How to raise a leader

Some children are natural born leaders; they’re confident, bossy, and have a natural instinct to take charge. Some children simply need more time for those skills to blossom. They require more guidance, nurturing, and even reassurance to strengthen leadership qualities like confidence and perseverance. Leadership skills can significantly help children now and in their future. Check out these 5 ways to instill leadership skills in your child.

1. Lead by example. Children look up to and learn a lot from their parents, after-all, they’re listening and watching every little thing you do! It’s important, as a parent, to embody the characteristics you want to see most in your child.
2. Let them problem solve. Don’t jump in to solve your child’s problems, whether it’s an argument with a sibling or an issue with a puzzle or game. Step back and let your child work through it themselves. The life skills your child will learn from working through the issue on their own is far beyond what they would learn from someone fixing it for them. If they ask for help, try to guide them to the solution rather than directly sharing it.
3. Teach them how to communicate. Being a leader means having the communication skills and assertiveness to let others know what you want or need. Parents can help can encourage communication by having your child order for themselves at a restaurant. Over time, children will naturally gain more confidence to speak up for themselves and let others know what they want.
4. Encourage decision making. Having the skills to make important decisions, and explaining why that decision was made, is an important trait of a leader. Build upon these skills by asking for input from your child and giving them the power of choice by letting them decide what to wear, what to eat, or what activities to participate in.
5. Support ideation, creation, and early entrepreneurship. Instill an early love for entrepreneurship in your child by providing opportunities to work in some capacity. This can be through household chores or tasks, volunteer opportunities, or encouraging participation in lemonade stands or bake sales. Early jobs help to build important leadership skills in children.
6. Providing children with opportunities to develop and strengthen these skills will help them become more confident leaders through adolescence and adulthood. Click here to learn more about The Little Gym and to find a location near you.