How to Build Leaders. Contributed by Carey Casey. Wednesday, 21 May 2008 That’s how gang leaders build closeness and loyalty, and it works even better in …
FATHERSCOM
How to Build Leaders
Contributed by Carey Casey Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Wayne Gordon is a close friend of mine and pastor at the Lawndale Community Church in Chicago What has happened there under Waynes leadership has been called a miracle: a blighted community has been transformed into a place of progress, purpose and hope I had the privilege of serving with Wayne for five years during the 90rsquo;s
Waynersquo;s book Real Hope in Chicago talks about the principles that helped to transform this community His insights specifically on leadership are especially valuable and I wouldnrsquo;t be doing my job if I didnrsquo;t pass them on to you After all, fatherhood is about leading today and raising up leaders for tomorrow 1 See fifteen years into the future The little children you see todaymdash;or even the teenagermdash;will grow and mature Even if things seem difficult right now, donrsquo;t give up Your investments in your childrenrsquo;s lives will make a difference, even if you canrsquo;t see it for weeks, months, or even years 2 Make them feel important Thatrsquo;s how gang leaders build closeness and loyalty, and it works even better in families When your child knows
that he is precious to you and has a contribution to make in your household, he develops the confidence to develop into a leader 3 Donrsquo;t go anywhere alone Future leaders need to get out in the world, experience life, and become familiar with its problems and mysteries And they need to see how Dad handles those issues So include a child when you go to the hardware store, to the weekend softball game, or the church service project, and sometimes, if you can, even the out-oftown business trip Thatrsquo;s how you share your life with your children, strengthen your relationships, and give them a vision for the world 4 Be accessible Our children need to know that they are among our top priorities, and one way we communicate that is by being availablemdash;even when itrsquo;s not convenient for us When a child knows they can get your full attention in a time of need, suddenly they gain a confidence to reach beyond themselves 5 Expose them to other role models Give your kids opportunities to learn from gifted youth leaders, caring coaches and teachers, and other positive influencers As wersquo;re sharing the best of ourselves, we also need to share others with our children 6 Let them
fail Itrsquo;s hard to stand by and watch your child fall short of a goal But thatrsquo;s often when the most growth occurs At times, we may need to take a few steps back to allow our kids to move forward through the process of making mistakes and learning from them 7 Love, love, love Love is empowering for a child; it gives confidence and security so she can try new things or recover when something has gone wrong And I know you already know this, but dads, our love needs to be expressed in actions and in words Dads, itrsquo;s inevitable that our children will grow up and eventually be out on their own Letrsquo;s make sure wersquo;re equipping them to be responsible leaders who really make a difference
Carey Casey is CEO of the National Center for Fathering Read more about Carey
http://wwwfatherscom/content
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