What Is Leadership Development?
Defining Leadership Education and Development for Students
Aug 15, 2009
Leadership development is a concept that has been around for awhile, but is becoming more and more prevalent, especially in the realm of education. Colleges and universities have established entire offices dedicated to the area, and schools and independent organizations are creating programs to foster and develop effective leadership skills and experiences for students.
Defining Leadership Development
According to the Becket-Chimney Corners YMCA, there is a fine line between defining leadership development and leader development. Leadership development is the realm of teaching leadership qualities to someone, regardless of whether or not the learner will actually use the skills learned in a leadership position. This involves teaching communication skills, sharing, and the ability to motivate individuals through positive social influences.
Leadership development also stresses to potential leaders the how and when of leading. This process teaches when to be a leader and when to be a follower, how to lead by example, and the dynamics of being a leader within a group.
Leadership Development in Schools
For elementary and secondary schools, leadership development is emphasized more in professional development for teachers and in developing the willingness to lead in students. Larger universities have created professional development seminars and resources for teachers to better enable themselves to develop leadership skills in students, in addition to incorporating leadership development education into classroom lesson plans.
For colleges and universities, leadership development often helps those in leadership positions within various organizations. This office or department may be in charge of facilitating officer training, sponsoring leadership forums, or recognizing leadership and service to the campus and surrounding community. This office also acts as a resource for student leaders by offering advice on how to handle various situations that students may encounter, in addition to supplying students about information about campus offices that have further resources that may be of use.
Leadership Development Programs
For high school students, there are many widely-recognized programs for leadership development. Some may be offered on a regional basis, such as a county teen institute to recognize exceptional students each month. Others are recognized on the national level, such as the Boys and Girls State programs and the HOBY program.
For college students, leadership development programs are often related to an aspect of college life, such as fraternities and sororities or residence life, or are related to a student's area of study. Campus life related programs, such as the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI,) teach those who are already leaders how to contribute to special cultures within a college or university environment. Academic related programs, such as academic honor societies or the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) national competition, recognize students for success and leadership in an academic field or test leadership skills and knowledge on a competitive level.
Leadership development is a valuable part of education today by showing students that it is possible for students to lead in many areas of life, both inside and outside of the classroom. These programs also give students essential skills that are transferable to many areas of everyday life in addition to providing networking opportunities and developing potential leaders.
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