Ever since the beginning of civilization, mankind even, resources have always been something to be sought. Metals, land, food, wood. You name it, we sought it. Fast forward to our era, a resource that was previously sought unconsciously is now consciously and actively searched for, far and wide. What is it? Skills and qualities of manpower!

Here, I’m going to be focusing on the most basic but most appreciated and most sought after skill in the world. That’s right people, I am talking about leadership. This article will show you how to instill leadership skills in the bundles of joy in your household, the kids. And the best part is, all of this can be done in the comfort of your own home!

Common Leadership Skills & Qualities

Kick-off! Let’s start with a list of leadership skills and qualities found in all the best leaders.

• Planning
• Decision making
• Problem solving
• Communication
• Grit and perseverance
• And the list goes on!

The Way To Teach Them

Now, now, I know what you’re thinking, “Teach? I don’t think my kids will appreciate me lecturing them on a frequent basis!” No worries, the ways below do not include any of the sorts. They are all activities that you can do with your kids together in a FUN environment!

Planning

What to do, what to do? Planning is the process of deciding beforehand, what to do in the day ahead, or even on future days. This helps in getting the sense that one is organised and ready for the day. Planning is also a fundamental skill of good time management. Having this skill in your child will in turn ensure that your child is using their time at an optimum level.

So how are we going to develop this skill in our youths? The easiest and perhaps the most practical way is to involve them in making shopping plans, travel plans and even letting them take care of the grocery list. It’s these simple, harmless tasks that help them develop a better understanding of how to plan efficiently and effectively. Actively asking them, “What do you plan to do today?” will also be a great way of making your child unconsciously plan out their day ahead!

Decision Making

Decision making. Making decisions. For every great leader, great decisions must be made, because even though man makes decisions, decisions also make the man. Being able to differentiate between a good decision and a bad decision is common, but being able to differentiate between a good decision and a great one, that is a diamond in the rough.

Similar to developing the planning skill, to develop this skill, one must suck up and let the child choose; where to eat, what brand to buy, where to visit on holiday, etc. But this doesn’t stop there. When the choice is made and the act is done, you need to give your feedback! This feedback will become a benchmark in making better decisions and also provides a satisfactory sense of achievement in your child.

Problem Solving

Being able to solve problems as they arise is absolutely essential in being a great leader. Problems tend to arise, whether you expected them or not and no, panicking is not a good way of handling them. Being able to solve these problems quickly and effectively will surely help in getting the trust and support of others as well as getting one back on track with their plans.

For all it’s worth, please do not push your problems onto your kids! Instead, try getting them to tell you their problems and help them out in solving their problems. Be careful not to solve their problems for them, though. Instead, give them directed suggestions and questions to help them move towards and come to a good solution. This will build a stable framework of questions in their heads that will help them out of sticky situations when problems knock on their doorstep.

Communication

Communication is the number one pillar of creating bonds. Without clear communication skills, a great leader would have little to no followers. Communication also is the means to get things done effectively or ideas across. It is quite ironic how the communication network has immensely expanded but not everyone has the communication skills to keep up with it. The main reason for this situation is the absence of a ‘safe space’ for voices to be heard. To get over this problem, we as adults, have a responsibility to ensure that our HOMES are the ‘safe space’ our children need. This could be established by showing our kids that they can talk about anything they want by talking about anything we want ourselves. As the saying goes, monkey sees, monkey do. We need to open up to them for them to open up to us. This trains them to speak their minds and may lead to healthy debates between the both of you, further developing their blooming minds.

Grit & Perseverance

Has there ever been an instance where Nelson Mandela gave up in his fight against apartheid? Did Martin Luther King Jr. give up in his stand for civil rights? NO. These leaders kept up their fight for their causes through their strong grit and perseverance and look at what they achieved, marking their names in history books as great leaders.

Training this trait in your child may come to you like a challenge, but it will very well be one of the best investments you could ever make. Why is it a challenge? To train this skill, we need to see our kids failing, a parent’s worst nightmare. Sure, they will get sad when they fail, so it is our job to help them regain their confidence to try again, and again, and again, and again. In the end when they do succeed, feeling the fruits of their efforts would surely be a feeling they will never forget, simultaneously implanting them with the mindset that if you keep trying, you can do it. The failures they experience will also become lessons for them to be better in the future. I call that a win, for sure.

So What Are You Waiting For?

Play your part today in developing youth leadership from your very own couch! These activities, though not huge in themselves, will go a long way in helping your youths in paving out a future for themselves as the great leaders they were born to be.

Leadership Development in the Community

BONUS! Not only can you nurture young leaders in your own home, going with the times, you can also contribute to the nurturing of the youths of the nation!

Many organizations nowadays are keen on developing the youth in the effort of creating the foundations of a better future, today and we are not left behind in that trend. In association with Yayasan Chow Kit (YCK), we are bringing a 1-year leadership development programme to underserved youths and refugees!

Pitch in and help us help the leaders of tomorrow unlock their full potential through this programme! Your contribution, our conviction, for the nation.

Donate now following the steps provided here: https://lnkd.in/dngpjh6

Don’t be stingy, donate for our kiddies!

May leadership prevail. Thank you.

References

Marilyn Price-Mitchell 2019, Psychology Today, viewed 11 July 2021, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-moment-youth/201902/nurturing-youth-leadership-skills-home>.

Zobia 2019, Saplogics, viewed 11 July 2021, <http://saplogics.com/blogs/9/how-can-we-nurture-youth-leadership-skills-at-home.aspx>.