TL;DR:
- Watching my sons, I have noticed their leadership skills develop. It has allowed me to reflect on different leadership approaches.
- Becoming a leader is a journey and different people take different paths.
- Take time to learn and develop as a leader. It will help you be ready for the right position.
- Every opportunity is a learning experience that will help with your success.
Leadership Planning
Over the past six years, either one or both of my children have been in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts. These groups have been a lot of fun for them and the whole family. They have learned so many unique skills. Skills like camping, fishing, and how to tie knots. Recently the leadership skills have become something I wanted to reflect on.
Both Owen and Leo are taking on leadership opportunities. Leo is now one of the older scouts in the pack. So he has started to realize that whether he wants to or not, he is the example the younger scouts are following. Owen is starting to take leadership roles. He volunteers as a Den Chief for a younger den and works with the scouts to help them advance. In his own troop, he is starting to set goals to take leadership roles in the future and is watching and learning how to lead.
We have to treat every experience as a learning opportunity. An opportunity to build our leadership style. Click To TweetLearning to Be a Leader
Owen is watching other leaders in his troop, other troops, and in the younger packs and is identifying what kind of leader he wants to be. We have had many conversations where he has told me his thoughts, good and bad, about leaders he has observed and how their actions looked to him. Owen’s reflections about leadership and leadership qualities have impressed me. For example, he asks questions about why I think certain leaders make specific choices. He has noticed the difference between leaders who lead from the front and leaders who empower.
His confidence has grown as he has taken little risks with different leadership opportunities. I keep encouraging him to take chances and step into leadership roles. Owen has taken on some leadership roles this year. He is very calculated as to when he feels he is ready for roles before he chooses to step in. Owen has started setting goals for future roles he would like to take on. He has also started mapping out the requirements he needs to complete for those roles.
Reflecting on Their Leadership Paths
As I reflect on the beginning of Owen and Leo’s leadership journeys, there are so many lessons I can take away. First in Leo’s case, even when you are not in a “position of leadership” people may be looking at you for guidance. So it is important to always assume you are a leader and set an example. In Owen’s case, there are a few more complex lessons.
First, Owen is being very careful in choosing his leadership roles. He is making sure he is confident and ready to take a role. So often we want to jump into leadership roles. Taking the first one we can without being ready or making sure it is a good fit for us. His patience will improve his chances of success when he does step into a leadership role.
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Next, he is taking time to learn from others. Owen isn’t taking any leadership classes or training. He is observing and forming his leadership style based on the examples he is observing. Owen is learning from people in leadership roles as well as other people who are not yet in those roles. He is watching every interaction like it is a seminar. Taking the lessons he learns and filing them away, so he can try them or not repeat them later when he is a leader. We have to treat every experience as a learning opportunity. An opportunity to build our leadership style.
Finally, he is creating his own leadership plan. Owen has identified the roles he is interested in and the requirements for those roles. Therefore, he is not being rushed into positions by other people or his own ego. As leaders, we all know that all roles are not the same.
Becoming a Leader
We can’t be in a rush to take leadership roles. We have to take the time to live and learn from our experiences. Take the time to develop our path and our style. People are not born ready to take leadership roles, and it isn’t a race to get into them. When we make sure we are ready, we will improve our ability to be successful.
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” – Vince Lombardi
About Raymond Porten
Raymond Porten is a husband to an AMAZING wife, 2 wonderful boys, a principal of an elementary school in northern Illinois, and a Golden Apple Scholar. He spends his free time traveling with his family, cooking with his boys, and he finds the time to co-host 2 podcasts. He’s been in education for 20 years and has worked as a 5th-grade teacher, middle school dean, 7th and 8th-grade social studies teacher, middle school assistant principal, and now as a principal. He believes in the importance of building relationships and of taking every opportunity to lead and make a difference in the world.
