Today’s posting jumps a bit off of the business path and in the spirit of the season and its emphasis on youth, offers some perspectives on the future leaders sitting at your kitchen table. 

We all probably remember our teachers telling us at some point early in grade school that we are the future leaders of our country.  I remember hearing those words and thinking of what it would be like to hold national office or serve as a judge on a high court.  What I didn’t realize at the time was that the teachers held a broad view of leadership, knowing full well that most of their students may never hold national office, but that they will almost all have a leadership role to play in their communities, churches, charitable organizations, and of course with their families.

Great leadership habits are formed in youth through observation and participation.  The next time you sit down to dinner with your family, take the time to offer encouragement to your future leaders.  You might just have a prospective President or Supreme Court Justice asking you to pass the mashed potatoes.

The future leaders at my kitchen table

It’s a rite of parental passage when you can take a step back and realize that you are seeing mature leadership traits in the behavior of your teenage children.  In our household, we have two very distinct examples.

Our oldest son earned the rank of Eagle Scout as a Boy Scout several years ago.  This is the highest rank that a young man can earn, with less than 5% of all boys who enter scouting ever achieving this level.  Those who are familiar with scouting understand the hard work, dedication and perseverance that it takes to make it to Eagle.  Add in the sad but true fact that at a certain age, modern society dictates that it is "not cool" to be a Boy Scout, and the accomplishment is all the more remarkable. 

To earn the Eagle designation, a scout must focus for several years on learning, skills development and evaluation.  The scout puts in valuable community service time and must serve in multiple leadership roles in their organization.  The requirements are rigorous and the scout receives constant feedback on their performance as they work through the many involved steps.  Once earned, the Eagle Scout designation is a lifetime label that opens doors, strengthens a resume and most importantly, says something about a person’s character.  Eagles are leaders and our son is an Eagle.

Our younger son is a gifted, multi-season athlete that lives to compete.  After many years stretching back to early grade school and endless seasons of traveling teams, he decided to forgo basketball during his junior year.  In the process of making this decision (a bit heartbreaking for parents that enjoy cheering him on), he displayed several examples of leadership maturity that made me stop, think and smile. 

First, at the root of his decision was his belief that if he focused on his fall and spring sports during the winter, he would increase the value to those teams. Second, instead of spending the winter idling his time in front of a video game or computer screen, on his own volition, he went out and secured a job to coach 4th graders in basketball during January and February.  His motives are pure and his desire to transfer his many years of learning as a player to a new generation is truly admirable.  It wouldn’t have been the same if my wife and I had prodded him.  He did this on his own, and we could not be more proud of his emerging leadership skills and decision-making.

The take-away:

I’ve not seen the study that attempts to correlate childhood experiences to leadership success later in life, but I suspect there is at least some relationship.  Children are exposed to leadership role models constantly in the form of parents, older siblings, teachers, coaches and community leaders.  Whether your child is interested in athletics or in outdoor activities, take the time to encourage him/her to listen, observe and when they see something that they want to do, to serve.  A little nudge in the right direction and consistent encouragement to get involved in something might just see you dining at the White House as a guest of your daughter or son a few decades from now.

Happy Holidays to All!