Teen Leadership: Learning About the Qualities of a Leader

Teen Leadership: Learning About the Qualities of a Leader

For teens to develop into successful leaders, it is important to learn everything that goes into effective leadership. One of the main areas that they must find out about is the qualities of a leader, and what each trait encompasses.

Leadership Traits 

Just as there are different types of personalities, there are different kinds of leaders. However, they tend to share the same attributes in general, which have helped them become successful. These qualities have helped them to have a positive effect on people, accomplish goals, inspire others, build team chemistry, gain support for ideas, make decisions, build trust, and handle responsibilities, among other results. Some of the primary qualities leaders have in common include character, vision, focus, and persistence. 

Character 

Character is important for teens to learn about, as leaders must possess this trait in order to gain the trust and respect of others. To build a solid reputation requires a certain degree of integrity and strength, and these are developed over time. It is embodied in standards, and one company motto gave a good example of it, saying “We Stand Behind Everything We Sell.” 

Vision 

Teens must also learn about vision, which is the ability to see a possible outcome from setting plans in motion. Leaders need to have vision in order to communicate to and motivate people to attain accomplishments that they may not have thought were possible or had not considered working toward. An example of someone with great vision is Bill Gates, who created and developed Microsoft, and “personal computers” for everybody.

Focus 

Focus allows someone to set aside distractions, and concentrate on priorities and the task at hand. It is an important trait for teens to learn, as they deal with many distractions in their lives. With focus, a person and his or her team can reach their goals in spite of difficulties or problems. This is necessary in any area, including companies and governments. An individual with great focus was Michael Jordan, who won multiple championships, and willed his team to win.

Persistence 

Persistence is a key attribute for leaders, and one that all teens could benefit from being educated on. The saying goes, “nothing great was ever accomplished without persistence.” It is the ability to continue working on a mission or goal until it is achieved, regardless of obstacles or setbacks. This quality is needed for leaders, who all experience challenges in their work. Prime examples of persistence include Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb after 1,000 failures, and Abraham Lincoln, who became President after several defeats and personal difficulties.

Leadership qualities are an important aspect of leadership that teens can benefit from learning about. Leaders share common traits, and to find out about them allows teens to work on them and model them themselves. By doing so, they will be on the path of good leadership.