Leadership... or lack thereof

Since I have been 6 years old, I have been a member of a scouting organization which promotes leadership in adolescents. Many of the"higher-ups" in the organization have lost touch with what it takes to bring out leadership qualities in youth.

In my opinion, the only way to teach leadership is to:
a) lead by example & mentoring
b) throw them into leadership roles and let them figure it out themselves

When I turned 21, I was the camp director at a 3-week sleep-away camp for 7 to 11 year old boys. I managed a group of 16 to 17 year old counselors who were responsible for carrying out my plan. Because this was the first year they were counselors, they always had questions on how to carry out certain activities and how to solve certain issues. They relied on me as their leader to make any decisions for them.

I also had a camp administration to which I technically reported to. Due to a death in the family, I had to leave my camp for a few days and members of the camp administration had to take over leading my camp.

When I returned, the counselors were unhappy and stressed, the kids felt the counselors frustrations, and I had to clean up the mess. The counselors were frustrated because they felt they were being told what to do and how to lead their group of kids. They felt that they were doing a good job before and did not understand why these higher-ups were forcing decisions down their throats. Instead of trying to solve the problem for them, I encouraged them to discuss their issues and solve the issues themselves.

After that, the counselors  started making decisions on their own about how to carry out certain activities and how to lead their group of young scouts. They began creating their own plans and brought their own creative ideas to the table. They even began giving leadership responsibilities to their scouts - they began trusting their kids instead of baby-sitting them.

The children, the counselors, and I learned valuable lessons from the experience - and we all became better leaders because of the mentoring and trust in each other.

So before you go to your next job interview, try to think hard about how you are a leader and maybe more importantly, how you feel about leadership.

What are some ways you are a leader? How do you teach leadership to others? Are leaders born or are they made?

Additional Reading:

• John Gardner - On Leadership

Comments

[Roman Jakubowycz]

Well said. As a manager that has hired several people I can not stress how important leadership, teamwork, and a sense of "what you want to be when you grow up" are for getting a job. Peter has got it right in this one. Keep up the good work.

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