Teaching Leadership

How do we teach leadership? It is an attribute that is desirable in our society, but not one that is easily taught. Our schools both public and private often promote developing the whole child in mind, body and spirit but while that is an easy motto it is a difficult task. Each institution has a varied curriculum and pedagogy but in teaching leadership they can typically be caste into a few simple systems.

Creating 'Leadership Opportunities'
Many schools promote opportunities for leadership through varied activities and classes. These traditionally include roles in school government, athletic captains, and club leaders. The individual roles may vary from administrative to management to the capacity of true leadership. The challenge in creating 'leadership opportunities' is that they are often based on individual interest, ability and popularity. There are few tests of real leadership, but instead chances to practice at managing, negotiating and administering varied organizations. Important lessons indeed, but not a lesson in leading. In the few occasions where real leadership is required it is often coached and subsedized by the adults advising the program. At an individual level this coaching can be invaluable, but it is often uneven across a whole team or class. In the thousands of opportunities that exist only a handful will create leaders.

Defined Leadership Courses
For some schools there are actual 'leadership training courses'. Many of these are based on military and corporate programs intended to train new adult leaders. They include specific readings and lectures about famed leaders facing tough decisions. Some courses includes discussions of strategy, psychology and politics to define the environment and the implications of each decision. These courses give individual students the opportunity to better define leadership analytically and to see more of the challenges and complexities that true leaders face. These programs are often very effective at teaching students the qualities of a leader, but not necessarily in creating leaders. While individuals may walk away from a program 'book smart' they usually don't get the opportunity to test or practice the new skills they have read about. Again a few true leaders may emerge from these courses but they are the exception, rarely the rule.

Trials and Errors
In some schools and more specifically in programs like the boy scouts or girl scouts there are opportunities where true leadership is expected and required. Similar to the military individuals are placed in a position to make difficult decisions that impact their peers and have real consequences. These programs can be truly effective at developing leadership skills, but face a high risk when mistakes are made. Individuals and particularly children are often unprepared for the consequences of their mistakes when they are in true leadership positions. When the safety net is taken away true leaders may emerge, but those who fail pay a steeper price.

So what are schools to do? As a society we need strong leaders, men and women who are willing to make tough decisions, lead their peers and face the real consequences. Do we book teach everyone about the skills required and hope that they will each find individual opportunities to develop those skills in life, or do we create leadership tests with real consequences for those who fail? Not everyone is expected to be a leader, but we need to cultivate those who will pick up the mantel in the next generation.

Specifically in our public schools, we need to cultivate attributes and qualities that are necessary for the next generation. These qualities do not only include leadership, but in examining how we learn individual traits I suspect we will find systems to teach the varied qualities we expect of our youth. Safe opportunities, formal courses and true trials when used in tandom and built into a real system can be a powerful way to develop skills and traits including leadership.