What I Learnt from My Learners (Part I)

As a trainer cum teacher, it's always a pleasure to come across exciting ideas and insightful thoughts that my learners share during classroom discussions. I usually take this as an opportunity to know their perspectives, and learn from them too.

Being a life skills coach, it's great to train my learners for 21st century life skills. One most crucial life skill is 'Leadership' that has been constantly ranked as a high priority life skill by NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), Pennsylvania, United States.

Recently, I had an amazing discussion over 'Leadership and Teamwork' with my learners, and here in this series of 'What I Learnt from My Learners', I am featuring some of the brilliant responses. Enjoy the read!

Talking about leadership, Aditya Jagtap mentions, "I think it is very important for a person to have leadership qualities. There is no exact definition for what a leader does. Each leader's style of leadership is influenced by his/ her personality and the challenges he/ she is faced with. A great leader can motivate others to realize their full potential. While some team members may express self doubts when approaching new challenges, a leader will do his/ her best to instill confidence in them. Leadership is something that you implement in your everyday life, even if you don't realize it. Examples include creating to-do lists, tutoring others and taking steps to care about your environment. Leaders inspire members of the society to pursue their dreams. Leaders build unity and enthusiasm among team members. Leaders are at the forefront of creating positive working environment. That's why leadership is an important life skill."

Ashwin Samant says, "I believe in the motto 'Leading to Learn, Learning to Lead' and Leadership Skill is something that has made me who I am today. I lacked self-confidence back in class 9, but after witnessing what leaders can do, I had this sudden desire to take up leadership role, whether it's helping out my peers, or my juniors or interacting with the school staff. That's what landed me my role as a Head Boy and Vice Head Boy position. I believe leadership is absolutely necessary to pursue and possess."

On leadership traits, Anushree Juyal asserts, "If I as a teacher, need to explain what leadership means, I will say that life places us in positions of leadership everyday. For instance, parents are leaders to their kids; often, our friends do seek our advice and counsel. And as we grow older, parents, who used to be our leaders when we were kids, start looking up to us for guidance. In everyday life, the question is not whether we are leaders — that we are, in any case — but whether we are good as leaders or not. Here is a story,

...A little girl was helping her mother do the dishes when a cup accidentally slipped out of her hand. It fell on the floor and smashed into pieces. Before she could even cry, the mother picked up another cup, threw it to the ground, and said, "See? It doesn’t matter." This is a simple story that is a part of everyday life. What does it illustrate, though? Most apparently, the story is about how the mother reassured the child that material things do not matter and that all of us make mistakes.

...We can also argue that the mother’s action conveys she is not angry with the child. But at a deeper level, this story is about a lesson in leadership: Specifically, about how someone in greater authority handles a subordinate’s mistake; and more generally, about how one handles unforeseen, unfortunate turns in life. This experience must have formed a 'lesson' in leadership that would stay with the girl for decades."

To conclude, here is what Gaurav Bharali says, "Leadership is a quality that comes with proper practice and perseverance. One needs to be dedicated and passionate to be a leader. I believe leaders are everywhere, but what makes one unique is his/her style of leadership. Everybody is a leader in themselves, but what makes us stand tall and not look down is the way we see through our problems and try to find a solution with maximal beneficiaries."

I personally think, the inputs from these young minds are truly wonderful, and teach us a lot about leadership and the role of a leader. Next time, when you hear anything wonderful from your learners, do feel free to share with the world; because,

In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn. - Greg Enriquez

note: All the above-mentioned learners are presently pursuing Applied Petroleum Engineering (with specialization in upstream) from UPES (University Of Petroleum And Energy Studies).