Demonstrate Leadership

Effective leaders:

Want their people to succeed.

Are not competitive with their team.

Have an open-door policy (are generous with their time).

Would rather err on the side of grace than be just or strict with policies.

Are open to new ideas.

Freely share what they are learning.

Love to give credit to others even when they could rightly keep it for themselves.

Care about their team. They know about each team member’s goals and dreams, and diligently try to help them fulfill those desires. ¹

All of these qualities of a successful leader are included in the five traits that CASEL identifies as to an individual’s success in life (see Chapter 1). These qualities bring success in life, not only for those students that are in leadership positions but for all students. If you can imagine your students having all or some of these traits, you would see a classroom where high levels of learning take place. Management consultant Sharon Salzberg posits that success in the workplace is most likely when eight pillars are in place. These pillars are also important for children:

Balance: the ability to differentiate between who you are and what your job is.

146 Concentration: the ability to focus without being swayed by distraction.

Compassion: being aware of and sympathetic to the humanity of others.

Resilience: the ability to recover from defeat, frustration, or failure.

Communication and connection: understanding that everything we do and say can improve connection or take away from it.

Integrity: integrating your deepest ethical values into all you do.

Meaning: infusing the work you do with relevance for your own personal goals.

Open awareness: the ability to see the big picture and not be held back by self-imposed limitations. ²