Give Your Teens Leadership Skills

It may be a cliche, but today's teenagers are truly tomorrow's leaders. Give your teens a strong start in life by helping them find ways to get leadership skills. The ones who get out there and make a difference are the ones who will feel confident and ready to face their futures.

Step1

Ask your teens what they see as their strengths and weaknesses. Prompt them when necessary, but allow them to think it through and come up with their own answers. You may be surprised!

Step2

Encourage your teens to get a few friends to commit to a leadership project. Teens like to travel in packs; they're more likely to have enthusiasm for a project if it involves their friends.

Step3

Suggest they create a new project to develop their skills, rather than get involved in one that's already defined. Are they interested in sports? A sports day camp for inner-city children is a great idea. Are they eager to go green? Maybe they can organize a community-wide environmental campaign.

Step4

Let them take on all the leadership roles in the project. It may be difficult to sit back and watch, but that's the only way they will learn. It's okay to supply some gentle guidance. Just don't take over.

Step5

Teach your teens to network with adults as they develop and manage their project. If they can learn to talk to adults about serious issues, they've got a great start in life.

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