True Leadership Skills For Next Generations
All students have leadership potential, age is only a number. In fact, leadership skills can be learned at a very young age, everyone can teach someone something. Teaching students self-leadership skills can help them develop a sense of who they are, discover what they are capable of and find out their life purpose.
Richard Ong, an entrepreneur and author of 5 books said, “True leadership starts with self-leadership because leadership begins first on the inside. The best leaders are the best learners.” His latest book, Mindsets, talks about the power of right thinking.
“When it comes to mindsets, I only preach two things, which is to create values to others and build a meaningful relationship with them. The role that your mindset plays is a direct reflection of your leadership quality. It’s hard for a person with a fixed mindset to see things in multiple perspectives.” He added.
Ong believes leadership and authority are not the same things. Unfortunately, to most people, the only leaders they know are authority figures, someone who set rules and give orders. A leader who relies only on power and authority will have a hard time seeing values in other people.
Being a passionate writer and an entrepreneur himself, Ong explained, “Writing is a form of communication, and the messages behind the story can create a lasting change to someone’s life. For centuries, humans have been teaching each other through stories. Sharing stories helps us see the world from different perspectives. A good leader listens to the perspectives of others, because he or she understands that there are hidden values in different opinions which may lead to new solutions.”
When asked how to become a successful writer? Ong said, “Encouragement helps. I have been in love with writing ever since I was a kid. The greatest joy for me is to have my words expressed in a series of chapters so that others can enjoy reading or get inspired by my stories. My sister was my best advocate, she helped me find my own voice.”
In 2017, Ong had a chance to meet one of the most famous leaders at a local conference in Malaysia, Prince Charles. They had a short discussion about sustainable technology. “It was interesting to know that Prince Charles prefers to use a pen and a paper to document his thoughts instead of using writing apps from a phone.” Said Ong.
Ong stressed that in order to be a successful leader, one must know how to lead himself first before leading others.