How to Encourage Leadership in Teens: Tips for Parents and Teachers

Encouraging leadership in teens is a crucial step in their personal and professional development. But for most, it seems hard to execute as the idea is a little abstract and overcomplicated. Helping people build their confidence has little to do with what you say to them and more to do with what responsibility you give to them. 

By providing the right environment, support, and opportunities, parents and teachers can help teens develop the skills and confidence needed to become effective leaders through gradual responsibility and ownership activities. This could be as simple as helping clean the kitchen or the classroom. 

Here are some tips to encourage leadership in teens.

1. Promote Teamwork and Collaboration

Encouraging teens to participate in team-based activities is an excellent way to develop their leadership skills. This can be achieved through school projects, sports teams, clubs, or community service groups. You can start small at home with doing household chores together. The “together” part is what is important. Clean the kitchen together. Do the yard work together. Whatever the chore, be sure you do it together and ask them to help problem solve when the opportunity arises. 

For teachers, you can do the same thing. Have the students be responsible for the classroom. Have them solve problems with you. Have them make more choices and take the responsibility for the outcomes with them as you make a “team” decision. 

As the parent or teacher, you are still the authority figure. It is important to not blur the lines of authority when you start handing over responsibility. This is why doing things as a team is important. The child gives input, and the adult guides the process. 

This type of teamwork helps teens learn communication, problem-solving, and cooperation skills, all of which are essential for leadership. (1) (3)

2. Provide Opportunities for Decision-Making

Giving teens the opportunity to make decisions helps them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This can be as simple as allowing them to choose what to wear or more complex, such as deciding on a project plan. (2) (5)

As you give a greater responsibility, turn yourself into a facilitator of their learning. Help them reflect. Help them understand why certain outcomes happen and how they can move forward through their successes and failures. 

3. Encourage Communication and Active Listening

Effective communication is a cornerstone of leadership and relationships. Arguably, it is  one of the most valuable skills. Encourage teens to practice public speaking, engage in group discussions, and develop active listening skills. (2) (3)

Explicitly demonstrate each of these skills with them. At home, you can start young. Talk to your child in a discussion format, have them order their own food, have them ask others for help or clarification. 

In the classroom, practice structured discussions on difficult topics. Set up rules for the discussion that are embedded in active listening. You could use something like a socratic seminar or a structured conversation model. Also, show them how to manage the discussion when things go off the rails. This will show them how to correct the course of a conversation in future discussions. 

4. Set Goals and Execute Them

Help teens set and achieve goals by breaking them down into smaller, manageable steps. When things don’t go as planned, help them adjust and see how things can still work out. Approaching goal setting from an all-or-nothing mindset sets people up for failure. Move to a flexible approach that establishes a worth while goal but also allows for adjustments as life always throws curve balls at the best of plans.

This is a realistic way to build resilience in anyone. The goal still exists, but the process to get there might be a little different. 

This is how teachers and parents can help with planning, execution, and accountability. (2) (7)

In school, this might look like students setting up a project calendar and modifying it as they proceed through their project. At home, this could be setting up a piano practice schedule. 

5. Surround Them with Positive Role Models

Surrounding teens with positive role models can significantly influence their behavior and leadership development. Ensure they are exposed to leaders who demonstrate integrity, honesty, and ethical behavior. (1) (3)

Locating community groups, activities, and sports teams are great places to connect with others. 

6. Foster Self-Awareness and Confidence

Helping teens develop self-awareness and confidence is crucial for their growth. Encourage them to take on leadership roles for a meal at home or a task at school. 

Provide constructive feedback along the way through facilitative questions that cause reflection and choice analysis. 

Also, celebrate their achievements. Don’t let efforts go unnoticed.  (8) (7)

8. Encourage Innovation and Risk-Taking

Leaders often need to be innovators and willing to take calculated risks. Encourage teens to try new things, explore their limits, and learn from their failures. (2) (8)

One of the best ways to teach calculated risk taking is to show through example. Find something that will involve you taking a risk. Explain your feelings and rationale for the risk. Accept responsibility in front of the child or student, and reflect with them on what you learned.

If your risk didn’t work out, let them know how you feel. 

If it did, be sure to let them know what cost it could have had. 

9. Provide Feedback and Support

Teenagers don’t accept advice from just anyone, so don’t go about trying to give it without asking if it is okay to share. 

Instead, offer facilitative questions that provide an opportunity for them to analyze their own thinking and the outcomes associated. 

Regular feedback and support are essential for teens to develop their leadership skills. Ensure they receive guidance, resources, and encouragement as they take on leadership roles. (5) (7)

10. Lead by Example

Finally, one of the most powerful ways to encourage leadership in teens is to lead by example. Demonstrate the behaviors and values you want them to adopt, such as integrity, hard work, and a positive attitude. [1] [8]

You have to walk-the walk-if you are going to talk-the-talk. Living hypocritically does no one any good.  

It’s about the Journey not the Destination

Encouraging leadership in teens requires a multifaceted approach that includes providing opportunities for teamwork, decision-making, communication, goal-setting, and community service. By surrounding them with positive role models, fostering self-awareness and confidence, and leading by example, parents and teachers can help teens develop the skills necessary to become effective leaders. These efforts will not only benefit the teens but also contribute to the development of a more responsible and engaged community.

Sources: 

Mission Grit: How to Develop Leadership in Kids — 10 Skills[1]

Camp Genesis: How to Cultivate Teen Leadership[2]

The Global College: How to learn leadership skills as a teenager?[3]

We Think Twice: 6 Secrets to Becoming an Inspiring Teen Leader![4]

The YES Camp: Developing Leadership for Teens[5]

Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Raising a Leader: 10 Leadership Skills for Kids to Develop[6]

School-Based Health Alliance: Developing Youth Leadership Skills[7]

Big Red Education: 10 Ways You Can Develop Leadership Skills as a Teen[8]