Plan your career: Lessons in leadership skill development

Congratulations on becoming a house captain. It is definitely an opportunity to develop your leadership skills.

As Ray Kroc puts it beautifully, “the quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves,” it is an utmost priority for a leader to set standards for themselves. Hence, you need to strive to acquire skills and qualities of a leader consistently.

Leaders are born and not made is an outdated adage. In the modern world leaders are made. No matter what social background one comes from. Leaders emerge through their learning and sheer determination. Even inborn qualities of leadership require chiseling and coating of new sets of skills.

The student leaders could be in sports teams, academic teams, media clubs, writing clubs, community service, language or general knowledge groups, debating clubs or eco-clubs.

All demand set of skills that should be acquired, nurtured and excelled.

Develop a sense of moral purpose in leading others. It is a big responsibility.

If one lacks a moral purpose, we will land up being selfish leaders who think for personal convenience than being altruistic.

Even if you are leading your team in a school sports day, you have to have a tremendous courage, willpower, and patience. Keep an eye on the scores and if situation demands take risks.

Stay friendly with your team members.

Be energetic, positive and convincing to avoid compromises. Remember the axiom, “When you think positive, good things happen.”

As a house captain, you have to get many things done. One can only do it if he or she is a confident communicator, listener and persuader. With these set of characteristics getting things done does not become a challenge but a certainty.

Keep evaluating your strengths. It is only through knowing our strengths, we could choose the area of leadership to focus in. For example, if you have a passion for writing, you opt to lead a Writer’s Forum or if you desire to help people, join a volunteer’s team.

Get involved in a few groups of your interest. It is here you get initial opportunity to lead. It is important to gain experience as a leader. To be a leader, one has to start from a bottom. Without doing anything, some aspire to be a leader and become one. Such people will end up being a disaster. One’s experience is also gained through broad knowledge.

A leader should not wait to be told what to do. He acts. You have to assume responsibility.

It is one’s ideas and actions make him/her recognize as a leader.

Never aspire to get into leadership as a result of favour or nepotism. It results in weak and failed leadership.

If your support system is absent, you drown to be a fiasco. Be respectful of the authority, adults and to everyone. Maintain a pleasant attitude with everyone.

Respecting authorities will allow you to learn different types of leadership. Things to learn and things to unlearn!

Even if you don’t like someone, treat everyone to the same standard. It helps build trust. As a student leader, never participate in bullying, bad behaviours or teasing. Pick up the courage to reprimand or keep a distance from them.

Share your works with others. You offload your overload. It creates an environment of collective decision-making and paves the way for new leaders emerge.

Get to read some books on developing effective leadership traits and watch movies and shorts that portray great leadership qualities. Be inspired by biographies of tall leaders.

Now go on! Make a difference in all the ways you can.

—The writer is a career counsellor and mentor