Who do we tend to turn to when we want to learn about leadership? 

Our managers and leaders.

While our leaders can serve as good role models and can teach us a lot about leadership, we can also learn a lot by observing the actions and behaviours of those much younger than ourselves.

What can children teach us about leadership?

Top 5 Leadership Skills Demonstrated by Children

• Creativity
  Children are renowned for their creativity and adventurous-tendencies. Leadership often entails an abundance of problem-solving, meaning that leaders must be able to think of new, creative and innovative solutions to problems they are presented with.
  
  
• Confidence
  Unlike adults, children don’t often question themselves; instead, they have confidence in their actions. One of the key roles of a leader is to instil confidence, drive and motivation in teams, requiring leaders to have self-confidence and trust in their own decisions. If leaders don’t believe in themselves, it’s highly likely that their team won’t believe in them either.
  
  
• Curiosity
  The key to successful leadership is continuous learning and development. Like children, we must be eager to learn new things and frequently ask questions about things  we already know to strengthen and expand on our existing knowledge.
  “The capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to learn is a skill and the willingness to learn is a choice” Brian Herbert
  
  
• Focus
  Typically, children don’t tend to multi-task; instead, they focus all of their attention on completing one task before moving onto the next. Research suggests that focusing on one task at a time can greatly increase productivity and performance. If you’re struggle to stop multitasking, you can click here for a guide to breaking the habit.
  
  
• Fearlessness
  Leaders often need to make difficult decisions and take calculated risks which requires the fearlessness that children often portray. Risk-taking and stepping outside of your comfort zone as a leader by trying new things are integral parts of successful leadership.
  “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” Albert Einstein

Why Developing Key Leadership Skills Is Essential to Organisational Performance

Business success is built on a foundation of skilled, motivational and impactful leaders.

Leaders not only craft and establish the company vision, mission and values, they also instil them into employees’ day-to-day work to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way” John C. Maxwell