“Making the leaders of tomorrow!”Slogans like this are often bandied by schools, clubs, activities, camps etc and as a parent, it certainly sounds appealing. But I’m curious what that actually entails?Looking back, I’m sure my parents signed me up for things claiming the same, but I don’t recall much discussion of what leadership is or how to do it.There can be a tendency to assume that if folks are bright and educated and generally ‘good people’, when they get into a position of authority they’ll just ‘pick it up’. But just being ‘the boss’ or a decision maker doesn’t necessarily make you a good leader (I’m sure many would agree). In some situations, shouting the loudest and being the toughest can get you to head the group. But is that leadership?What can we teach our children to help them be tomorrow’s leaders?What can we ourselves do to become better bosses, parents, team captains, teachers, politicians, group advisers or whatever other roles we hold where leadership skills are required?Some might say ‘leaders are just born’.There are those who seem gifted with charisma and confidence that others are drawn to, who are happy to be the more vocal representative in a group. But being extroverted, even likeable and outgoing, is not enough to constitute effective leadership.Leadership instead is a combination of qualities made up of values, beliefs, motivations, approach, style, passion and more. There is a library’s worth of books detailing components of this magical mix and how to attain and improve them. Services like executive coaching offer awareness around how we lead and which skills need sharpening, and provides tools to empower us to be more effective leaders.What is clear is that leadership is a suite of skills and techniques that can be learned and honed and if we are to create and be successful leaders, we need to start by knowing where we are, and what we need to work on.One way or another, leadership impacts the bottom line. Poor leadership can have devastating effects on companies, organisations, teams etc particularly smaller groups where its effects are not diluted by volume. Poor leadership can affect employee motivation, company loyalty, diminishes job satisfaction and can lead to low productivity and high turnover. Leadership approaches then cascade downwards, they can become the culture and norm as others learn by imitation.Managers don’t necessarily have to be good leaders, although perhaps some would like them to be. Managers can suffice with a ‘High Task’ emphasis, focusing on processes and events towards quantitative objectives. But a good Leader has both a ‘High Task’ and ‘High People’ emphasis, where tasks are achieved and those involved share the satisfaction and motivation of successful outcomes. Every organisation needs leaders.Promotion alone does not bestow leadership skills. Someone who is excellent at their job may be moved up the ranks, but may not automatically have the ability to lead the team. Promotion can move us out of our comfort zone. Feeling overwhelmed and fearing looking incompetent or vulnerable in front of others can result in avoiding any leadership challenges like addressing unresolved issues, creating necessary positive change, delegating, communicating effectively with staff and stakeholders etc or admitting that some leadership training is required.Others may claim to be ‘too busy’ to work on their leadership skills, overlooking that improved leadership will streamline the workload, get the team working efficiently and resolve issues at their root, rather than constantly ‘fire-fighting’.Leadership needs to be recognised as an ongoing process and a continual learning curve. Making the time to continually update our skills, close any gaps and address any deficiencies in approach, strategy and communication, is a sound investment.What kind of leader are you?There are two ends to the leadership spectrum:— Leading from the top, down — this is autocratic/dictatorial leadership with a ‘do as I say (and don’t ask questions)’ attitude. This can result from trying to maintain tight control over a project/organisation, and can be prevalent in owner/manager enterprises. This approach can also be used to mask a leader’s insecurities, by not allowing room for discussion or variation.— Leading from behind — where the leader goes along with the majority view, not rocking the boat and even tends to ignore problems until they have snowballed into the unavoidable. These leaders tend to dislike conflict and cling to being liked by others. They often make themselves so busy ‘reacting’ to problems to spare time for making proactive leadership decisions.Somewhere in the middle are leaders who consider the consensus opinion in the context of the shared goals, taking the best possible course of action to achieve the tasks, encouraging all to buy in towards their joint success.Below are just a few of the key characteristics and activities of good leaders.Rate your skills in each of these areas on a scale of 0-10. Good leaders:1. Motivate and empower others towards a clear vision and objectives.2. Cultivate team ownership and encourage personal responsibility.3. Welcome and respect the skills and ideas of others, taking into account their concerns.4. Establish clear lines of communication and conduct efficient meetings.5. Deal with mistakes fairly and have patience and awareness around change and learning within the group.6. Recognise gaps and areas in need of positive change.7. Develop rapport and relationships and treat people with sincerity.8. Delegate and coordinate team focused action plans.9. Build a healthy culture of reward and allow adequate rest and relaxation.10. Are realistic and encourage truth, clarity and transparency.11. Are proactive rather than reactive.12. Maintain the highest integrity and are excellent role-models.13. Maintain self-awareness and actively pursue ways to keep their leadership skills (and their team’s skills) sharp.The scoring is to help highlight any areas you feel you could do with improving. Start with the question: what can I do to add/develop this skill?There is always room for improvement. Not many will have scored 100 percent on their self-assessment. And those that did may want to get their team/followers to rate their performance from their perspective. The scores may surprise them. Another aspect of great leadership is that it often starts with humility!Whether we’re a CEO or the leader of the high school band, we can all benefit from becoming more aware of leadership skills: to recognise great leadership in others, to ensure that we are teaching them to our children and so we can work on bettering ourselves for all the areas of our lives that demand them. In our various capacities, we can all be the leaders of tomorrow.* Julia Pitt is a trained Success Coach and certified NLP practitioner with Benedict Associates Ltd. Telephone (441) 295-2070 or visit www.juliapittcoaching.com for further information.