What are the qualities of an effective leader?
A. When I think of leadership, it’s about generating new leadership; it’s giving people everything you’ve got so they can do better than you did. I’ve had teachers who would always hold something back. It wasn’t purposeful; it was just that they didn’t see our roles changing. I would always be the student; they would always be the teacher. If my leader only gives me 95 percent of her knowledge, I can only pass on 95 percent; so I can’t use what I don’t have. Q. How do you develop leadership skills in young children? A. Look at what drives them. If something drives you with passion, you’re going to show up in that area. If you notice that one little girl is always the peacemaker, tell her she is good at that and that there are people who do that for a living and they are called arbitrators. Look at what a child likes to spend time on. Maybe you have a boy who spends all his time playing video games. Talk to him about his skills at problem solving and strategy. Also notice what they stru
