Leadership skills for students: lead the way to lead

Students cheer during 14th Convocation of the American International University, Bangladesh, on Thursday. Photo: asaduzzaman pramanik/ bdnews24.com

“Children of today are the leaders of tomorrow...” - Nelson Mandela.

We have heard this so many times. But how much do we contribute to the making of a true great leader? Yes, we educate them to have a vast knowledge of books and help them to develop in certain fields with extracurricular activities. We try to help them become better human beings - which is of utmost importance. At the same time, we need to nurture leadership qualities in them.

Life is full of challenges. Our world is constantly changing with technological advancements, new ways of communication, and overall patterns of life, which all involve better capabilities in critical and creative thinking. Leadership skills are life skills that can provide students with the ability to cope and adapt to these challenges at any point in life, to make quick decisions and take action in unforeseen situations, to manage and organise their own lives, and to lead others. It’s not only important for students’ development, but it also affects the society and the nation as well. Thus, it’s imperative to equip them with the desired skills for life.

“Leaders are not born, they’re made.” True - skills to become a leader can be learned and developed over time. The younger they start, the better.

Almost all young people have the potential to become leaders, and research shows that if the qualities, values and skills are taught during their formative years, it’s easier for them to apply those in life.

Now, let’s see some of the vital traits for being a leader.

Self-confidence is essential for leaders to take risks, deal with problems and conflicts easily and accomplish their goals. It involves taking prompt action and influencing others with the right attitude.

Problem Solving: Problems arise one after another in unexpected ways. People look for solutions from a leader. The leader has to guide the group through with problem-solving techniques for these endless challenges.

Conflict Resolution: Humans are complex in their behaviours, and leaders have to deal with conflicts that arise in different situations among different members. Leaders, with their negotiation skills, can try to resolve those differences constructively.

The art of communication is a skill that every leader must possess. As a leader, it’s vital to have effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills, whether it’s to delegate work or achieve targets.

Effective listening skills help in understanding the team, their challenges and expectations. The members might come up with creative ideas, and listening helps in a healthy exchange of views. A leader always needs to listen properly to them and understand their strengths and weaknesses before making any decision.

Positivity is essential for good health and mental peace. In negative circumstances, positivity helps to focus and maintain an optimistic outlook. It also helps the leader to proactively take action to transform vision into reality.

A true leader must also build trust and cooperation among team members by praising each member for their contribution, making them realise that it’s not just an individual’s target but the team’s target, and they need to support each other.

Empowering members by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each team member is necessary to help them overcome barriers collectively. It helps motivate them to contribute their individual strengths to achieve individual and team targets.

Socialising, irrespective of gender or any other differences, helps build networking and strengthen the power of leadership.

A school can play an important role in instilling all these leadership skills in students.

Each human being has some particular talents and skills that can turn her/him into a leader in that particular field. Teachers should identify individuals’ talents and help them enhance their skills. It’s also essential that all students, regardless of personality traits or learning types, have the opportunity to develop leadership qualities.

To empower students with leadership qualities, they should be given responsibilities to organise simple activities like starting a debating club, team games, or school events, giving presentations or extempore speeches. These help build self-confidence. Self-esteem and confidence open up more opportunities as they grow older and enter the workforce. Moreover, confident children aren’t afraid of failures. It helps them to have a positive outlook. They understand that failure helps them gain experience to improve their performance in the future.

Problem-solving skills can be taught by placing a problem to them, defining the problem and letting them brainstorm for solutions. Next, teachers can select a solution from there and let them see whether it works. If not, then try to discuss why it didn’t work. It will enhance their creative thinking and help them find solutions that might work.

Moreover, schools can have meditation classes for concentration, enhancing their focus.

Effective communication skills can be taught through games which require active listening. They should be taught to focus on their audience, mindsets feelings and body language. Once they learn to identify the audience successfully and become active listeners, they will be able to communicate the right messages effectively.

Team building games can help students learn team spirit and networking with people. Make them contact teachers, faculty, and heads of student clubs and organisations; help them introduce team members to people. Through these practices, they will also learn social skills.

Furthermore, for building goals & completing those, students should be given projects and assignments that require teamwork with specific objectives and guided with actions to fulfil those objectives in time with effective results. Different extracurricular activities also play a significant role in developing multifarious leadership skills.

Discipline is important in every aspect of life. One of the best ways to develop discipline in students is by ensuring certain disciplinary rules are followed in schools.

It’s also important for students to learn to follow instructions. Teachers can interchange roles so that they learn to follow instructions. A true leader doesn’t have issues following instructions they deem morally and logically correct.

Outdoor learning also provides a range of unique experiences in developing vital leadership capabilities. Multidisciplinary outdoor activities like camping (putting up the tent, cooking, cleaning), maze games, canoeing, and mountaineering can help students develop their leadership-based competencies like organisational skills, creativity and teamwork.

When students master a skill or overcome certain difficult challenges, it inspires confidence, which is a prerequisite for a leader.

Another great way to develop leadership skills in students is to delegate more responsibilities with more projects, enabling them to come out of their comfort zone and accomplish their goals.

The universal core values like humbleness, honesty, courage, morality and humanity should be given top priority. For that, religious studies (according to the religions of different students) should be a compulsory part of the curricula. Students are influenced by teachers. So teachers should be role models for students to follow.

A leader ... is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realising that all along they are being directed from behind.

Nelson Mandela

The importance of imparting leadership skills is undeniable. Leadership skill makes students more confident, and they don’t waver to accept challenges. They learn to work hard with dedication and positivity, communicate effectively, enhance their time management skills, achieve goals in a better way, become aware of their rights and duties and improve habits.

All people with leadership skills may not become world leaders, but these skills will help them lead their personal and professional lives with ease and happiness.

In this chaotic world, we need great leaders to lead the world. Keeping that in mind, we need to equip all young people with the leadership skills they need to make a positive impact on an ever-changing society. On a broader scale, we need to help them with the necessary skills to lead the world to thrive and become a better place for everyone to live in.

Almost every student has what it takes to be a leader. We just need to empower them by leading and showing them the right way.

[Tasneem Hossain is a multilingual poet, columnist, op-ed and fiction writer, translator and training consultant. She is the Director of Continuing Education Centre, Bangladesh.]