This is part one in a three part series with author and leadership expert Kevin Sheehan. rnYou’ve been quoted as saying “there is an essential question, why leadership, and where does it come from? It is ours to inspire the next generation”. What advice do you give parents when inspiring their children?rnIt is good to be with you, Amy, and let me start by wishing you the very best in this important new online resource for parents working to develop their teens. These are some of the most important, but difficult development years in a person’s life. Your undertaking is innovative and potentially life changing for many people, as we all get better as a community in making the job of parenting–which is leading–an open conversation and one that includes essential shared “best practices” that each family has a certain handle on, but not the whole picture.
Parenting can be isolating, and having an open, connected community that is the best of what the web has to offer can do a lot of serious good for a lot of people.rnTo your question, I have had the good fortune of seeing young people in a wide variety of school and after school settings, respond to this question of leadership and why it matters. Regardless of background, to the young woman and to the young man in middle school and high school settings, the response to the question of leadership is over and over again one of passionate interest and natural affiliation. Leadership is about what and who we are as a species, and without it, there is not a lot of meaning created for any of us to have, share, and hold.rnOne of the most important things we do as parents is to step outside the role of authority–which can be hard inside the stress of any family–to tap into the natural passions, transcendent beliefs, and leadership qualities of our kids.rnThere is an old saying that it is hard to be a prophet in your own neighborhood. And it’s because the dynamics of survival require that a lot of focus goes into authority and horse work. But we want our kids to be leaders. And that requires that we move up on the scale of focus and attention and watch for the more impactful things.rnSo, listen to your teens. Listen to their innermost passions and interests. Help them know that their place in society is one of import and power; grace and importance. They are wrestling with all kinds of powerful forces–social, biological, psychological.rnAnd so–great! All these things are powerful forces that need to be integrated and loved–accepted and fully realized. Because these are the dimensions and qualities that your kids will harness as leaders.rnIn my book, I encourage young people not to underestimate the power of their leadership capacities or of their place in society. Remember that many of them are looking to you for an image of their potential: to be guided to their best selves. If your parents did not give you this gift, this is the perfect time to give it to yourself by giving it to your kids. If your parents did give you this gift, it’s time to amplify the power of that energy and that gift through the next generation.rnIn your book, A Leader Becomes A Leader, you share inspirational stories of leadership that inspire the new generation. Can you share with my readers a story that encourage you, as a parent?rnI was recently at a teaching event, broadcast into middle school classrooms around the country. One fourteen-year-old girl astonished me with her grasp and detailed description of how leadership works.rnSo, we did a follow on interview session with her, and I asked her in the middle–”When you imagine graduating high school, or college–going out into the world and making a difference as a leader, what does that look like for you?” And she said, “You know, before I read your book about leadership and took the leadership course in our class, I never thought that I could become a leader. This process has been a life changing one, because it’s made me think differently about myself.”rnWhat was striking, beyond that statement, was how connected she was to a powerful understanding of the leadership process, but at the same time, did not yet have an effect on how she saw herself. The process of igniting the fire in young people is so important. Getting into the moment and helping them move up to the next level by framing the meaning of what they are.rnOur son recently decided to run for student counsel. His teacher told us that his speech, which he practiced in front of us several times, was important in changing some minds and getting him some votes. We should never under estimate where our kids are on the continuum of personal growth. I believe that ours, as parents, is not to provide the talent, but to ignite and nurture the moments of talent and energy that show themselves naturally.