Take risks and raise good leaders
In a discussion on Facebook recently, a friend shared an op-ed about raising children to be risk-takers and great leaders. I shared a lot of the author's opinions about letting children take risks and get hurt or fail, and turning those into life lessons. The premise of the article was that children become leaders by learning that taking risk is acceptable, and that you might fail, but that's okay. Pick yourself back up and try, try again.
Of course, the responses to the article ranged from "I do this," to "I don't, because..." to "I should and I'll try." Every parent has their reasons for raising their child the way they do, and I respect that.
Then one response caught my eye: "Why all this focus on leadership? Not everyone can be a great leader and it's unrealistic to teach our kids that. I just want my child to be a good collaborator."
I was startled by her statement. What parent wouldn't want to raise their child into a leader? Then it dawned on me that her definition of a leader is the very traditional sense: Someone who manages others.
Leadership isn't always about being the CEO of a company or the General in an army. It isn't about being a manager or supervisor. Leadership is your ability to collaborate and influence, standing up for your own beliefts, and standing up for others when necessary. It's your circle of influence, and how well you play with others, and how well you work in groups.
You might call it "being a good collaborator" but all good collaborators lead in their own way. You might not be the one leading the group to accomplishing their goal, but you might be the one helping a group member work through some personal issues, which in turn makes them a more productive group member. Or you might be the one helping the quieter group members be heard by remembering that they also have an opinion and asking them for it.
I hope one day to raise my children to be good leaders, whether that's President of the United States, the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, or a contributing member of society focused on helping others in any way possible. And I hope they take risks, and realize that failure is simply a learning moment.
Of course, the responses to the article ranged from "I do this," to "I don't, because..." to "I should and I'll try." Every parent has their reasons for raising their child the way they do, and I respect that.
Then one response caught my eye: "Why all this focus on leadership? Not everyone can be a great leader and it's unrealistic to teach our kids that. I just want my child to be a good collaborator."
I was startled by her statement. What parent wouldn't want to raise their child into a leader? Then it dawned on me that her definition of a leader is the very traditional sense: Someone who manages others.
Leadership isn't always about being the CEO of a company or the General in an army. It isn't about being a manager or supervisor. Leadership is your ability to collaborate and influence, standing up for your own beliefts, and standing up for others when necessary. It's your circle of influence, and how well you play with others, and how well you work in groups.
You might call it "being a good collaborator" but all good collaborators lead in their own way. You might not be the one leading the group to accomplishing their goal, but you might be the one helping a group member work through some personal issues, which in turn makes them a more productive group member. Or you might be the one helping the quieter group members be heard by remembering that they also have an opinion and asking them for it.
I hope one day to raise my children to be good leaders, whether that's President of the United States, the next Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, or a contributing member of society focused on helping others in any way possible. And I hope they take risks, and realize that failure is simply a learning moment.