Putting a child in extra-curricular sports won't make them a leader anymore than throwing a puppy into a lake will turn it into a duck. Developing authentic leadership skills is a complex process requiring uncommon insight, mentoring, character building, and intentional communication and skill development executed in a variety of learning environments with opportunity for repetition and experimentation.

Authentic leadership rests on a moral component. Trust is the essential foundation of leadership and developing leadership skills in children must understand this fundamental truth.

1. Character and Responsibility
Effective leadership skills grow out of character. We might wish to have it another way but the net result is misuse of power. The first priority of leadership training is character development. While self confidence is important, leadership grows more conclusively from a healthy view of oneself within the context of world and community. Leadership carries a weight of responsibility and effectual skill development emphasizes this aspect of leadership. It focuses on the servant-role, appropriate humility, and authentic engagement of the highest priority needs of others. Leadership absent moral character is not authentic leadership. Tranformational leadership theory links leadership development inextricably to the morality and character of the leader.

Targeted outcomes: Character development and moral compassing, understanding of role in community and responsibilities of leadership, service ethic, humility.

2. Emotional Intelligence
Leadership literature suggests that emotional intelligence is one of the most important determinants of who emerges as a leader in a given situation. Emotional intelligence refers to the skills and capacity to perceive, assess and manage the emotional environment. Critical skills to cultivate in children are communication skills. Effective communication is circular. It is important to nurture verbal expression as well as dynamic listening skills. Role-playing activities are also important because they help children to learn to see and understand things from a different person's perspective.

Targeted outcomes: Enhanced communication skills, improved verbal expression, dynamic listening skills, ability to empathize.

3. Independence and adaptation
Leaders possess skills in discernment and critical thinking that allows them to think independently and assess and process conflicting information

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