KidLead Insights

Last week, I had an opportunity to meet one-on-one with Dr. Rob Horner, renown for his work with Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) and a global expert on educational improvement by focusing on social culture.  His ideas as well as his demeanor, impressed me.  (If you want to know more about this work, go to www.pbis.org.) While PBIS is decades in development, showing how social culture impacts academics and teaching outcomes, it is just now making big headway in the US.  Yet, most of the impetus remains on teaching everyone (all students and teachers) about a handful of values that are essential to sustaining a safe and respectful environ.  What is missing is the role of young influencers, those 2-4 students in each classroom who convey more influence than the rest.  They seem to be missing from the research.  Yet, when you look at social reform among adults throughout history, you always note the leaders (Lincoln, King, Chavez, Ghandi...

The new blockbuster film, "Divergent," is a pretty amazing film when you view it through a leadership lens.  Imagine a world with factions, people groups conforming to distinct roles, based on their personalities and strengths.  It's a theatrical adaptation to real life.  It's a movie about compliance, fitting in and the social tendency to reject those who resist.  I'm reminded how many young leaders feel in schools where their push-back is perceived as rebelliousness and their influence is punished.  Leaders are Divergent. The leading actress is Shailene Woodley, playing the part of a 16-year-old who, discovering she's Divergent, tries to play the part of another faction member, but can't seem to hide her true self.  While I don't want to let out too much of the plot for those who've not yet seen it, the bottom line is that this young leader ends up playing a significant part in fighting evil and standing for what is right.  The fact the she...

This morning I met with a couple of people to discuss the launch of SheLead, a leadership training curriculum we're offering for women to train young women, ages 10-25. The excitement was evident, so we have high hopes for the possibilities. In the afternoon I met at the Naval Postgraduate School to discuss a research project I've been asked to participate in, looking at the role of women in the Navy SEALs.  In 2016, women will be allowed into combat roles in the US military.  We discussed an array of issues related to what would need to transpire for women to find places in this men-only context.  Whether its church, politics, business or the military, the role of women in leadership roles is changing. We're excited to be a part of this emerging social trend and happy to be providing the world's first organizational training program for young female leaders. 

Great book; read it.  Facebook's COO describes the highs and lows of striving to lead as a woman.  Just as KidLead co-founder and my wife, Nancy, has experienced decades of leadership challenges as a woman, Sheryl recognizes that the playing field is not level. That's why KidLead is proud to announce SheLead, an experiential curriculum designed for 10-14 year olds and 14-25 year olds, whereby women can take young female leaders through a variety of project-based learning activities, teaching them leadership skills.   What makes this program unique is that it's modeled after executive training, but age-sized to get to leaders while they're moldable.  When women use this with preteens and teens, they intuitively teach it in such a way that the powerful sisterhood of female leaders emerges.  Click HERE for more info on SheLead and how you can be certified to use it.

I just talked to a workout colleague who is looking for a teaching position.  Right now, she's substitute teaching.  She shared some of her "challenges" in walking into a classroom, noting how 3-4 students tend to "run the show."  I remember my sub teaching experiences years ago.  I understood her pain.   Every educator recognizes the unique social dynamics, whereby a few students possess a majority of the social influence.  KidLead is about identifying these students and providing hands-on, active-learning curricula to transform them into positive leaders, creating allies of teachers who elevate positive behaviors in schools, faith communities and neighborhoods.  Instead of fighting this natural, social energy, we want to tap it for good!

Most cultures consider leading an adult behavior.  We say things such as "some day you'll be a leader."  The problem is that we wait far too long to develop our leaders.  Take 6-year-old Karissa for example.  Her mother, Dr. Frances Wu, is a professor in Southern California who grew up in China.  Frances recognizes Karissa's strengths and often the challenges that go with raising a leader in the home.  But instead of cursing these strengths, she's now nursing them, developing them as she parents. For instance, Karissa wants to talk to her Kindergarten teacher about doing KiddieLead in her class.  She's already identified 10 classmates who she believes should be in the club.  She's been watching the instructional video we provide for Trainers (Dr. Wu is a new Trainer).  What causes a child, so young, to be so passionate about leading and learning how to lead: destiny, wiring, genetics, aptitude, social intelligence? We're not sure, but no ...

KidLead did a booth at Monterey Institute of International Studies (www.miis.edu) job fair.Our space was just a few feet away from the CIA, FBI and NSA tables.  Interesting how we're positioned to proactively identify and develop effective and ethical leaders as kids and youth, while so much attention gets placed on monitoring evil leaders as adults. While we certainly need these agencies, they symbolize the need to think differently about how we develop leaders.  Organic approaches will always result in needing to circumvent evil leaders.  Intentional and strategic approaches like KidLead strive to develop a more positive breed of social influencers. Until that happens, chances are we'll continue to need to co-exist.