The Best Advice For Raising Future Leaders

48% of the workforce will be millennials by the year 2020*

As a father of two young kids, I know parenting doesn’t come with instructions, you learn-as-you-go, navigating a course of action that hopefully provides a positive outcome. Never considering my training in executive coaching, psychology and organizational development would help me as a Dad; I too prodded along as a parent doing my best, hoping for the best.

I was so wrong! As I realized the fundamentals I used to develop executive leaders are the same as can be used to develop future leaders, I realized the process can start with us as parents, raising our children to be leaders.

Here are 5 valuable qualities of leadership that I believe make it a vital life skill:

1. A positive attitude: The ability to believe in your own goals and abilities in the face of discouragement from others.
2. Overcoming adversity: Reframing problems into “challenges” to stay focused and get over, around or through all sorts of barriers.
3. Perseverance: Sticking to a goal — a training program, work assignment, friendship — is difficult, while quitting is easy. Leaders know when to persevere and when to quit.
4. Commitment: Learning from mistakes rather than being discouraged by them.