Powerful Youth

Leadership Lesson Plans for Students ages 12-18

Leadership lesson plans for teens designed by our expert youth leadership facilitators to help middle school and high school students understand their leadership potential, identify their passions and values, learn communication and teamwork skills, and make a difference in their community.

leadership lesson plans for high school students

Kickstart your group’s leadership journey with our unique lesson guides and teaching materials

leadership lesson plans for high school students

Each lesson plan involves multiple group activities, individual reflections, and group reflections, and the accompanying leadership lesson guides and resources include everything you need as a facilitator. You can deliver an engaging leadership program in your own school in less than 1.5 hours, or all three lessons as a one-day leadership workshop! All lesson plans and accompanying presentations are in English, but the accompanying lesson guides are designed to also be beneficial for facilitators delivering the program without access to a screen or projector, or delivering it in another language.

By increasing youth’s capacity to understand their strengths as a leader, follow their unique passions and values to make a difference, and be good collaborators and communicators, you are contributing to our vision of “a global community of powerful youth, passionate about service, and equipped with the tools to create profoundly positive global change.”

leadership lesson plans for high school students

Learn more about our three unique leadership lesson plans

  • Lesson I: Leadership 101
  • Lesson II: Passions to Actions
  • Lesson III: Communication & Collaboration

The Leadership 101 leadership lesson plan for high school students (youth ages 14-18) provides an introduction to core leadership theory through unique individual and group activities. Leadership is a journey… kickstart your group’s journey today!

The main questions the lesson plan will help youth answer are:

  • Why do leadership skills matter?
  • What are the qualities of a leader?
  • What kind of leader am I?

Click here to receive the leadership lesson plans, teaching materials, and facilitator resources!

The Passions to Action lesson plan for youth ages 12-18 (middle school/high school) provides your group with an opportunity to identify their passions and values, and understand how to transform them into positive action and change in their community. Youth who are able to connect their passions and values with community action are powerful agents of positive change – we have seen this time and time again with the hundreds of participants of our Global Leadership Academies !

The main questions the passions and values lesson will help youth answer are:

  • What are my passions and values?
  • What issues spark action within me?
  • How can I transform my passions and values into action?

The Communication & Collaboration lesson plan for teens ages 12-18 offers youth the chance to test their teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills in format designed for maximum learning and reflection! Working well in a team and being a good communicator are crucial skills for every leader, and this lesson plan targets soft skill development in these areas of leadership.

The main questions the communication and teamwork lesson will help youth answer are:

  • What does effective teamwork and collaboration look like?
  • What is my role in a team? What do I do well? What can I do better?
  • Why are communication skills important?

If you have any questions about the program or how to facilitate these leadership lesson plans for your group, please feel free to contact us here . If you are looking instead for a custom 3-to-5 day leadership workshop in your school led by an experienced youth leadership facilitator, learn more about our custom leadership workshops here.

Using the power of experience-based learning, Powerful Youth is an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to providing the best leadership training for youth world wide, helping them uncover purpose, fueled by their passions, to create positive and lasting change in themselves and their communities.

Want to learn more about our leadership programs in Canada and the UK for international youth ages 12-18?

83 Leadership Activities, Building Games, and Exercises

leadership activities and exercises

Leadership activities are associated with benefits to business, including increased performance and productivity.

However, perhaps the sign of a truly successful leader is a happy, healthy workplace. Interested in what leadership activities can do for your workplace or school? Read on.

With the activities below, there may be some overlap with activities found under certain headings – for example, activities suitable for adults may also be useful for groups, or with employees.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or others adopt positive leadership practices and help organizations thrive.

This Article Contains:

What are leadership activities, what are they used for, 8 examples of leadership activities, 4 leadership workshop ideas, 2 activities that showcase different leadership styles, 3 situational leadership activities and scenarios, 8 games and activities for kids to learn leadership skills, 6 leadership development activities for teens and youth (pdf), 3 classroom leadership activities for students in elementary and middle school, 6 leadership activities and games for high school students, 3 activities and exercises for college students (pdf), 7 leadership games and activities for adults, 5 leadership group and team activities, 8 leadership training activities for employees, 5 leadership building exercises for managers, 11 leadership exercises for team building in the workplace, a take-home message.

Increasingly, people are assuming positions of leadership in the workplace (Cserti, 2018). However, the journey to becoming a leader is lengthy (Cserti, 2018). Leadership activities are valuable on the journey to becoming an effective leader , and also develop confidence in leadership teams (Cserti, 2018; Stepshift, 2016).

Leadership activities may be conducted on or off site, and be physical or sedentary (Stepshift, 2016). Leadership activities can either be performed by a leader in their own team, or with an external facilitator (Cserti, 2018). They may take the form of specially organized themed events, such as scavenger hunts (Stepshift, 2016). Or, they may be smaller, office-based tasks built into an ordinary workday.

For example, leadership activities could consist of meeting openers or conference break activities (Stepshift, 2016).

Leadership activities can be an effective way for individuals to practice and strengthen their leadership and team-building skills (Cserti, 2018). They can also be fun!

The structure of leadership activities is essential. It is important that the participants can relate the activity to the workplace setting (Stepshift, 2016).

The 10 Skills Every Leadership Coach Should Teach

The working style, principles, and values of a leader is a crucial aspect in determining the behavior within an organization (Cserti, 2018). Leadership training can help leaders become role-models (Cserti, 2018). The behavior of leaders and what they consider the “norm” determines which behaviors are enforced and those which are punished (Cserti, 2018).

Given the importance of a leader’s behavior, it is also essential that they learn skills, such as:

Communication

Leaders need to develop the ability to clearly, succinctly explain to employees everything from the goals of a company to the details of specific work-tasks (Doyle, 2019). Many components are important for effective communication , including active listening, reading body language and written communication such as emails (Doyle, 2019).

Leaders need to inspire employees. They may do this by increasing worker’s self-esteem , by recognizing effort and achievement, or by giving a worker new responsibilities to further their investment in the business (Doyle, 2019).

Leaders can achieve this by identifying the skills that workers have, and as such assign tasks to each worker based on the skills they have (Doyle, 2019).

Being positive helps develop a happy , healthy work environment, even when the workplace is busy or stressful (Doyle, 2019).

Trustworthiness

By demonstrating integrity , workers will feel at ease to approach their leader with questions or concerns (Doyle, 2019). Building trust is one of the most essential leadership skills.

Good leaders are willing to try novel solutions or to approach problems in a non-traditional way (Doyle, 2019).

Leaders are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to provide team members with information about their performance, without ‘micromanaging’ their work (Doyle, 2019).

Responsibility

A good leader accepts mistakes or failures and instead look for solutions for improvement of a situation (Doyle, 2019). This skill also includes being reflective and being open to feedback (Doyle, 2019).

A leader should strive to follow through with everything that they agree to do (Doyle, 2019). It also involves applying appropriate feedback and keeping promises (Doyle, 2019).

Flexibility

Leaders need to be able to accept changes and creatively problem-solve, as well as being open to suggestions and feedback (Doyle, 2019).

While these skills are explained in a workplace context, they can easily be applied to other leadership situations such as sports or community groups.

Now that you have more clarity as to what leadership activities are, and what they are used for, let us look at a wide selection of activities. While some of the activities and games may not immediately appear to be ‘leadership activities,’ the chosen activities might develop and promote the leadership skills outlined above.

7 Ways to Practice Leadership Without Actually Being a Leader

Here are eight such activities:

  • Sports Sports provide the experience of being a team member and developing leadership skills (Flavin, 2018).
  • Cross-cultural experience Experiences with a different culture provide new, potentially uncomfortable situations and help develop communication skills that may not be learned elsewhere (Flavin, 2018). Overseas travel, or working with a different cultural group within your community can provide an opportunity to learn new skills, or may involve barriers that must be overcome – all teaching leadership (Flavin, 2018).
  • Social groups Involvement in social activities helps potential leaders develop a well-rounded, confident personality which enhances their capacity to lead a team (Flavin, 2018).
  • Internships Taking an internship position demonstrates initiative in finding opportunities to learn and seeking practical work – valuable skills in leadership (Flavin, 2018).
  • Volunteering As well as showing ambition, volunteering shows that you are willing to commit yourself to something that you are passionate about (Flavin, 2018).
  • Student government and organizations Specifically considering students, being involved in co-curricular organizations help individuals develop leadership (Flavin, 2018). Being involved in student government or organizations can provide opportunities to demonstrate leadership and have an impact on those around you (Flavin, 2018).
  • ‘Passion projects’ Showing commitment to a passion for better communities; for example, mentoring shows that you are likely to focus on the greater good for a team (Flavin, 2018).
  • ‘Teamwork’ This can be anything at all, from helping out with planning a family event or participating in a volunteer day, will demonstrate and develop leadership skills (Flavin, 2018).

leadership lesson plans for high school students

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Effective leaders are aware that continuing professional and personal development is the key to ongoing success (Higgins, 2018). As such, they recognize that leadership workshops are important (Higgins, 2018). What activities can be used in such a workshop?

Here are four suggestions:

Idea 1: ‘Tallest Tower’ (from Stepshift, 2016)

Participants are provided with everyday items such as toothpicks, wooden blocks, uncooked pasta and so on. The task is to build the tallest possible free-standing structure from the materials provided. This activity is designed to encourage creative problem-solving and developing collaboration skills.

Idea 2: ‘Centre Stage’ (from Higgins, 2018)

Select four team members as volunteers. One team member plays the role of an employee who has missed meetings or been late to work in recent times. Each of the other three participants demonstrates a different style of leader (to save time, nominate the particular personality trait). Ask all participants to form a circle, and put two chairs in the middle of the circle.

After each demonstration of how to deal with the employee, ask the whole group to reflect on the different leadership approaches. For example, the group could consider what worked and what did not. Finally, to conclude this activity, ask the group to consider what the ‘ideal’ leader would do in the scenario.

Idea 3: ‘Minefield’ (from Stepshift, 2016)

This activity helps build trust and improve communication skills. It involves participants working in pairs, with one team member being blindfolded. Then, using only specified communication techniques, the pair negotiate their way around or over a ‘minefield’ of obstacles.

So, for example, the participants may be told they are only able to use commands such as the words ‘left’ or ‘right,’ ‘forwards’ or ‘backwards.’ The aim is to help the blindfolded team member to navigate the ‘minefield’.

Idea 4: ‘Magic Carpet’ (from Higgins, 2018)

Provide a small tarp or rug, which has enough room for all workshop participants to stand within its boundaries. Then, inform the group that their task is to work together to flip the rug or tarp over without any participant stepping off. If (or when) a participant steps off the teams have discussed all of the paragraphs or tarp, the team must begin again.

Leadership styles

These are: autocratic (also known as authoritarian), delegative (also called ‘free reign)’ and democratic (which is also called participative) (Clark, 2015; Johnson-Gerard, 2017).

An autocratic leader makes decisions without first consulting others, while a delegative leader allows the staff to make the decisions (Johnson-Gerard, 2017). Finally, a democratic leader consults with the staff in making workplace decisions (Johnson-Gerard, 2017).

Here is an excellent resource for exploring different leadership styles.

The workbook also provides some helpful worksheets.

The following two activities help participants think more deeply about styles of leadership. The group should be divided into small groups of 3 – 4 participants. The participants work in groups for the first activity, and then they work individually on the second activity.

Activity One (Clark, 2015)

Provide a list of approximately 10 – 12 scenarios displaying the three different leadership styles. For example, “a new supervisor has just been put in charge of the production line. He immediately starts by telling the crew what change needs to be made. When some suggestions are made, he tells them he does not have time to consider them”.

The group then works together to figure out which leadership style is used in each scenario and to talk about whether it is effective, or if a different style could work better.

Encourage participants to think about themselves in a similar situation and their reaction to the particular leadership style.

Activity Two (Clark, 2015)

Provide participants with the statement ‘consider a time when you, or another leader, used the authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic) or delegative (free reign) style of leadership’.

Ask participants to reflect on the statement and make a few comments, such as: was it effective? Would a different leadership style have worked better? What were the employees’ experiences? Did they learn from the leadership style? What was it they learned? Which style is easiest to use (and why)? Alternatively, nominate the style which the participant prefers (and why).

To conclude these two activities, come together as a whole group and discuss what was learned about the three styles of leadership.

Leadership building activities – Project management training – ProjectManager

Situational leadership is when a leader is flexible in their approach and uses different leadership strategies depending on the situation (Johnson-Gerard, 2017). The following three games, from Johnson-Gerard (2017) provide an opportunity to explore situational leadership:

1. ‘Jumping Ship’

The aim of this game is for participants to reflect upon different leadership styles and come up with a list of actual workplace scenarios which would need a leader to abandon a natural leadership style for one that is more effective (i.e., to ‘jump ship’).

Each group is given three large pieces of paper. Ask the teams to write one style of leadership on each (i.e., autocratic, delegative, democratic). Then, allow the groups 45 minutes to come up with real work situations for which employing the particular leadership style would be disastrous.

Ask the groups to place the sheets of paper up on the wall, and to discuss the sheets as a team. As a whole group, review the posters.

2. ‘Who Ya Gonna Call’

Each participant begins by writing a one-paragraph description of a work situation that is not going well. Collect these, and at the top of each page, number them in consecutive order. Then, divide the participants into two teams.

Give each team half of the paragraphs. Then, ask the teams to choose the style of leadership that would be the least and the most effective in solving the problem. Have the teams note their answers on a piece of paper, being sure to identify the paragraph number on the top of each page, and their choices.

Then, ask the teams to swap paragraphs and repeat the activity.

When the teams have discussed all the paragraphs, discuss the scenarios and review the choices as a group. Where the team’s choices are different, discuss as a group.

3. ‘Ducks in a Row’

This particular activity enables participants to devise a 3-to-5 step decision-making process they can use when challenging leadership situations occur.

Ask participants to form pairs. Then, ask them to come up with the steps that an effective leader goes through in order to work out how to manage a difficult situation. After about 30 minutes, ask each pair to review the steps they have come up with for the group, and to write them on a large piece of paper.

Ask every pair to review their process, and after all the pairs have done so, have a group discussion that enables a consensus to be reached about the three to five most effective steps to take in a difficult leadership situation.

Fun exercises for children

Edsys (2016) provides eight suggested activities for children to learn leadership skills:

1. ‘Create a New You’

Provide children with materials such as textas, crayons, poster/construction paper, magazines, and scissors. Then, ask them to draw themselves, using things that clearly show that the picture is theirs – such as using cut-outs of their most favorite things to do, foods they like, pets, and whatever else makes them unique.

Once the children have finished their posters, they can show their completed work to the other children – helping kids to improve their confidence to lead.

2. ‘Same or Different’

The children sit in a circle. Ask the first child to point to another child in the circle who is similar to them, either in appearance, hair-style or clothing color. Then, when the child has chosen someone, ask them to note other differences and similarities they have with the child they have chosen.

3. ‘Move the Egg’

Ask children to form groups of four or five. Then, have the children select a leader for their team. Each participant is given a spoon and an egg. The leader has the task of finding an effective way to move the eggs from one point to another. For example, one option may be for children to form a line to pass each egg along.

Another leader may suggest forgetting about the spoons altogether and merely tell their group to make a run for it. The winner of the game is the group that can get their egg safely across the finish in the most creative way.

4. ‘Lead the Blindfolded’

This game requires a large indoor or outdoor area. Divide the children into two groups and give them enough blindfolds for everyone except one member to put on. The teams are placed at opposite sides of the space. The child who is not blindfolded is required to lead their team to the other side of the designated space, using clear commands.

Ensure that each member of the team has an opportunity to lead their team. The winner is the team that sees its members successfully cross the finish line.

5. ‘Charity Support’

Help children support a charity by organizing a fundraiser. Each child can have a different task. For example, one child may select the charity, another may find a suitable space to hold the fundraising activity, and another child can collect donations.

6. ‘Planning Strategies’

Teach children to divide a large task into smaller steps. Set the children a large task, such as holding a class function. Show the children a plan that enables them to achieve the task step by step. This activity can involve a number of children sharing tasks. Suggest to the children how they may be able to improve.

7. ‘Volunteer Roles’

Volunteering plays a role in leadership. Discuss with children how they would like to help someone in need. Older children may be interested in taking a role in an organization in their community. The children should be helped to select a volunteer opportunity that gives them a chance to practice leadership and work with other children.

8. ‘A Quick Quiz’

In this task, ask students to be prepared to evaluate an experience when it is over. Then, after the experience, ask the child questions. For example, inquire “Do you remember the name of the dog we saw?”, “What was it?”, “Did you touch the dog?”, “What is the owner’s name?” and so on.

This is an excellent introduction to leadership for kids in grades 4 – 6 (children aged approximately 9 – 12 years).

The following resources are appropriate for helping teens and youth to develop leadership:

1. “Leaders are, can, and think”

This looks at what a leader is, and what their role can and should be.

2. “Who do you admire and why?”

This worksheet examines leadership role models and the qualities we see in them that we want to develop in ourselves.

3. “4 Ways leaders approach tasks: Leaders Motivation”

This handout focuses on leadership attitude.

4. “Lesson Planet”

Links to 45+ reviewed resources for teen leadership which can be accessed free by registering your details.

5. The Women’s Learning Partnership

This partnership has created a comprehensive manual for promoting leadership for teens aged 13 – 17 years. The manual outlines a number of sessions which guide leadership development activities.

6. “I Care Values Activity”

This is a fun, engaging and introspective activity . It is suitable for students aged 13 and upwards, so it can be used with older students or adults too.

Leadership games

Examples of such activities are:

1. ‘Just Listen’ (Edsys, 2016)

Make an agreement that you and the student(s) will refrain from talking about yourselves for a whole day. Ask them, rather, to listen to others, and if they do talk to another person, it should be about the person whom they are talking to. This game helps children to learn how important it is to focus on other people rather than themselves, which forms the basis of ‘relational leadership’.

2. Silence Classroom Leadership Game (Stapleton, 2018).

To begin the activity, the teacher divides students into two teams, and the teams move to either side of the classroom. The desks may be pushed aside to create more space. The teacher instructs the students to, for example, ‘line up according to the first letter of your surname’ or ‘arrange yourselves into age order by the month your birthday is in’. The students then follow the directions without speaking a word to one another.

Students are permitted to use hand signals, or even write instructions down on paper. The teacher’s instruction to the students is that they are not allowed to talk. The winning team is the one that completes the task successfully.

3. ‘The Cup Game’ (Tony, 2018)

Divide students into pairs and select one student to be the leader. Each team should face each other standing up, with a plastic cup in the middle. The leader calls out simple directions, such as ‘touch your knee’, ‘close one eye’ and so on.

When the leader calls out “cup” the students should try and be the first to grab the cup. The player who successfully grabs the cup should pair up with another player who also got the cup. Those without a cup sit down and watch.

Once the new teams of two have formed, the cup is put in between the players and the game begins again. This process continues until only one person is left standing – and the resulting winner becomes the new leader… and play can begin all over again.

By high school, students are more sophisticated. Here are some interesting activities for high school students to develop leadership.

1. Brainstorming for change (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher puts students into groups of 4 or 5. The goal is for students to come up with possible solutions to social, political or economic problems. Working together, students brainstorm both small- and large-scale solutions to a given problem topic.

Once the groups have finalized their list of detailed solutions, the teacher facilitates a discussion with the whole class, and together they examine which of the identified solutions could be a viable option and why.

2. Leadership characteristics (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher puts students into pairs or groups of three. Then, each group member shares a story about someone whom they consider to be an influential leader. After each story has been shared, students discuss the characteristics that they think made the person in the story an effective leader.

Once each student has shared a story, students compile a list of all the characteristics of an influential leader they identified. Post these characteristics on the walls around the classroom.

3. Blindfold leader game (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher arranges the students into a single line, and comes up with a starting point and finishing point. Then, the teacher places a blindfold on every student except for the student who is at the front of the line.

The teacher tells each student to put their left hand on the left shoulder of the person in front of them. Next, the teacher says “go”. The aim is for the leader (who is not blindfolded) to walk towards the finishing point, providing instructions to students behind, who are blindfolded.

An extra challenging game sees the teacher putting obstacles in the path – the leader must direct followers on how to avoid the obstacles and successfully reach the finish line. When this goal is achieved, a different student takes a turn of being the leader.

4. Buckets and balls (Cohen, 2017)

This game aims to move all the balls from one box to another. The catch is, team members cannot use their hands or arms. In equal-sized teams, players choose one ‘handler’ per team. This is the only person who can touch the balls with their hands.

The handler must remain behind the start line throughout the game. Team members attempt to get balls from their bucket at the finish line, and get them to the team’s handler without the ball touching their hands or arms.

The handler places the balls into the empty bucket at the start line. If a team member touches the ball, they are disqualified and can no longer participate. Give teams a 5-minute time limit. All teams play at the same time, and the team that has the most balls in the handler’s bucket at the end of the game wins.

5. Team jigsaw (Cohen, 2017)

Two teams have to complete a jigsaw puzzle within a 20 – 30-minute time limit. Give each team a box containing a puzzle. At first, A body will assume that their task is to complete the puzzle. As they work on it, however, teams will realize that the puzzle is missing some of its pieces and has some additional pieces that do not fit their puzzle.

Teams then have the task to communicate with one another, and they will eventually realize that they need to work together to complete the puzzle. Teams are only allowed to exchange pieces of the puzzle one at a time.

6. ‘Sneak-a-peak’ (Cohen, 2017)

Divide participants into two teams. Build a structure out of Lego. Make it complicated, but able to be replicated. Ensure that there is sufficient Lego left to build two similar copies of the structure.

Make sure that this structure is kept out of eyesight.

A player from each team is allowed to see the structure for 10 seconds. Then, the players will return to their respective teams and have 25 seconds in which to give his/her team instruction as to how to build the structure. Then, the teams have 1 minute to build the structure.

When that minute is up, another team member takes a look at the structure for 10 seconds and has a further 25 seconds to deliver their instructions to their team.

This process continues until all the team members have had a chance to examine the structure and provide instructions. The team that successfully built the structure is the winner.

Leadership and team building exercised for students

  • “ The Leadership Training Activity Book ” by Lois. B. Hart and Charlotte S. Waisman (2005) contains 50 handouts for leadership activities that would be suitable for college students. Find it on Amazon .
  • This resource provides helpful leadership tip sheets that are suitable for college students. Examples of tip sheets are “ten keys to effective listening” and “basic confrontation guidelines”.
  • Another valuable resource that can be used to develop team-building – an aspect of leadership.

A wide range of leadership activities are suitable for adults:

1. The Marshmallow Challenge

In this activity , teams use spaghetti sticks, tape and string to construct the tallest free-standing structure. They are given one marshmallow, which must be placed at the top of the structure. Devised by Tom Wujec.

2. ‘Stand up’ (Landau, 2018)

This game is convenient in that it requires no materials. It involves two people. They sit on the floor, facing one another. They hold hands, and the soles of their feet are placed together. Then, the task is for both people to stand up at the same time. This game builds trust and teamwork, and also develops skills in problem solving and collaboration.

3. Zoom (Stepshift, 2016)

A set of randomly provided sequential pictures are given to the participants. The task requires participants to put the pictures in the correct order to recreate the story, without knowing which pictures the other participants have. This activity can be an effective way to improve communication, patience, and tolerance.

4. ‘You’re a Poet’ (Landau, 2018)

To harness creativity and reflect on leadership concepts, one activity for adults is to write a poem. This activity can be done individually or in small groups. The aim is to consider leadership in creative ways to find new perspectives.

5. ‘Leadership Pizza’ (Cserti, 2018)

This activity can help adults develop leadership. It does so by providing a self-assessment tool. People begin by identifying the skills, attitudes, and attributes that they consider being important for successful leadership. The individual then rates their own development in the defined areas. The framework can also provide a helpful tool in assisting adults in identifying their leadership development goals in a coaching session.

6. Leadership advice from your role model (Cserti, 2018)

Each participant considers a role model who they admire. They then think about a young person they know. If the young person was to ask the role model for leadership advice, what kind of advice would the role model give?

In groups, discuss and share the sort of advice identified and talk about contradicting points and how they can be reconciled. This sharing discussion may be a practical introduction to the idea of situational leadership.

7. ‘Crocodile River’ (Cserti, 2018)

This outdoor activity challenges a group to physically provide support to the group members’ behavior move from one end of a designated space to the other.

Participants are told to pretend that the whole team must cross a wide river which contains dangerous crocodiles. Magic stones (which are represented by wooden planks) provide the only supports to be used to cross the river (which has ‘banks’ that are marked out by two ropes).

These ‘stones’ only float on the water if there is constant body contact. These ‘stones’ (i.e., the wooden planks) are placed next to the ‘river bank’ – there should be one less plank than the total number of participants. As part of the game, if a participant’s hand or foot touches the ‘water’, it will be bitten off (if this happens during the challenge, the participant must hold the hand behind their back).

The facilitator then pretends to be the ‘crocodile’, keeping a close eye on the group as they attempt to cross the river. When one of the stones (the planks) is not in body contact, it is removed. When participants mistakenly touch the ground with their hands or feet, tell them that the limb has therefore been bitten off and the player must continue without using it.

This activity continues until the group succeeds in getting all group members to the other side of the ‘river’. If anyone falls in, the group is deemed to have failed, and they must begin the river crossing attempt again.

1. ‘Feedback: Start, Stop, Continue’ (Cserti, 2018)

Leadership group activities

Openness creates trust, which then promotes further openness. This activity is designed to be used by a group that has spent sufficient time together in order to have a range of shared experiences they can draw from when they are providing feedback.

Each participant takes a post-it and writes the name of the person who they are addressing on it. Then, they write on the post-it:

“To…. Something I would like you to START doing is…. something I would like you to STOP doing is…. something I would like you to CONTINUE doing is……Signed: ___________”

In groups of around 4 to 6 people, participants complete these sentences on one post-it for the other participants in their group.

If they cannot think of relevant feedback for one of the prompts (i.e., start, stop, continue), they do not need to include it. Once the group has finished writing, they provide the feedback verbally, one at a time, and afterward hand the post-it to the relevant person.

2. Round Tables (Stepshift, 2016)

Four tables are set up with different tasks. Each task has separate steps that participants can be responsible for carrying out. The group select a team member, who is only allowed to communicate and delegate tasks but not take a part in the task. Each table is timed to record how long the task takes to be completed. Round Tables improves leadership and delegation skills.

3. ‘Pass the hoop’ (Landau, 2018)

This game requires participants to stand in a circle and hold hands. One person in the group has a hula hoop around their arm. The game aims to pass the hula hoop the whole way around the circle.

As well as promoting teamwork and problem-solving, this game develops communication skills. Being able to communicate effectively is a crucial skill for any successful leader to have.

4. ‘Improv night’ (Landau, 2018)

One key responsibility of the leader of a team is to encourage team bonding. One way to facilitate bonding is improvisation. ‘Improv’ develops skills in communication – helping teams to listen and pay attention. It also builds self-awareness, self-confidence, and creativity.

Arrange the group into ‘audience’ and ‘performers’. Then, members of the audience take turns in calling out the specified location, profession, and scenario (e.g., coffeehouse, cop, and purchasing a donut). Chosen suggestions are fun and should promote creativity.

5. ‘Shape-Shifting’ (Landau, 2018)

This game requires a rope that is tied at both ends to form a loop. The loop needs to be big enough for all group members to hold onto with both hands as they stand in a circle. The group is instructed to make a chosen shape (e.g., circle, square, triangle). The group attempts to create the shape on the floor.

Progressively, ask the group to make more complex shapes – e.g., a dog, or a tree. To add another layer of difficulty, instruct the team to communicate without talking – i.e., to rely on hand gestures. Afterward, have the group reflect on their experience and discuss the importance of communication.

Leadership is an integral feature of any workplace. Here are some activities to promote leadership in employees:

1. Your favorite manager (Cserti, 2018)

To begin this activity, employees individually take the role of three different people and brainstorm the particular behaviors that each person’s most favorite and least favorite managers demonstrate, from the chosen person’s perspective. After the employees have had the chance to reflect, the participants compare their list of behaviors – in pairs, and then subsequently, in groups.

The teams then prepare a list of ‘dos and don’ts’ for developing better employee perceptions of the leader’s style.

2. Explore your values (Cserti, 2018)

The values of a leader are reflected in their organization. In this activity, each participant writes ten things that they value most in their lives, each one on a post-it. Then, ask the employees to spread the Post-its in a way in which they can see them all clearly. Then, explain to them that they will have 30 seconds to select the three Post-its that are of least importance to them.

It is essential to time strictly, so that the participants rely on their gut feelings.

Repeat the process, this time allowing participants to have 20 seconds to discard two more values. Finally, give the participants a further 20 seconds to throw another two away. Participants should have three Post-its in front of them, showing their top three important values.

Following the activity, have participants reflect individually for about 15 minutes about what was found, and then to discuss reflection questions in pairs or groups of three.

Because this activity is done quickly, participants are encouraged to follow their own intuition – rather than over-thinking and finding what they perceive to be the ‘right’ values.

3. ‘Leadership Coat of Arms’ (Cserti, 2018; Landau, 2018).

Each leader has their own values and the things that they consider valuable and important. These values guide the behavior of the leader and make up a person’s unique leadership philosophy.

This activity sees participants drawing their own ‘leadership coat of arms’ embodying their leadership philosophy.

Individuals have 10 – 15 minutes to draw their coat of arms. They can divide the coat of arms (or ‘crest’) into four sections. To fill each section, consider the categories of leadership skills, values that help influence others, recent achievements/accomplishments and what you like most about your current work.

They should be encouraged not to be overly concerned with how visually appealing their picture is but rather that it expressed what they personally believe to be important aspects of a leader.

Once the drawings are complete, the participants can show their drawings to the others in the group and explain their unique coat of arms. It is also helpful to reflect on the activity – consider which section was easiest to complete and whether your crest reflects your company’s values.

4. Communication: Coach the Builder (Goyette, 2016)

Divide employees into groups of four to seven people. Each group should be given two sets of blocks (such as Lego). Each set should have a minimum of 10 blocks.

Beforehand, you should construct a sample object (e.g., a house) from one of the sets of blocks. In each group, select a leader, a delegator, a builder and a note-taker. The note-taker watches and records the group’s behavior during the task. They take note of what appeared to be done well and how employees could improve.

The leader is given the item that you built – however, they are the only group member to see the object. Set a timer for ten minutes. To begin with, the leader describes to the delegator how the builder should build a replica of the item. However, the delegator does not see the object, and at this stage of the activity, the builder should not hear the instructions.

The delegator can speak with the leader as often as necessary during the 10 minutes. The builder attempts to build the same item that the leader can see. However, they are only relying on the delegator’s instructions. At this stage, the delegator should not see the object that the builder is constructing.

When the time is up, reveal both objects to all participants and see how closely they match. Finally, to wrap up the activity, employees can discuss what was either frustrating or easy about the process and discuss how they may do things differently in order to achieve better results.

5. Accountability (Goyette, 2016)

Begin a meeting by saying to the group – “the seating arrangement is totally wrong for today’s meeting. You have 60 seconds to improve it”. If the employees ask further questions, only repeat the instructions. While some employees may continue asking questions, others may start moving the furniture around straight away. Observe the team and what they do without giving any further information, feedback, or instructions.

After 1 minute, let the employees know to stop. Then, ask them whether the objective was achieved, and how. Discuss with employees how and why a lack of clarity makes it challenging to complete a task.

Then, discuss who asked for clarification and how they felt when the leader refused to give further details. Use this opportunity to highlight to employees how if they fail to ask questions, and when the person in charge of a project doesn’t provide the necessary clarification, the whole team is at risk of making mistakes or even not completing a task.

Finally, ask how the time pressure affected behavior. Discuss how employees may be more likely to respond to pressure, or stress, by taking action without first confirming a plan and the significant problems this approach can lead to.

6. The “what if” game (Deputy, 2018)

Present different hypothetical problematic scenarios to employees. Either individually or by providing a document that requires written answers, present situations such as “you didn’t follow the rules, and subsequently lost an important client. You have lost a lot of money for the company. How do you justify this? What is your solution?”.

The questions only need to be rough, and employees should only receive a short time with which to think of their responses. If there is a particularly challenging question, provide a time limit of five minutes.

7. ‘Silver Lining’ (Cohen, 2017)

Employees form teams of at least two people who have shared a work experience – e.g., working on a project together. One person shares an experience from working together that was negative for them.

Then, the second person reflects on the same experience but instead reflects on the positive aspects of the experience (i.e., the ‘ silver lining ’). Then this same person shares their own negative experience, and this time it is up to the other person to focus on the positive aspects of it.

Often, when people reflect on an experience, they do so with a particular perspective . By looking at the positive aspects of a ‘negative’ experience, this helps individuals shift perspectives. Furthermore, by sharing experiences, employees develop deeper relationships, and team bonding is promoted.

8. My favorite brand (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Ask employees to bring three or four printed logos/brands that they use regularly or admire most. Then, form groups of 3 – 4 people. Teams have a period of ten minutes to share and discuss their chosen logos.

Their task is to agree upon the team’s top 2 logos or brands which is their team’s choice. The team also selects a team spokesperson who will report to the bigger group about why the team chose the specific brands/logos.

Participants are encouraged to share personal experiences or stories that they had with their chosen brand. After the ten minutes elapses, each spokesperson presents the logos that the team began with as well as their two top chosen logos/brands. It is their role to explain to the group why the team voted on their top brand/logo.

1. Manager or leader? (Training Course Material, n.d.)

Positive communication at work

Small groups of managers work together to create two tables, one titled ‘leader’ and one titled ‘manager’. In each table, the group writes statements describing either management behavior or leadership behavior.

For example, the ‘manager’ table may contain statements such as “schedules work to be done” or “delegates tasks”. On the other hand, statements in the ‘leader’ table could be “motivating staff” and “creating culture”.

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate to managers the difference between management versus leadership, and show that while ‘every leader can be a manager, not every manager can be a leader’. However, by brainstorming leadership behaviors, managers begin the process of becoming a successful leader.

2. The race of the leaders (Deputy, 2018)

This activity encourages leadership behaviors. To begin with, write a list of leadership qualities – approximately 10 – 20 statements – on a piece of paper. Describe the qualities – e.g., ‘I determine everything that happens to me’, and ‘I will not blame others for my problems’.

Read these statements out loud, and participants take a step forward if they believe a statement describes them. They must be prepared to give reasons as to why they think they possess each quality. Continue reading the statements until there is a definite ‘winner’.

3. The best team member (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Divide the group into teams of about 4 – 5 participants. Give each team a large, blank piece of paper and markers. Each group has the task to come up with as many characteristics of their ‘ideal’ team member as they can. Teams should consider what this ‘best team member ever’ would be like.

After ten minutes, the groups should examine the characteristics that they have written and work out the portion which are ‘technical’ skills and those which are ‘interpersonal’. The aim is to work out whether most of the traits can be classified as technical or interpersonal skills.

Teams usually come to realize that interpersonal skills in employees are especially critical and that these have a tremendous impact on the quality and quantity of workplace performance.

This activity can be adapted according to the setting. For example, if the focus is on leadership development, teams could discuss their ideal leader/supervisor.

4. The importance of feedback (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Divide the group into three teams. Provide each team with poster paper and markers or pens.

Team A is required to consider as many reasons as they can that would make them apprehensive to provide feedback to another person.

Team B is asked to consider what feedback can help them so, i.e., what feedback will help them accomplish.

Team C comes up with as many things as they can that would make a feedback session effective.

Each team has 15 minutes to brainstorm their ideas, then, each team can present their ideas.

Point out to Team A that the hurdles they suggested are self-imposed ideas that will lead to the manager fearing the worst. Instead, managers should be encouraged to share feedback on a more regular basis to gain the necessary experience in having such conversations. Furthermore, by having an awareness of the most effective way to prepare and deliver feedback can help a manager conquer the issues holding them back.

Point out to Team B that providing constructive feedback as needed is imperative for developing a productive work environment. A feedback discussion that is well-planned and thought out delivers an opportunity to share what you have noticed about another person’s job performance and bring about productive change.

Finally, after Team C has shared their ideas, point out that effective feedback is specific, honest, and backed up with evidence. The feedback will help others to come up with goals, make and reinforce positive changes, promote self-confidence and encourage action in the workplace.

Thank all the teams for their participation and input.

5. ‘Shark Tank’ (Deputy, 2018).

This activity is derived from a famous TV show that gives people a chance to show their entrepreneurial skills. Managers may work individually or in groups. The aim of this activity is for employees to come up with a business plan that outlines the steps of how to build a successful company from ‘startup’.

Once the managers have a plan, they can create a ‘pitch’, which should contain the brand’s name, its’ tagline (or slogan), a detailed business plan, a detailed marketing plan, financial predictions (sales, profits and market) and potential problems (competition, lack of resources).

In a role play, appoint a few chosen managers to be the ‘sharks’ (the ones who consider the projects’ merit and offer imaginary ‘investments’). The winning group, or individual, is the one who raised the most money from the ‘shark’.

1. The Human Icebreaker (Stepshift, 2016).

This is a simple activity that can alleviate tension and promote discussion and contribution. Participants devise a list of questions that relate to people generally – for example, “who is left-handed?”. Participants then discover which team members meet the question’s criteria. After 10 minutes, the participant who has the most answers wins. This activity promotes communication and helps team members build inter-personal skills.

2. ‘Office trivia’ (Cohen, 2017)

This quick activity can help as an ice-breaker and provides a flexible option for team building. Create a list of trivia questions that are related to the workplace. For example, “how many people named ‘John’ work in the accounting department?” or, “how many people work in the IT department?”. Read the questions out loud to the whole group. The employee with the most correct answers at the end is the winner.

3. Plane crash (Stepshift, 2016)

The participants imagine that they are on a plane which has crashed on a deserted island. They are allowed to select a specified number of items from around the workplace that would help the group to survive. Each chosen item is ranked in importance. The whole group must agree on their decision. This activity helps with creative problem solving and collaboration.

4. ‘Magazine story’ (Cohen, 2017)

Each team works together to come up with an imaginary cover story of a magazine, about a successful project or business achievement. The team designs the images, headlines, and come up with quotes.

5. The Human Knot (Stepshift, 2016)

Relying on cooperation, this is a good problem-solving and communication activity. Participants stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle. Then, they put their right hand in the hand of a person who stands across from them. They then put their left hand in the hand of another different person (but not someone standing directly next to them).

Participants are required to untangle the human knot without breaking the chain. If the chain is broken, the participants must start over.

6. Make your own movie (Cohen, 2017)

This is a fun activity that is suitable for both indoors and outdoors. Although it requires the necessary equipment (i.e., camera, tripod, and microphone), teams enjoy it. Employees should work in large groups (more than eight people) and divide responsibilities. Teams work together to come up with scripts for a 5 – 7-minute movie.

7. Radio Play (Cohen, 2017)

This activity can provide an alternative to making a movie. Employees work together, spending about one-hour planning and writing a play and taking a further 15 – 20 minutes to ‘perform’ it, keeping in mind that it is designed for radio.

Each participant places their chair, in no particular order, around the room. The room should be cleared of tables and other furniture. Each person should sit on their chair, pointing in a different direction. Then, request one manager to volunteer and come to the front of the room. Their task is to walk slowly back to their empty chair and sit down.

If their chair is occupied, they can move to the next empty chair available and sit on it. However, everyone else has the task of stopping the volunteer from sitting down.

Only one person at a time can stand and move. No one can make two consecutive moves. A person cannot sit on the chair that they have just left. Once the activity begins, the room is required to be silent. No one is allowed to touch the volunteer.

Give the managers 2 minutes to come up with their strategy. After every round, the participants should discuss what happened and select a new volunteer for the next round. The team is given 2 minutes preparation time each round. It is important that the volunteer’s movement is kept at a slow walk.

At the conclusion of the activity, it is beneficial for the team to discuss the activity. They may reflect upon whether they need a leader, what made planning difficult, whether everyone agreed on the plan, and what would make the task easier.

9. Back to back drawing (Cohen, 2017)

Provide vector shapes on separate pieces of paper (they can be shapes of signs, objects or merely abstract shapes). Participants sit in pairs, back-to-back. Employee A is given a sheet of paper and a pen, and employee B is provided with one of the printed shapes.

The aim of the activity is for employee A to draw the shape relying only on verbal instructions from employee B. Person B cannot only tell the other person what the shape is – he/she is only able to provide directions about how to draw it, or to describe its uses. Each team has two 2 minutes to draw the shape.

10. ‘All Aboard’ (Stepshift, 2016).

Teams use various materials, for example, pieces of wood or mats, to build a pretend ‘boat’. All the participants must stand on the ‘boat’ at once. Then, pieces of the ‘boat’ should be removed. The team should still strive to stand in the diminished space on the ‘boat’. All Aboard can promote communication, problem-solving and critical thinking.

11. Body of words (Cohen, 2017)

Participants are divided into teams of between four and eight people, and each team elects one leader. To prepare the activity, record words that have one less letter than the number of people in the team (i.e., if there are five people in the team, a suitable word could be ‘book’ which has four letters). Randomly select a word, and then the teams have the task of making the word using only their bodies.

Each team member moves and bends their body to form a letter. The team leader can direct their team.

What stands out to me from this article is the complexity of leadership. This article demonstrates that even if one is not a ‘natural’ leader, there are plenty of activities that can promote leadership skills. Even children can develop leadership, and what’s more, have fun with activities at the same time.

What do you think espouses leadership? Do you think that there are people who might tend to be leaders more than others? Perhaps you have a story about a leadership activity you have participated in or delivered – I would dearly like to hear about your experiences.

Thank you for reading.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free .

  • ‘tony’ (2018). Leadership games and activities for middle school students . Retrieved from https://www.kidsactivties.net/leadership-games-activities-for-middle-school-students/
  • Clark, Donald (2015). Leadership Styles Activity . Retrieved from www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/styles.html
  • Cohen, Esther (2017). 31 Team building activities your team will actually love . Retrieved from https://www.workamajig.com/blog/team-building-activities
  • Cserti, Robert (2018). 12 Effective leadership activities and games . Retrieved from https://www.sessionlab.com/blog/leadership-activities/
  • Deputy (2018). 6 Impactful leadership activities to try at work . Retrieved from https://www.deputy.com/blog/6-impactful-leadership-activities-to-try-at-work
  • Doyle, A. (2019). Top 10 leadership skills employers look for . Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-leadership-skills-2063782
  • Edsys (2016). 1 0 Activities for teachers to grow leadership skills in children . Retrieved from https://www.edsys.in/10-activities-for-teachers-to-grow-leadership-skills-in-children/
  • Flavin, B. (2018). 8 Leadership Experiences You Didn’t Know You Already Have . Retrieved from https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/leadership-experience-you-didnt-know-you-already-have/
  • Goyette, P.(2016). 3 Leadership activities that improve employee performance at all levels . Retrieved from https://www.eaglesflight.com/blog/3-leadership-activities-that-improve-employee-performance-at-all-levels
  • Higgins, R. (2018). 5 Fun and Inspirational Leadership Workshop Ideas . Retrieved from https://www.eventbrite.com.au/blog/leadership-workshop-ideas-ds00
  • Johnson-Gerard, M. (2017). Situational Leadership Games . Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/list-6762581-situational-leadership-games.html
  • Landau, P. (2018). The 9 best leadership games for skill development . Retrieved from https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/the-9-best-leadership-games
  • Stapleton, S. (2018). Leadership activities for High School classrooms . Retrieved from https://classroom.synonym.com/leadership-activities-high-school-classrooms-7855904.html
  • Stepshift (2016). Leadership Training Activities . Retrieved from https://www.stepshift.co.nz/blog/developing-team-performance-with-senior-leadership-teams/strategic-planning-with-an-independent-facilitator/leadership-training-activities.html
  • The Pennsylvania State University (2012). I can be a leader! Leadership fun for children . Retrieved from https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/knowledge-areas/environment-curriculum/activities/all-activities/i-can-be-a-leader-leadership-fun-for-children
  • Training Course Material (n.d.). Leadership and management activities . Retrieved from https://www.trainingcoursematerial.com/free-games-activities/leadership-and-management-activities

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Power Ogunseitan

This great. Thank you

Jelena Acević

Great ideas, thank you!

Peter Harding

Thank you so much for providing such a useful list of activities to demonstrate and for such a varied target population. Innovative and attention-seeking exercises yet practical.

FullTilt Teams

Thank you for posting this informative blog. keep sharing.

Norita E. Manly

Too interesting for me to try all.

Chloe Mansergh

Great article! Having group activities Melbourne helps the team to enhance working together. I love how it brings people together and motivates employees to learn from each other.

Lauriel

Great activities. Thank you.

Nann Htet Win

This is an excellent article for every manager and leader tn build successful leadership. Thank you.

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Student Leadership Activities & Lessons

TEEN TRUTH Leadership Activities & Lessons

Are you looking for fun, engaging, and educational student leadership activities? TEEN TRUTH is here to help! 

Over the years, our team has developed valuable student leadership materials and programs for our Student Leadership Summit . We are happy to share some of these activities with schools for free! You can also check out 3 FREE Student Leadership Worksheets and our Guide to Creating Student Leaders . Continue reading to check out some of our student leadership activities!

How to Motivate Your Student Leaders

We think it is important that our leaders understand the stages of MOTIVATION. If you want to motivate your leaders, you must first understand these three words:  COMPLIANT.  OBLIGATED.  OPPORTUNITY.

Leaders that are Compliant:   these types of leaders will NOT last.  Essentially these student leaders are just responding to the demands, rules, or will of the adviser.

Leaders that lead out of Obligation:   these types of leaders are taking a step in the right direction because they feel some responsibility, but still, in the end, their mindset is more of a HAVE TO versus a GET TO.

Leaders that see the Opportunity:   these types of leaders need little or zero external support.  They see their leadership role as an opportunity to serve, to give back, to make a difference, to create school spirit.  These types of leaders are self-motivated to go above and beyond.

Motivating Student Leaders Exercise

3 Ways to get your leaders to SEE the OPPORTUNITY:

Leadership Starts with You, but it’s Not About You: help student leaders see the bigger picture in why they do what they do.

Bigger than Self Cause: help student leaders understand that leadership needs to be about something bigger than themselves.

Plug into your Passion: help student leaders find something that they are passionate about and then encourage them to use that passion to serve (lead) others.

We know that in order to build great programs we need leaders who lead from OPPORTUNITY, not obligation or compliance.

Leadership About You Vs. About Them

Free Student Leadership Activity & Lesson Plan

When there’s a job that must be done, where should a leader start? There are a handful of answers to this question, but not all of them are equally effective. We’ve designed this lesson plan so that your student leaders would have the opportunity to learn and truly understand one of the most important concepts behind great leadership: a unified outlook on the mission, the vision, and the values of the group.

If you’re looking for a lesson plan that will teach your student leaders how to rally together and create a focused, collaborated effort, then this is ideal for you. So, without further delay, here are the objectives and the  link to the free lesson plan !

Leadership Objective

1. To have student leaders understand the importance of “pulling on the same side of the rope” with examples from real life.

2. To have student leaders know the importance of mission, vision, and values.

3. To have students leaders know the difference between a company with No Mission vs. Knowing the Mission vs. Being on a Mission.

Download Lesson: Mission Vision Values Lesson

Leadership About You Vs. About Them

Use This Simple Activity to Ignite Your Student Leaders

Have you or your leaders ever heard someone say:

  • “We’ve always done it this way!
  • Or, “It worked last year, so let’s just do it again this year.”
  • Or even, “Why change anything? That’s just more work.”

These statements are completely DE-motivating to new and returning leaders in your program.  They diminish any hope of creativity and freshness!

On the other hand, student leaders naturally want to CREATE, to make their own mark, to explore new roads to school spirit and service.

Here’s Our Leader Creativity Activity

That’s why we created this simple activity. It’s designed to help launch a discussion on how current student leaders can BUY into what your program is trying to accomplish.

Students participating in a leadership activity

My Favorite Decision-Making Tool for Leaders

In my last grad school class with Dr. Garcia, he handed me a sheet with a large oval in the middle. Around the outside of the oval were several small circles. He said, “JC, I like what you’re doing with TEEN TRUTH, but you’ll have some big decisions coming up. This little tool should help. Imagine that big oval is your giant meeting table, and the people on the outside of this table are your board of directors. They’ll help guide your decision process whenever you have questions or troubles.”

I understood the value of the exercise immediately, and filled that puppy out that same night. My board of directors included all of the heroes from my life: my parents, my old football coach, Martin Luther King, Dr. Garcia, and of course Batman.

That sheet has never steered me wrong, so I was delighted when TEEN TRUTH’s activity director, Stephen Admundson, submitted the exact same assignment for your student leaders!

CLICK HERE to download Dr. Garcia’s board of directors leadership activity.

My board of directors sits here at my desk for me to view anytime I need.  The question is will you take the time to write down your board of directors? Or will you just pass this assignment on to your students?

My hope for you is that Dr. Garcia’s leadership activity can guide you and your students, just like it has for me.

Leadership Drawing Exercise with eyes closed

A Quick But Effective Leadership Exercise

For this simple but effective leadership exercise, everyone needs a pen and a paper. Place a blank sheet of paper in front of you, in the landscape direction. And use the following script: We are all going on a vacation. Close your eyes. Keep them closed and I will tell you when it is okay to open them. We are going on a vacation to a tropical island, so draw an island in the middle of your paper.

  • To the left of the island, draw a ship
  • You are surrounded by water, so put some fish in the sea
  • This is a tropical island, so put a palm tree on the island
  • It is a nice day, so put some birds in the air
  • That ship didn’t get there by itself, so put a sailor on the ship
  • The sailor might get hungry, so put some coconuts on the palm tree
  • Sailors like to see where they are going, so put portholes on the ship
  • Sailors like to see entertainment, so draw a hula dancer on the island
  • It is a sunny day, so put a sun in the sky

Okay everyone open your eyes and see how you did…200 points possible. Person with the most points wins!

  • 10 points if your island is in the middle
  • 10 points if your ship is to the left of the island, but not touching it
  • 15 points if you have more than one fish
  • 20 points if the base of the palm tree is on the island
  • 15 points if more than two of the birds are in the air
  • 20 points if the sailor is on the ship, not swimming
  • 15 points if any coconut is on the tree
  • 25 points if any porthole is on the ship
  • 25 points if the hula dancer is dancing on the island
  • 20 points is the sun is to the left
  • 15 points if the sun is to the right
  • 10 points if the sun is in the middle

LEADERSHIP LESSON EXPLANATION USING THE ACTIVITY EXPLAINED ABOVE:

  • Don’t rush the PROCESS, rather enjoy it. Don’t be in a rush to get to the PRODUCT.
  • Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
  • Trust the vision even though you can’t see the end product.
  • Guidance is key. Model what you want others to do.
  • Go Beyond. Go the 2nd Mile. Exceed Expectations. (More fish)
  • Successful leaders have VISION.
  • Take calculated risk. Don’t be afraid to “fail”.
  • No idea (drawing) is a bad idea (drawing).
  • Anticipate the little things and do them without being asked or told.

Students working together in a leadership exercise

The Leadership Pyramid Progression Chart

As you meet with your student leaders to reflect on the past year, you may find this simple pyramid extremely helpful. The purpose of this tool is to guide your students to the next step of their leadership career. From the sort of leader who can handle only a few independent tasks all the to a leader who can make decisions autonomously with confidence, this chart will help point them to the next level.

Draw the pyramid on your board, and have students reflect on what each level means to them. Once you’ve highlighted the key components of each step, ask your students where they think they are and have them set goals for the future.

Four Levels of Leadership: https://fourseasonsofschoolculture.com/four-levels-of-leadership/

Each step in this process is an important developmental stage, and it’s a good idea to encourage your students to be honest with themselves and to recognize that, regardless of where they are starting, simply by taking the time to analyze their current leadership skills, they are utilizing an important ability which will improve them as leaders and as students.

Building Better School Leaders One Activity At A Time

If you end up using any of these student leadership activities, we’d love to hear how it goes!

For even more leadership resources check out: 

  • TEEN TRUTH’s Leadership Summit
  • Free downloadable student leadership worksheets
  • How to build student leaders guide
  • How to help leaders grow during the pandemic
  • Student leadership themes  

leadership lesson plans for high school students

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15 Leadership Activities for High School Students

May 17, 2023 //  by  Danielle Torpey

In a world that values productivity with creative collaboration–fostering leadership within students helps prepare successful leaders in society. In my classroom, it’s easy to pick out the few kids who have natural leadership abilities, which made me wonder: how do I allow opportunities for students to all foster elements of leadership?

High school students are no doubt the future leaders of our society. I knew that providing leadership opportunities through various activities by implementing an element of leadership in my lesson plan would promote growth in communication skills among all my students.

Below are fifteen different activities for teachers to implement in their lesson plans to help foster influential leaders within the classroom and in students’ post-graduate endeavors.

1. Establish a student timer

Time in the classroom is precious and most lessons have a time limit between transitions. Pick a student to be the “timer” for the day. They will be responsible for effective communication on the time left on a task. If you’ve allotted a five minutes time limit for a task to be completed, then your timer is the one who is responsible for keeping the class up to date on the remaining time and when that time has concluded. This is a simple way to give a student ownership and leadership situations to take charge.

2. A leader to pass out materials and paper

A simple activity to give kids the chance to take pride in a leadership role. If you have multiple handouts or materials for an activity, have a student or two be responsible for handing them out to everyone. This is also a great trick for your busy body students! Allowing them a quick minute to get up and move around the room before the next section of the lesson clears their brains and provides an aspect of leadership.

3. Create a student government 

Within different activities and after-school programs consider establishing a student government that works alongside the adult sponsors. Leaders could be responsible for ice-breakers, team-building activities, and other activities for students. With a student government, their focus should center around the alliance of students within the school to promote school spirit and participation. This is a foundational practice and building block to establishing an inclusive school culture that is promoting the collective student body.

Learn More: Columbia Interschool Governing Board

4. Activity Roles 

During lessons with small group discussions, give each member of the group a role to take ownership of. This allows for exposure to different styles of leadership, leadership behavior, and valuable skills that keep a discussion focused on the task at hand. On a sticky note or a blank piece of paper, write down the different roles each member of the discussion can take on. BONUS: this helps prevent picking a regular called-upon student and allows every student a chance to speak.

Learn More: University Of Waterloo

5. Tutoring programs 

Allowing high school students to tutor middle school students is a great opportunity to add valuable tools to their leadership abilities. Plus, this is an excellent opportunity to boost a college application with leadership experience. Tutoring encourages leaders to establish their leadership styles on top of a leadership philosophy that suits their personality the best!

6. Peer mentorships 

Down the same vein as tutoring programs, schools could consider a peer mentorship program to add positive aspects of leadership and interpersonal skills. This style of leadership pushes beyond the subject matter, and helps grow authentic leadership for teen mentors! An influential leader could help with struggling underclassmen, special needs students, at-risk students, etc.

7. Small group feedback 

During class projects, have students take a piece of paper and provide feedback to their peers. Giving constructive feedback is a simple activity to encourage elements of leadership. Plus, successful leaders take feedback and weigh the viable options to make their work better! Creating a classroom that is centered around giving positive and regular feedback allows students to practice giving and receiving feedback in a controlled and constructive space.

Learn More: Room to Discover

8. Students lead after school program

If students have a particular interest in a topic or hobby encourage them to run activities for students in an after-school program who might show interest in the topic as well. It’s as easy as an announcement on the intercom and a sign-up sheet of paper for those who are interested too. Some of the after-school programs to consider include creative writing club, tabletop/board game club, gay-straight alliance, Spanish club, etc.

9. Teen advocacy campaign

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School months are filled with opportunities for campaigns. Whether it’s mental health awareness month, teacher appreciation week, or homecoming–use different observed holidays and awareness dates for students to create and execute activities for students.

10. Give situational leadership journal prompts 

Start the class off with a quick five-minute situational leadership journal prompt! Giving a journal prompt with questions such as, “Your best friend is bullying someone in the locker room, how do you handle this situation.” or “You’re the CEO of a new company and about to launch a new product that will change the world–what are the steps you take with your team” and so on. Let students think on their feet and map out their responses in their journal or a blank piece of paper!

11. Games that promote leadership qualities 

Games in the classroom have always been a tide and true way to implement leadership skills. A classroom leadership game can help build trust within students and build a strong classroom culture!

Learn More: Vantage Circle

12. Independent Project-Based learning opportunities

Independent projects create a space for valuable skills when it comes to internal leadership and integrity. Sometimes the behavior of leaders starts from within! Project-based learning leads students to find internal motivation to do well on an assignment. Whether a formative or summative assignment, independent projects are a great opportunity to develop leadership skills.

Learn More: Crafted Curriculum

13. Scavenger hunt lesson

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A scavenger hunt lesson is a great way to mix up instruction and allow activities for students to build leadership! Whether outside, within the school, or on an online scavenger hunt, students will think learning is a fun game! This is a great option for all ages and content across the board.

Learn More: 28 Ingenious School Scavenger Hunts For Students

14. Student leaders create a fun activity

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Allow students to express their creativity with their mini-lesson. Small groups can plan a lesson focused on a particular concept you are covering in a unit. To push leadership skills further, the class can provide constructive feedback for the group that is taught!

15. Group Project-based learning opportunities

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Want to incorporate project-based learning with a group? Similar to independent projects, creating a formative or summative assessment with groups encourages leadership amongst a group! You’ll be surprised how naturally students will start assigning each other tasks to get a project completed with accountability and reliability. Creative collaborations also allow space for constructive feedback!

Learn More: E Reading Worksheets

Final Thoughts

Whether fostering a natural-born leader’s talents or encouraging a student that needs help to develop their leadership style–giving opportunities in the classroom can be simple! Try out some of the different activities for teachers to implement in their lesson plans to help foster influential leaders within the classroom and in students’ post-graduate endeavors! You’ll be amazed how quickly students begin to foster skills!

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Let's Cultivate Greatness

Whether you’re teaching Leadership class or advising your school’s student council, the first few back-to-school days matter a ton in setting up the rest of the year for success.

There are so many things you need to do after a few icebreakers, but where do you begin? Especially if some (many?) are new and the first pep assembly is right around the corner.

Overwhelm is easy to feel! But I promise, with a few intentional activities, you and your student leaders will be off to a great start!

Every year, I change up the exact line-up of lessons since I have many students in Leadership again the next year, but there are a few I always include. 

These 5 are my must-do activities. They will create a strong foundation and kick-start the year with your student leaders!

If you want them (plus a bunch more!) in a ready-to-go unit, scroll down to the link to my shop.

1. Lead a deeper icebreaker 

Once everyone’s learned names, do an activity that digs a little deeper.  I call these “ice warmers” because they create just a bit of vulnerability and help deepen connections among students.  

My favorite one to do that first week of school I call My High Five.

Students trace their hands or use a printout of one. Let them decorate it, putting their name or a picture representing them in the palm area. 

Then have them write five things down, one on each finger. Feel free to pick whatever 5 things you’d like students to write, but here’s what we do:

Thumb:  Who do you most admire as a leader? 

Pointer:  How do you want to grow this year?

Middle:  Who here is a great asset to our group?

Ring:  Who here are you most excited to get to know?

Pinky:  What’s the best asset that you bring to this group?

Depending on the size of your group, have students share out all five or just a couple items. Afterward, post the hands on the wall to serve as a reminder.

These hands are fantastic to revisit later as part of an  end-of-quarter or semester reflection .

2. Familiarize with your School

Create a quiz of all the information your Leadership or Student Council members needs to know. Include everything from the key people on campus, the location of essential things, and basic school facts.

This isn’t a graded quiz but, rather, a fun way to share the information. Create mixed groups, like one student from each grade level, to work together on the quiz. You can even offer a small reward for the first group to get all the questions right. 

I organize everything into Who, Where, What, and Why questions. 

Student leadership get to know the school activity worksheet

Here’s a few I put on my quiz:

Who  is the president of the school board? The school’s student government secretary? Head of food services? Each class’s president?

Where  are the forms located for planning assemblies? The calendar and announcements for upcoming events? The audio and visual equipment stored?

What  are our school’s official colors? The sports league to which we belong? The school or district’s mission statement?

Why  is our school really good at…? Not so great at…? Known for…? Does our school struggle with…?

Afterward, review the Who, Where, and What answers. Then have a deeper conversation with the Why questions.

3. Write a mission statement

After some relationship building and review of essential school information, the third must-do is to create a leadership class or student council mission statement for the year. 

Place students in small groups to pencil out a few broad hopes for the group. I like to use the word  hopes  so they stay more general ( be a positive force in the school ) rather than specific-action oriented ( host more assemblies ).

Have groups share one hope each, going in rounds until they’ve shared all they have. Record them on the board. I always share how I hope our group is inclusive of everyone at our school.

This is when I like to share  corporate examples from brands they know . Some are straightforward in what they do; some are vague and aspirational. Some are catchy and feel customer-facing, others more functional and seem to be employee-facing. 

For your group, a mission statement that’s straightforward, functional, and a bit aspiring is going to be the best kind. 

Then I post this template for each small group to draft a mission statement that best captures everything written on the board.  

In order to… <overall broad hope>, we <verb> …. <2-3 specific goals to get to get there>.

My only requirement is that the word “inclusive” (or some variation) be in there. That’s my non-negotiable as their teacher and advisor. 

After several minutes, groups share out their drafts. We then merge them into a collective draft on which we agree.

If it’s grammatically a little clunky, ask a few students to polish it up, then present it to the class for a final vote. 

After there’s a consensus on the final draft, have a student write it out neatly on a poster for everyone else to sign (including you!). Laminate it and post it on the wall. 

Now, you can point to it at any time and ask,  “Does this match our mission?”  or  “Is that being inclusive to all students?”  It totally re-frames the conversation from you vetoing their enthusiasm to you challenging them to uphold  their  mission. 

4. Partner with your principal

Student leadership brainstorm activity worksheet

After students have committed to their mission statement, brainstormed things they want to accomplish, and  penciled out the year’s calendar , there’s one more important thing I have my students do before we truly begin the year. 

Ask your principal for 30 minutes of their time during one of your classes. It’s important for your students to meet with them more intimately, breaking the ice a bit as well as connecting leader to leader. 

Prepare students with having their mission statement ready to share, ideas of projects and events they want to do this year, and questions to ask them.

It’s essential for every one of your student leaders to feel comfortable going to their principal with a great idea or troublesome concern. This is a great way to initiate that relationship.

5. Complete a Kindness Project

The final thing we do as a class before jumping into our regular event-planning mode (hello ,  Homecoming !) is a  Kindness Project .

Even if you only have a week before planning the fall sports pep assembly, it’s crucial to fit in a small whole-class project to apply all the team-building work you’ve been doing.

Funneling all that positive energy formed from these first activities to a successful project will set them up for success all year long. 

And from an advisor position, you want your group to go through all the steps of project management on a small scale first before large events, like Homecoming week! 

I introduce the Kindness Project as having only one goal: to spread kindness to the entire school. Students have total ownership in brainstorming, planning, executing, and reflecting on a project. 

For ideas to get the brainstorming juices flowing, check out this blog of  13 Kindness Project ideas . 

Student leadership kindness project planning guide

They can do anything from hosting a friendly lunchtime activity to creating individual locker posters for every student. Really, they’re limited only by their own imagination. 

This project is the last step in being ready before heading straight into the craziness of fall events.

I hope these ideas help you kick-start a great year in your Leadership or Student Council program! 

Get all these activities as print-and-go leadership lessons in my  Introduction to Leadership unit , which has over 20 lessons and the culminating Kindness Project. With enough to pick and choose from, you’ll be able to customize your first few weeks to what your student leaders need most!

Worksheets to teach introduction to leadership

Feature image photo credit: Edvin Johansson 

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Teaching Leadership

Teaching leadership is usually a very rewarding experience, but it also can be frustrating. Materials that are appropriate for the high school or middle level haven't always been easy to find.  Most leadership teachers have gotten good at adapting other materials to use with students—things originally intended for business leaders, college students, or trainers.  As a former leadership teacher, I know the thrill of finding some good lesson plans or activities that others have successfully used that I didn't have to adapt or create.

Some of the best leadership teaching materials I have found have come from the sharing that goes on at student activity conferences.  With file cabinets stuffed full of good ideas and lessons, I decided to create a space to share what I've collected and hopefully build a community of like-minded educators who can come together online to support each other with ideas, resources, and lessons of their own.  So look around, use what you find, and please consider contributing something of your own!

leadership lesson plans for high school students

Day-to-Day Structure

The day to day structure of leadership classes varies on a continuum from a focus on planning activities and projects to a focus on straight curriculum.  Most classes fall somewhere in between, with a combination of lesson plans and activity/project planning.

Grading Leadership ​ Evaluating student progress in an activities-based leadership course where not all students are doing the same work presents challenges for leadership class teachers. Deciding how learning will be assessed and grades will be assigned is a difficult task, and is one that leadership teachers continue to struggle with until they develop a system that works for them. This section includes descriptions of a variety of methods and tools used to evaluate leadership, samples of forms and rubrics used in leadership classes, and descriptions of how teachers calculate grades.

Recommended Reading

Check here for a recommended list of books for topics frequently covered in a leadership class.

Ten Favorites

Here are ten books I consider to be essentials for anyone who works with student leaders:

Activities & Lesson Plans This collection of lessons includes links to lessons we have found online, as well as some that have been accumulated over the past two decades from attending conferences.  It's a constantly growing collection, so check back from time to time.  Attribution is included where it is known—people don't always put their identification on handouts at conferences!—and many thanks are extended to those who have been willing to share.  Also, websites often change, so let us know if you find a link that isn't working.   ( Ed. note: Some links will take you to our old website, so please bear with us as we transition from the old website to this new one. )  

Find lessons in these areas: ​

​ Citizenship/Civic Awareness

Communication

Community Service

Conflict Resolution

Goal Setting

Group Process/Group Dynamics

Leadership Skills/Styles

Meeting Skills

Organization

Problem Solving/Decision Making

Project Planning

Respect for self and others

Self-esteem/Self-image

Teambuilding

Rationale & Foundations

Check this section for information on the rationale behind teaching a leadership class as well as examples of leadership curricula from around the United States.

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Evidence-Based Character Education and Leadership Curriculum for High School and Middle School Students

Addresses their social-emotional learning needs.

If you are looking for a comprehensive, user-friendly, high-interest character education curriculum for high school and middle school students, you are in the right spot. The Character Development & Leadership (CD&L) Program has 15 years of supporting research, it is aligned with the ELA Common Core Standards  and it also addresses the  Social-Emotional Learning needs of students. All of the 254 interactive lesson plans were designed to meet the diverse learning styles of all students.

Administrators say our character education curriculum improves the school climate and teaches valuable social-emotional skills. Teachers say that it is complete and easy to teach. Students say it is engaging, challenging and relevant to their lives. After 20 years of development, feedback and research, we just say that it works! This program changes students, changes schools and changes communities.

leadership lesson plans for high school students

This top character education program for middle/high schools is well-organized and has a consistent set of 14 lesson plans to teach each of the 18 character/leadership traits. Schools can order the Traditional version and receive the teacher manuals, movie sets, Role Model textbooks and workbooks. Or schools can order the Online Version where all 254 lessons are embedded. This complete character education program includes role models textbook readings, ethical dilemmas, lectures, basic skills, writing assignments, quote exercises, character movies, leadership principles, leadership exercises and an updated weekly blog .

Unlike other programs, this character education and leadership curriculum for high schools and middle schools isn’t just a bunch of lesson plans thrown together to be used as a "filler" at the end of class. Students love it and so do teachers. This program has enough material to be taught as a stand-alone year-long elective course, used for four consecutive years in a homeroom without duplication, or integrated into already existing classes. The following is a list of ways schools implement this curriculum:

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Role Models: Examples of Character and Leadership serves as the textbook for the curriculum and is one of the essential lesson plans. As such, almost all schools order classroom set(s) for the students to read. This book was written in 2004. Certain role models were kicked out of the book and others were added over the years. In 2023, we doubled the amount of role models in the book, providing 2 role models per trait. This allowed us to provide more diversity for the reader (historical and contemporary; men and women; ethnicity and race; perspective and political persuasion). We believe this book provides the reader with excellent role models to look up to and emulate. Learn more about the textbook .

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Leadership Skills from Teens through Workplace Managers

Teen Leadership Course Curriculum for teaching Jr. High and High School Students

02/10/2018 by Harriet Meyerson

High School Students

Here’s how to get started today teaching a teen leadership course for your junior high and high school students. What’s more, you can do it in a way that is both easy for you and fun for the students.

If you are a teacher, youth group leader, or home school parent, you can use this information to teach your first class today.

Most teachers choose teaching as a career because they “want to make a difference” in the lives of their students. Teaching a teen leadership course will make that difference.

Our youth are diamonds in the rough ready and eager to be polished into brilliant, valuable, and unique leaders in ​their schools, communities, and future workplaces. You can do the polishing​.

The 4 Most Important Questions about Teaching a Teen Leadership Course

  • How many students should be in a leadership class?
  • How should the class be set up?
  • How much time will it take?
  • What leadership skills should I teach?

The answer to all of these questions are two words – It depends! 

Number of students for your teen leadership course…

The  optimal class size ranges from 5 – 20.

Smaller classes don’t give them as much interaction with other students. However, it is better to teach a group of 2-4 than not teach it all.

For example, in some schools the guidance counselors hold small group leadership sessions.

Of course, you can have larger classes, but it will be difficult to give the kids the attention they need without additional help.

You can ask a volunteer parent or another teacher to help out with your teen leadership classes.

In fact, even if you are teaching less than 20 it would be helpful to have an assistant. It also makes it more fun to have another adult to enjoy the student’s as they make progress with their leadership skills.

C lass setup for your teen leadership course…

Divide students into groups of 4-6

Teenagers learn best when they interact with others. Therefore, they should be divided in groups or teams of 4-6 students for most of the exercises.

Sitting around tables is best. However, if you don’t have tables, you can still seat students in groups.

Even if you are in a school auditorium seated theater style, you can have a group of 4 students form a team and interact together.

How much time will your teen leadership course take?

​ Teaching the basic leadership skills will take about 2 0-30 classroom hours depending on the number of students you have.

Of course, if you have less time, you should still teach as much as you can in the time you have. It’s better to teach some leadership skills than none at all.

Obviously, the more time you have, the more material you can cover, and the more in-depth you can get in your discussions. You can be flexible in creating your own schedule.

Here are different types of schedules that teachers, recreation centers, youth groups, and summer camps have used with our “Today’s Teens – Tomorrow’s Leaders” Curriculum .

  • One 45 – 60 minute teen leadership class a week for a semester or a year.
  • One 45 – 60 minute teen leadership class a day for 4-6 weeks
  • One or more teen leadership all day sessions spread throughout the year.

Camps, Youth Groups and Recreation Centers

  • One week all day teen leadership course
  • Two week half day course
  • One week half day course
  • Weekend retreats

The Top 7 Leadership Skills to Teach Teens

Obviously there are many more than 7 leadership skills, and if you have the time, you can choose additional skills to add to your teen leadership course curriculum.

However, these 7 skills are essential for leaders , so be sure to include them in your teen leadership course.

Sample Exercises

In this article, there is one sample exercise for each of these 7 lessons so you can get started right away teaching your teen leadership classes.

You can get a complete curriculum including:

  • Step-by-step lesson plans
  • Downloadable Instructor’s Manual  ​
  • Downloadable Student Workbook s
  • Tons of additional exercises and resources

in our Today’s Teens – Tomorrow’s Leaders Instructor’s Center.

Today's Teens - Tomorrow's Leaders

Choose a leader for each group.

When doing the exercises each group should choose a leader to record their group’s discussion to share with the class. Leaders should be rotated so that each student has a chance to be a leader.

A word of caution. Refrain from talking about current political leaders when teaching your leadership classes, and ask your students to do the same.

Skill #1. Qualities of a Leader

Here are some of th e qualities that you can discuss in your leadership classes. You and your students can add to this list.

  • Flexibility
  • Good judgement
  • Persistence
  • Positive attitude
  • Willingness to serve others,
  • Trustworthy

​ Qualities of a Leader Exercise:

Ask each group of students to think of a leader and make a list of leadership qualities that person has. The ir group leader then shares what they discussed with the group.

Skill #2. Public Speaking Skills

Obviously public speaking is an essential part of being a leader. Public speaking skills can be taught by having students present several 2-3 minute speeches , and then discuss the positive aspects of each speech with the class.

Public speaking skills to teach

  • Eye Contact
  • Vocal Variety
  • The use of props and visual aids
  • Interacting with the audience

TIP: Focus on the positive aspects of the speech as teens are very sensitive to criticism. For example : after the speech ask the student, “ How do you feel about your speech?” Next, ask the class, “What did you like about John’s speech?”

Public Speaking Exercise:

Each student gives a 1-2 minute “Getting to Know You” speech about their favorite food, hobby, school subject, movie, etc., and end with what they hope to learn from the teen leadership class.

Skill #3. Leadership Confidence

People will only follow leaders who ha ve self-confidence, who believe in themselves and their vision. So, one of the important things students need to learn in your teen leadership course is how to develop self-confidence.

Everyone is looking at “You​… the Leader” to see how much you believe in yourself.

Teens are at an age when they want to conform to the group. However, one of the ways confidence is built is by each person valuing his or her own uniqueness.

​Honestly, the teenage years are difficult, and it takes courage for teens to ​​​​build their confidence.

Because leadership confidence is so important, we have many additional confidence building exercises in our Today’s Teens – Tomorrow’s Leaders curriculum.

Leadership Confidence Exercise:

In their groups have student share their uniquness in these areas:

  • Personal interests
  • Physical appearance
  • Past experiences

Each group then selects one member of the group to share his or her story with the rest of the class. If you have time, then it’s be neficial for everyone to share with the class.

Skill #4. Vision, Mission, and Planning

Leaders need to have a vision and turn that vision into reality by planning. They also need to learn how to brainstorm for ideas, plan their project and delegat e tasks.

Vision, Mission, and Planning Exercise:

Each group creates an idea for a school event, and then shares their vision with the rest of the class . This should include how they will get the money needed, a detailed plan to carry out th eir vision , and how they will delegate tasks.

Skill #5. Listening Skills

One of the most important things leaders can do is to listen to their followers. Yet, most people are more interested in talking than in listening.

The truth is that everyone has their own thoughts going on in their heads while listening to others. Because of this, they don’t give all of their attention to what they are hearing.

A leader has to learn to stop their own inner thoughts and focus 100% on what someone is saying so that person feels listened to.

Good listening skills include:

  • Eye contact
  • Appropriate response
  • Being able to reflect what the person talking to him is feeling in a conversational way.

​​ Listening Skills Exercise: ​

One of the important ways that a person feels listened to and respected is by eye contact. This exercise has 3 steps.

Step 1 : Students get into pairs and talk to their partner about a favorite vacation or hobby for 30 seconds without eye contact. They have to either look down or somewhere else in the room, but not at their partner.

Step 2 : They have the exact same conversation using good eye contact for 30 seconds.

Step 3 : They they discuss how they felt about each conversation with the class.

Skill #6. Building Trust

This is an essential skill because leaders cannot lead people who don’t trust them.

Here are some skills you can teach teens to get people to trust them.

  • Be dependable . Do what you say you are going to do.
  • Be consist an t in the way you d o things and deal with people.
  • Have a special ability or skill that is necessary for the group you are leading.
  • Have integrity . Do the right thing, even when nobody’s looking.

Building Trust Exercise

Ask students in their groups to tell their story about an experience they had with someone who is trustworthy and someone who was not trustworthy, and how they felt during each experience.

Next, each group selects one from their group to share their trustworthy experience and someone to share their untrustworthy experience with the class. Then discuss with the class the things that build trust.

Skill #7. Understanding Personality Styles

Communicating with others is such an essential leadership skill because that is how you inspire people to follow you. The good news is that communication skills can be learned.

It’s obvious that people have different personalities. It is a lot less overwhelming to teens when they learn about different personality styles and how to best deal with each of them.

While nobody exactly fits into one category, if a major part of a person’s personality fits a category, it is easier to learn how to talk with them.

There are many assessments that divide people into 4 categories. Each company’s assessment has it’s own method and styles. In the Today’s Teens – Tomorrow’s Leaders curriculum we use the following categories when teaching teens.

​ The 4 Personality Styles

   1. Relater – Likes close personal relationships and is warm and caring. Tends to be indirect in dealing with others.

    2. Socializer  – Likes being involved with others. Can exaggerate and generalize. Is excitable and impatient. Is open and direct in dealing with others.

    3. Thinker  – Is task oriented. Doesn’t like involvement. Is cautious and works slowly. Likes a lot of details. Is a private person.

    4. Director  – Likes to be in charge , makes quick decisions , active and competitive. Can be overbearing. Is direct in dealing with people.

Understanding Personality Styles Activity:

Designate each corner of the room as a different personality type and ask the students to go to the corner that they think best fits them.

Then, have each group talk to the students in their group to see if they think the others fit the category.

Then discuss how the groups differ, the benefits of each, and how you have to talk differently to different types of people.

Encouraging Your Stud ents

Since students in junior high and high school are very sensitive about criticism you should find positive ways to applaud their progress during each session.

During the session when someone does something you like, reward that person with praise. At the end of each session tell the students what you liked about what they did. Praise the students for their efforts and you will be rewarded with more effort from them.

Progress in learning leadership skills

In our “Today’s Teens – Tomorrow’s Leaders” Instructor’s Center we have downloadable progress certificates that you can award your students not only for their efforts, but also for their attitudes.

Graduating from Leadership Class

Your graduation ceremony will be the highlight of your teen leadership course as your students get rewarded for  their efforts. You can invite parents or other students in the school to listen to their leadership speeches watch with pride as they get their graduation certificates.

In our Today’s Teens – Tomorrow’s Leaders Instructor’s Center we have the entire teen leadership course curriculum and a downloadable “Certificate of Completion ” to award to students on Graduation Day.

Teen Leadership Course Certificate of Completion

A certificate is something they can display with pride for their efforts. They can also list the leadership training in their college applications and when applying for jobs.

  • In conclusi on

You can make a difference in the life of teens and help them become youth leaders in their schools, and, as they grow into adults, leaders in their workplaces and communities.

​ For more information about our Today’s Teens – Tomorrow’s Leaders teen leadership course curriculum, I invite you to download our free report, “Easy Ways to Teach Leadership Skills to Teens.”

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About Harriet Meyerson

Harriet believes that leadership skills can be learned at any age. She works with teachers, youth group and camp directors and parents who want to teach a teen leadership course. She also works with workplace managers who want to become more confident leaders, and have happy, motivated employees. Get her free Employee Morale Newsletter and Employee Morale Assessment at: www.ConfidenceCenter.com Chat with Harriet on Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest

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How to Teach Leadership to High School Students With a Lesson Plan

Shawndra russell.

Educators can create various lesson plans that help develop leadership skills

Leadership is an important skill to develop in high school students. Educators can facilitate this skill by creating lesson plans that incorporate the study of characters who are leaders or act heroically or by having students work in groups where their roles require them to be leaders at times. Lesson plans that require students to teach their peers also help develop leadership skills and public speaking confidence, which is an important aspect of leadership.

Reading assignments can help students discover how to be leaders

Choose reading assignments that portray regular people acting heroically or stepping up and being leaders when needed. Stories with strong characters that lead by example can influence students to recognize that anyone can be a leader. In "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," for example, the main character, McMurphy, is an unlikely leader yet stands up for his peers when they are treated unfairly.

Students can be leaders through small group lesson plans

Create lessons that require students to get into small groups and play roles. For example, after a reading assignment, you could assign one person to be the discussion director, in charge of leading the discussion, asking questions, taking notes and keeping the others on task, so that they can finish the assignment that corresponds to the text they just read.

Students teaching their peers creates valuable leadership opportunities

Assign lessons that require each student to teach the whole class, a partner or a small group. You could assign teaching a chapter of a book, a poem or a topic that the class has researched. Require that students teach the lesson and then assess their peers. Although this assignment could be a bit nerve-racking, students will gain valuable public speaking and presentation skills while learning how to step up to a challenge, which are all important skills for a leader to possess.

George Washington was one great leader students coud research

Require students to complete a research paper about a real-life leader, such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. or George Washington. Educators should ask the students to include biographical information about the leader's childhood and teenage years to illustrate that great leaders were once adolescents just like them. Creating a timeline of a leader's life would be an alternative assignment that could stir similar inspiration.

  • Be aware that the natural leaders in class may take over small group assignments even when they are not the assigned leaders. These natural leaders or outgoing students sometimes find ways to take charge despite the roles you have assigned. To avoid this problem, circulate around the room and supervise the groups as much as possible, stepping in with advice as needed and giving all students the opportunity to play the leading roles.
  • Even if students try to protest public speaking assignments, educators should stand firm, because these assignments are valuable exercises that build leadership skills. Give students some choice within the parameters of the assignment, so that they establish ownership of their work and to help avoid mere memorization and regurgitation of information.
  • 1 "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest;" Ken Kesey; 1962

About the Author

Shawndra Russell started freelancing professionally for several outlets in 2010, covering arts and entertainment, culture and society, health and fitness, sports and recreation, and travel. Russell earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Ashland University and her Master of Arts in English from Marshall University.

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leadership lesson plans for high school students

Real World Safety is a life skills curriculum for high school and college students.

Real World Safety is a leadership curriculum for colleges, high schools and youth clubs that consists of 14 lessons  led by an instructor  OR  completed outside of school hours  by a student through an online learning application. The instructional flow develops a proactive mindset by using one topic to fuel inquiry into the next, creating a collective curriculum linking together each facet of safe decision-making from awareness and life transitions to personal responsibility.

Watch the Real World Safety Kickoff Video

Mindset Matters brings the most innovative  preventative  personal safety training to your high school and college students 24/7 through our online learning application. Please email us directly to inquire about our life skills curriculum for your students:  [email protected] .

“This is the best thing we ever taught in advisory!” High School Senior Teacher

The Principal Story

Lesson plan: principles of leadership: what makes a strong leader.

Download the Lesson Plan

THE FILM This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film, The Principal Story , which follows the activities of two school principals, one a veteran and one a novice, during the course of a school year. Classrooms can use this film and its companion website resources to explore the nature of leadership.

POV documentaries can be recorded off-the-air and used for educational purposes for up to one year from their initial broadcast. In addition, POV offers a lending library of DVDs and VHS tapes that you can borrow any time during the school year -- FOR FREE! Get started by joining our Community Network

Please visit our film library to find other films suitable for classroom use.

By the end of this lesson, students will:

  • React in writing to the question "What makes a strong leader?"
  • Use viewing skills and strategies, including observations and note taking, to understand and interpret film clips.
  • Discuss principles of strong leadership.
  • Produce a written leadership analysis of a famous person or someone they know in their everyday lives.

GRADE LEVELS: 6-12

SUBJECT AREAS: Behavioral studies, civics , U.S. history , current events

  • Method of showing the entire class online video clips and website resources
  • Handout: Principles of Leadership (PDF)

ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED: One 50-minute class period

SUGGESTED CLIPS Clip 1: Meet the Principals (length 9:50) The clip starts at the beginning of the film and ends at 9:50 when Tresa Dunbar says, ". . . they're doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Clip 2: Getting Families Involved (length 2:02) The clip begins at 30:50 with Kerry Purcell driving in her car and ends at 32:52 when Purcell says, ". . . they will do their very best for you."

Clip 3: Addressing Student Behavior Issues (length 2:10) The clip begins at 34:05 with a view of the exterior of Henry H. Nash Elementary School and ends at 36:15 with Tresa Dunbar listening to a parent.

The Principal Story tells two stories, painting a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America's public schools -- and of the great difference a dedicated leader can make. The feature-length (52 minutes) film follows two school principals, Tresa Dunbar and Kerry Purcell, for a year.

Tresa Dunbar is shown in her second year as principal at Henry H. Nash Elementary School, which prior to Dunbar had six principals over a five-year period and typically ranked at the bottom in state school testing. Previously Dunbar served as an assistant principal, a teacher, a social studies department chair and an evaluation specialist, and she has extensive experience designing and facilitating professional development experiences for teachers. She has a Ph.D. in curriculum development with endorsements in language arts, reading and social studies.

Kerry Purcell is shown in her sixth year at Harvard Park Elementary School. Earlier in her career, she taught kindergarten for 12 years and served in various leadership capacities at the school, district and state level. Purcell has a master's degree in educational administration. During her tenure as principal, test scores increased by approximately 45 percent in reading and 50 percent in math. Purcell currently works for Focus on Results, where she provides professional development and coaching support to help educational leaders use data to make sound instructional, fiscal and human resource decisions.

1. Give students five minutes or so to react to this prompt in writing: What makes a strong leader?

2. Ask a few students to share what they've written. Take notes on the board to capture student ideas on the qualities and actions that they believe define a good leader. Can the class think of anyone who has these leadership qualities? Have students name examples and describe specific experiences or provide other evidence to back up their opinions.

3. Tell students that they are going to consider some everyday examples of leadership by watching video clips that show two principals in charge of troubled schools in Illinois. Distribute the handout to focus student viewing and then show the clips.

4. Discuss student observations and the supporting evidence noted on their handouts. How do the leadership skills of the principals measure up against the class list of leadership qualities on the board? What strong qualities and skills do the principals possess and where might there be room for improvement? Should school principals have different leadership qualities and skills than other types of leaders? Why or why not?

5. Ask each student to perform a written leadership analysis of either a famous person or someone in their everyday lives. In their papers, students should name specific leadership qualities and skills of the individuals they have chosen and provide concrete examples of how those characteristics are demonstrated. Students should use these points to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of these leaders and what students can learn from their examples.

ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS

Students can be assessed on:

  • Contributions in class discussions.
  • Careful observations and supporting evidence noted on the handout.
  • Mechanics and content of the written leadership analysis.

EXTENSIONS & ADAPTATIONS

  • Explore what motivates student behavior by watching The Principal Story in its entirety. Discuss how extrinsic factors shown in the film (i.e., testing data, punishment, community and school environment, parental involvement/encouragement, good teachers) influence student achievement. To what degree are appropriate behavior and academic success determined by the student? Have students create a pie chart that illustrates to what degree these various factors influence their own behavior at school.
  • Express gratitude to those who have inspired us to succeed. Throughout the film, both principals provide encouragement to students and tell them that they are confident the students can reach their goals. Ask students to identify people who have inspired them to work hard, persevere and be their best, such as teachers, principals, coaches, religious leaders or parents. Then, have students write thank you notes to these individuals to let them know that their support is appreciated.
  • Watch, explore and discuss other POV resources that address education and leadership, including The Hobart Shakespeareans and The Boys of Baraka . These resources have companion educator activities to support their use in the classroom.

POV Discussion Guide (PDF) POV creates discussion guides for all our films. Discussion guides offer background information about the film, a comprehensive list of organizations, websites and books recommended for further research and questions teachers can use to kick-start conversations about the themes and issues explored in The Principal Story .

POV's Delve Deeper Reading and Media List (PDF) A list of movies, books and other media related to The Principal Story .

The Principal's Role in Supporting Strong Learning Communities This article from Educational Leadership magazine outlines specific approaches to supporting strong learning communities.

School: The Story of American Public Education This website offers resources that describe the innovators and development of our nation's public education system from the late 1770s to the 21st century.

Standards for School Leadership Practice: What a Leader Needs to Know and Be Able to Do This article reviews the principal's role and the skills a principal needs to perform his or her job effectively.

These standards are drawn from " Content Knowledge ," a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning).

Behavioral Studies

Standard 1: Understands that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity and behavior.
Standard 4: Understands conflict, cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups and institutions.
Standard 14: Understands issues concerning the disparities between ideals and reality in American political and social life.

Language Arts

Standard 9: Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media.

U.S. History

Standard 31: Understands economic, social and cultural developments in the contemporary United States.

Working with Others

Standard 5: Demonstrates leadership skills.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cari Ladd, M.Ed., is an educational writer with a background in secondary education and media development. Previously, she served as PBS Interactive's director of education, overseeing the development of curricular resources tied to PBS programs, the PBS TeacherSource website (now PBS Teachers), and online teacher professional development services. She has also taught in Maryland and northern Virginia.

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Educator Toolkit: Exploring Ethics

leadership lesson plans for high school students

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Why This Matters Now

Many of us want to build lives of meaning and purpose — up to and including teenagers. In doing so, we need to learn what it means to have a moral foundation and values that guide the decisions that we make, whether they involve personal actions in our lives and careers, business leadership, or even money management . Some surveys suggest that younger generations embrace a “winning at any cost” mentality. Still others recognize that tomorrow’s leaders have a deep commitment to doing right and doing good when it comes to issues like climate change and school violence. Whatever the case, they need to have intentional discussions about what it means to develop an ethical mindset.

Students in the U.S. have recently been competing in the high school Ethics Bowl, a competition that challenges teams of high school students to work through complex ethical problems through a lens of civility and open-minded discussion. Among the cases discussed in 2019 were whether it is more morally objectionable to pay for fake followers on social media than to pay for celebrity product endorsements, whether humans have a moral responsibility to bring back species driven to extinction by human activities, and whether a government is justified in restricting firearm ownership. Luana Uluave, a high school teacher in Utah who coaches teams in the competition, said, “My experience in a long career of teaching high school is that 100% of high school students want to sit around and talk about moral issues and be heard.”

Article The World of the White Hat Hacker One strategy for approaching the topic of ethics is to introduce the concept of right and wrong – and what better way to do that than by taking a look at hackers, who are infamous for breaking into systems and stealing data , bitcoin , or whatever they can access. This article explores the emerging field of ethical hacking, where young, digital natives choose to use their computer skills for good, not evil. “We’re fortunate to live in a time where the easiest path to get started in hacking is the legal and ethical path,” says 18-year-old Jack Cable. Use the topic of black hat and white hat hackers to spark conversation about choosing an ethical path. Bonus: students learn about a growing career in cybersecurity.

Lesson Plan Global Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Ethical behavior and decision-making are important foundations for successful careers and strong corporate leadership. This lesson introduces students to the idea of business ethics and social responsibility from a global perspective. They watch the video “The Story of Stuff” and consider the ethical implications. The emphasis is on unveiling the hidden costs of production and consumption and how students, as individuals, are implicated in this system. This lesson is the first of a four-lesson unit that explores ethics and socially responsible behavior in the business world. It can be used as a launching point for studying social responsibility and ethics in a variety of ways. Refer to the “Additional Resources” section of this toolkit for links to the other three lesson plans.

Hands-on Learning As you drill down into ethical choices, one theme repeatedly emerges – money. Making money motivates a capitalist economy and can lead to questionable ethical behavior on the part of companies and the managers who lead them.

In this exercise, students will consider different ethics-inspired scenarios involving their own money. Use the examples in the KWHS article It’s Tempting, But Is It Ethical? to design your own “What Would You Do?” challenge. Divide your class into several different teams and give them each a finance-related dilemma inspired by the lessons in the article. Ask them to discuss the ethics of the situation, decide where they land as a team and then figure out a solution. If they need more guidance, they can consult Rotary International’s test for truly ethical behavior: (1) Is it the truth? (2) Is it fair to all concerned? (3) Will it build good and better relationships? (4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Encourage them to share their situations, debates, and ethical outcomes with the class.

Video Glossary Provide an extra layer of learning for your students with our video glossary. Here, Wharton professors define terms:  Business Ethics

KWHS Quote of the Month “I think that in all circumstances it is up to the seller to determine a fair and ethical price for their product or service . This idea can apply to a student who cannot afford to go to the college of their dreams, as well as to an adult who simply cannot afford proper health care .” – Oliver Centner, student, Syosset High School, Syosset, N.Y.

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Lesson Plan: Leadership with Style

Description.

In this lesson, students will differentiate types of effective leadership and management styles and select which management style is effective for the lodging industry.

Download the lesson plan

Scroll to the related items section at the bottom of this page for additional resources.

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    5 Fun Lessons Ideas that Teach Leadership Skills by Erin 0 My favorite part of teaching Leadership class is also the most underrated: having the chance to strengthen life skills! When else do active listening, empathy, or thinking outside the box get to be the focus of class time? I love it!

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    Lesson Plan: What Makes a Leader? Resource ID 11431 Grade Range 10 11 12 Institutional Organization UNT Sections Description Description In this lesson, students will learn and apply the qualities that create effective leaders, as well as the appropriate styles of leadership needed in various careers. Download the lesson plan

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    1. Lead a deeper icebreaker. Once everyone's learned names, do an activity that digs a little deeper. I call these "ice warmers" because they create just a bit of vulnerability and help deepen connections among students. My favorite one to do that first week of school I call My High Five.

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    Trustworthy. Qualities of a Leader Exercise: Ask each group of students to think of a leader and make a list of leadership qualities that person has. The ir group leader then shares what they discussed with the group. Skill #2. Public Speaking Skills. Obviously public speaking is an essential part of being a leader.

  19. How to Teach Leadership to High School Students With a Lesson Plan

    Leadership is an important skill to develop in high school students. Educators can facilitate this skill by creating lesson plans that incorporate the study of characters who are leaders or act heroically or by having students work in groups where their roles require them to be leaders at times. Lesson plans that ...

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    Get Started - Subscribe Now! Real World Safety is a leadership curriculum for high school students that develops a proactive mindset to promote safe decision-making in students lives.

  21. Lesson Plan: Principles of Leadership: What Makes a Strong Leader?

    This lesson plan is designed to be used with the film, The Principal Story, which follows the activities of two school principals, one a veteran and one a novice, during the course of a school year. Classrooms can use this film and its companion website resources to explore the nature of leadership. POV documentaries can be recorded off-the-air ...

  22. Educator Toolkit: Exploring Ethics

    This lesson is the first of a four-lesson unit that explores ethics and socially responsible behavior in the business world. It can be used as a launching point for studying social responsibility and ethics in a variety of ways. Refer to the "Additional Resources" section of this toolkit for links to the other three lesson plans.

  23. Lesson Plan: Leadership with Style

    In this lesson, students will differentiate types of effective leadership and management styles and select which management style is effective for the lodging industry. Download the lesson plan. Scroll to the related items section at the bottom of this page for additional resources.

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    Leadership Lesson Plan. Leadership is an important skill for students to recognize and develop. This lesson plan outlines four key concepts related to formal leadership, then has students watch a ...