Can Schools Teach Leadership?

I am sure everyone will have heard someone being described as “a natural leader”. However, if there is such a thing as a natural leader then this suggests leadership skills are something you are born with. And if so, is there any point in trying to develop such skills in young people?

Across history, there are many people who rose above others to become leaders, a great example of this being Martin Luther King. Although he was one of many civil rights leaders in America in the early 1960s, he is the one who has ultimately stood out from the others. On 28th August 1963, he gave his famous, “I have a dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. However, Martin Luther King was not the leader of the event and he was just one of 18 speakers on the day. Yet we remember him because of the power of his words and the inspiring commitment he had to his cause. People believed in him.

Could we all learn to speak better, perhaps with more clarity and impact? Yes, of course. And are we all committed to something in our lives, something that we feel passionately about? Again, yes of course. It appears, therefore that some of the characteristics that enabled Martin Luther King to be a leader are characteristics in all of us.

Leadership in itself is a hard word to define. The Oxford English Dictionary says leadership is “The action of leading a group of people or an organisation”. That doesn’t really help us! Instead, it is worth considering that there are certain skills or attributes which particularly contribute to effective leadership. Amongst many other aspects, a good leader will:

• Communicate well
• Be honest
• Be respectful
• Encourage others to contribute
• Support others in times of need
• Be a good listener
• Be humble

When we look at a list like that, I think we would all agree that each attribute is something that could be developed further in all of us. That, therefore, brings us back to the original question of whether schools can teach leadership. Well, surely they can.

If we focus on developing values and skills amongst our students then they can improve their leadership ability. All students can be leaders at times, and they can also learn how to be supportive when other people are leading.

Schools are able to teach leadership skills and can also be wonderful places to provide practical experience. At The British International School Abu Dhabi where I work, we often use the phrase, “every child, every term”. If we can provide opportunities for every student to lead then they will continue to develop these key skills, thereby gaining confidence in their ability to make a positive difference to other people and ultimately to change the world.

Can our children change the world? Our responsibility as adults is to ensure they have the ability to do just that.