when he’s with his pals, and but you want him to develop his leadership skills. Here are 10 skills that every leader needs, which you can help nurture:

Being goal-oriented

A leader is needed when a group of individuals strive towards a common goal. That goal could be for his class group to complete a puzzle or to build a structure. Leaders are not needed when there is no target, so encourage your child to identify a target that he is prepared to strive towards until it is achieved.

Communication skills Develop his ability to express his feelings and ideas clearly. Other children won’t follow him unless they understand what he says – and they certainly they won’t follow if he keeps all his ideas to himself, without saying anything.

Listening skills

Effective leaders have strong listening skills. Encourage your kindergartener to look at his pals when they talk to him, to make eye contact with them, to respond when they speak to him, and to use body language to demonstrate that he is listening (for instance, by nodding his head to show that he agrees with what they say).

Teamwork

Leadership emerges when working in a team. Explain to him that when he engages as part of a group, he should respect the contributions that others make, praise individual contributions that help the team achieve its goal, and make positive use of the other members’ skills, strengths and abilities.

Persistence

Persuade him to continue with a task, even when he thinks the challenge is beyond him. A child who gives up easily will rarely inspire others to follow him, whereas a child who shows determination in the face of a very difficult challenge is more likely to be regarded as a leader by his pals.

Independence

It’s very hard to resist peer pressure, and that is why more children are followers than leaders. That’s why you should encourage Junior to think independently, to make up his own mind. A good leader knows what the majority wants to do and yet is still independent enough to propose a different idea if necessary.

Self-confidence

Everyone has self-doubts sometimes, wondering if they made the right choice or if they acted the right way. Boosting his level of self-assurance helps him overcome these moments of doubt, which will, enable him to lead with commitment, determination and composure.

Enthusiasm

In any group task (for example, when four children work together to make a complete a class project), there often comes a point when interest in the core task flags, when all the kids run out of steam. A true leader continues to press on, even when the others in the team have started to lose interest.

Encouraging

As well as setting a good example, a child with leadership qualities encourages others to try hard at all times. Teach your kid useful phrases to say when trying to lead his pals, such as “That’s a great idea, thanks” or “You are doing really well and that’s helping us all.” A leader uses positive language at the right times.

Being solution-focused

Leaders tend to be adept at finding solutions to problems that others seem to find insurmountable. It’s about having the creative ability to think outside the box, to see possibilities when others only see obstacles.

Teach your child to look at challenges in different ways and to be prepared to test out different solutions.

Persuade him to continue with a task, even when he thinks the challenge is beyond him. A child who gives up easily will rarely inspire others to follow him.