As parents, we’re tasked with helping our children become the next generation of leaders, influencers and positive role models in our community, nation and world. However, the longer we wait to instill these values, the harder it will become.
Many of us grew up with the mindset passed on from our parents. That mantra was that the goal of parenting is about working to create a better life for our children. Aside from situations of abuse, neglect and extreme poverty, the childhood most of us grew up in was the perfect mix of structure, free range and humanity.
“Some men look at things the way
they are and ask why? I dream of things that are not and ask why not?”
—Robert Kennedy
With creativity, these “old school” values help grow tomorrow’s leaders:
1. Be the example you want to set. Children’s decisions are based on the information they acquire watching their parents and through observing life. So when new circumstances arise, they will be looking for leadership from parents, guardians, friends and coaches. By demonstrating the proper character, composure and resolve during life’s teaching moments, you will show them how to be a better person.
2. Be present and grow with them. With both parents working, it’s easy to say you’re too busy or even too tired. Although this reason may be true, children with parents that are actively involved their have better social skills, make better decisions and have stronger bonds. Make the time, so they will learn the same.
3. Encourage work and service. Work and service go hand-in-hand with leadership. While sitting on the couch playing video games may be fun, instilling a strong work ethic work and encouraging volunteerism is a great way to sew a positive character into your child. Serving others also helps develop compassion and empathy, traits that celebrated leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were known for.
4. Provide structure. Structure and discipline are building blocks for cultivating future leaders. Outlining clear expectations and consequences provides an understanding of what is need to be done and why it’s important. Without structure, there can be no framework for success. Be sure to also take the time to teach your child how to create his or her own schedule. This helps them to learn how to manage and respect time.
5. Encourage creativity. Creativity allows for expression. Expose your children to new ideas, new sports, new activities and new technology. At age 9, Moziah Bridges was taught to sew by his grandmother. The result? He created Mo’s Bows, and by age 13, has sold $200,000 in bow ties and was featured on Shark Tank where he got a deal with Daymond John.
6. Allow them to fail or fall even. Leaders fail or fall often. The act of failing is a form of learning, much like learning how to walk. When your child falters, use that as a tool for teaching and training rather than magnifying the mistake. In doing so, you help your child to learn how to progress from failure through inward reflection. They can in turn encourage others in the same way.
“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously
that you might as well not have lived at all,
in which case you have failed by default.”
—J. K. Rowling