Leadership Development Program

by Jane Chauvin

Overview

All cultures need leaders; but how will we produce these new leaders? How will their potential be identified? How will they be trained for leadership positions? These very thoughts prompted the author of the Leadership Development Program to focus her dissertation on these questions. The research that was accomplished for the dissertation provided the background information for the Leadership Development Program.
The first thing that was constructed was the Leadership Skills Inventory Individual Form. This form consists of nine categories:
• Fundamentals of leadership.
• Written communication skills.
• Speech communication skills.
• Character-building skills.
• Decision-making skills.
• Group dynamics.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Personal development.
• Planning skills.

These categories were identified from the prior research. The Leadership Skills Inventory Individual Form is a self-administered, self-scored inventory of personal leadership skills designed for use with individuals across a broad age range. It can be used with students at the upper elementary or secondary levels, as well as individuals at post-secondary levels who aspire to improve their potential for leadership roles. The Leadership Skills Inventory Individual Form is designed to help individuals ascertain their abilities within nine skill areas of leadership.

A manual, The Leadership Development Program, was designed to complement and enhance each of the items on the Leadership Skills Inventory. At least one activity is included for each item on each scale of the instrument. These activities are certainly not all encompassing. Persons using this manual can feel free to supplement, expand, or change any activity based on the needs of the individuals involved in the program. Activities presented in the manual are offered only as suggestions.
The authors have developed activities that should not require commercial materials or elaborate equipment. These activities use simple materials that should be readily available to almost anyone. However, a list of references is included at the end of this manual to allow teachers to see some of the publications available that could be used to enhance and supplement certain activities, even though these materials are not required for the success of the leadership program.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781953360144
Publisher:	Gifted Unlimited
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	90
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Dr. Jane C. Chauvin is a university professor who holds a Ph.D. in Gifted Education. Over the course of her career in higher education she has published over 30 books and professional articles. She has presented over 80 scholarly papers, conducted numerous workshops, and served as a consultant to many school districts. Dr. Chauvin has been President of two national professional organizations and several organizations at the state level. She has served on the Executive Committee in these organizations and has helped to organize such associations at the international level.

Read an Excerpt

Characteristics of Leadership in Youth with High Leadership Potential
Leadership is a skill that comes largely from what Howard Gardner (1983) has labeled interpersonal intelligence—knowledge of oneself and others. In fact, leadership has been designated a talent area in federal and state definitions of gifted students since the Marland Report was issued by the U.S. Department of Education in 1971.
Schools and other agencies wishing to nurture and develop leadership must provide specific activities and differentiated programs for students. Yet despite its importance in our culture, leadership behaviors for students remains the least discussed and included of the curricular areas in the literature, and even the concept and dimensions of lead- ership are not well defined.
Few school programs seek to identify those students who have high leadership potential, nor do schools incorporate leadership education into their curricula. Yet many students truly have high potential in leadership skills such that they can be called “gifted” in this area. Though all students can profit from leadership training, the characteristics of such gifted youth enable them particularly to profit from leadership development. Students with unusually high leadership potential show many or all of the following characteristics or skills:
❍ Flexibility and efficiency in thought and action. ❍ Perception of others’ perspectives.❍ Ability to motivate and influence others.
❍ Tolerance of ambiguities.
❍ A thirst for knowledge and desire for challenge.
❍ Self-directedness.
❍ Self-assurance.
❍ Verbal and expressive skills.
❍ Ability to tolerate ambiguity
❍ Ability to show compassion and empathy for others. ❍ Creativity and problem-solving skills.
❍ Critical analytical reasoning skills.
Parents and the Development of Leadership
Preparing young people for leadership responsibility begins in the home with an enriched environment that offers opportunities for children to acquire broad inter- ests, increase self-esteem, and develop the insights and skills that characterize leaders. Parents and guardians can provide their children with support and encouragement as they participate in a wide variety of home and community activities. In these activities, children can be encouraged to plan and carry out daily choices.

Table of Contents

Tribute to Frances Karnes v

Section I Introduction 1

Characteristics of Leadership in Youth with High Leadership Potential 1

Parents and the Development of Leadership 2

Schools and the Development of Leadership 2

Sciences 3

Humanities 3

Arts 3

Other School Options for Leadership Development 3

Leadership through Extracurricular Activities 4

Section II The Leadership Development Program and the LSI 5

Purpose of the Leadership Skills Inventory 5

Scales Comprising the Leadership Skills Inventory 6

Uses of the Leadership Skills Inventory 7

Administering the Leadership Skills Inventory 7

Required Materials 8

Specific Administration Directions 8

Scoring the Leadership Skills Inventory 8

T-Score Transformations 11

Interpreting the Leadership Skills Inventory 11

Development of the Inventory 11

Samples Used in Developing the Leadership Skills Inventory 12

Reliability 13

Validity 13

Impact of the Leadership Studies Program 14

Section III Leadership Instructional Activities for the LSI 15

Leadership for the Future 15

Activities Related to the Inventory Items 16

Validation of Activities 17

Leadership Instructional Activities 19

Fundamentals of Leadership (FL) 21

Written Communication Skills (WCS) 24

Speech Communication Skills (SCS) 27

Character-Building Skills (CBS) 30

Decision-Making Skills (DMS) 34

Group Dynamic Skills (GDS) 37

Problem-Solving Skills (PSS) 41

Personal Skills (PERS) 42

Planning Skills (PS) 46

Appendix A Samples Used in Developing the LSI 49

Table 1 Total Sample 51

Table 2 California Sample 52

Table 3 Illinois Sample 53

Table 4 Kansas Sample 54

Table 5 Louisiana Sample (Coefficients of Stability) 55

Table 6 Louisiana Sample 56

Table 7 Massachusetts Sample 57

Table 8 Mississippi Sample 58

Table 9 Nebraska Sample 59

Appendix B Leadership Instructional Activities 61

Fundamentals of Leadership 61

Written Communication Skills 62

Speech Communication Skills 65

Character-Building Skills 68

Decision-Making Skills 69

Group Dynamic Skills 70

Problem-Solving Skills 71

Personal Skills 72

Planning Skills 72

References 73

About the Author 83