By guest blogger Kevin Nelson [see Biography]
[December 16, 2017] There is an endless demand to develop better leaders. Leadership education is at a critical stage with many universities neglecting to add it into their curriculum. While there are some universities that offer leadership education, most of them offer a theoretical approach to leadership and forget to emphasize on how to apply and share such potential. This results in a crop of leaders who are more focused on getting others to follow them by any means possible.
This article will provide some guidelines on what universities should teach leaders.
- Adaptability and Flexibility
One of the key elements that universities should not throw out of the window when it comes to teaching leaders is how to be flexible and adaptable. This is because; most of the activities that demand the presence of leaders in them require a good degree of flexibility from the leaders in order to cope with the much that is on their plate.
- How to Develop a Passion for Justice
Passion for justice should be the driving factor for all leaders. This passion is what drives leaders to keep fighting for the people’s rights even when situations are extremely tough. Students should learn how to display conviction and passion for justice on profound causes instead of applying a managerial stance to issues.
- How to “Keep It Real”
Leaders should learn the art of keeping it real and address issues as they are. This means cutting down on the management jargon that moves their focus on the issues they are trying to address. Instead, they should concentrate on the basics such as, what is the issue and how can I help in solving it?
- Team Building
The mark of a successful leader is the ability to bring people together into a cohesive team that can work interdependently. As a leader, you should be able to clearly define the roles of each member. This way, members know what to expect from each other.
- Qualities a Leader Should Have
Leaders should be self-motivated and desire to achieve beyond expectations. They should be confident, optimistic and positive. They should be ethical and ensure that their actions are not damaging. They should also be good at identifying risks and handling the risks in the best-suited ways.
These are just some of the leadership qualities that can be taught and cultivated.
- Communication Skills
The ability to communicate information accurately and as intended is a vital skill that every leader should have. Successful leaders are quick to observe non-verbal cues from their audience and are able to project effective body language to them.
Leaders should also be able to express themselves through writing. While there is an option to use sites such as EssayWriterSite for writing projects, a good leader should be able to communicate well through writing. Therefore leaders should develop their writing skills and ensure that they are concise and direct while writing.
Conclusion
Studies have shown that 55% of leaders hold a bachelor’s degree in humanities and social sciences. This shows the importance of incorporating leadership education in all disciplines at the university. However, learning is not enough. Leaders need to apply these skills in their day to day life in order to be effective.
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Biography: Kevin is a professional educator and a private tutor with over 8 years of experience. He is also a content writer for various blogs about higher education, entertainment, social media & blogging. During his off time, Kevin enjoys traveling and cooking. Feel free to connect with him on Twitter, Linkedin & Google+.