KidLead Insights

On December 8, our oldest son informed our family of John Glenn's passing. Our youngest then reminded his brothers that he was the one who got to sit on the famous astronaut's lap. One of the best ways to develop leadership potential in youth is to introduce them to great leaders. This could be as simple as an interaction with your boss or pursuing a photo op with a famous leader. These interactions create a comfort level with people of power and often inspire them to emulate the same attitude.  The idea that children should be seen and not heard is fading in most families. But it's a step further to provide positive interactions with influential leaders, even going out of your way to make this happen. If the leader balks at the opportunity to meet your kids, then chances are s/he wasn't worth meeting anyway.

Engaging Millennials in Leadership As millennials (born approx. 1980-2000) pour into the workforce, many of them are taking on ample responsibilities, especially as boomers retire in droves.  Responding to cultural differences of this generation is vital for those of us older.  Here's an article I wrote for L.A. Biz on how the senior vice president of human resources for the LA Clippers NBA franchise develops young leaders. Click HERE .

While Tuesday's election is a vivid example of why we need to do a better job, raising more and better leaders from early ages, another issue has to do with what we expect from our leaders. I wrote an article for L.A. Biz that explains the need to clearly define what we mean by leadership when we talk about it. Click HERE to read this short article.

The O Factor, a book on leadership ability among 2-22 year olds, offers a very unique look into what gives less than 10% of students such an exceptional ability at influencing others.  Organizational leadership talent is quite different than other domains of giftedness such as academics, art, creativity, and physicality.  Wouldn't it be interesting if we could identify future CEO's, presidential candidates, and entrepreneurs, decades before they're formally recognized?  Well, we can; getting to them while they're pliable in their morality and cognitive abilities. The "O" in The O Factor stands for organization, the ability to get others to achieve together what they would not or could not as individuals.  You can see it on the soccer fields, in school lunchrooms, and local neighborhoods.  Leadership ability is recognized by the US Department of Education and 15 US states as a domain in the field of gifted and talented education, yet practically nothing has