The bulk of the critical and formative events in our lives occur when we’re young and impressionable. These events shape how we think, and how we react to events. And once ingrained, they lead to behaviors that are unlikely to change over the course of our life. This is precisely why it is so important to begin developing leadership skills at a young age: if we don’t introduce these skills when children are young, they may simply never develop them on their own.

As you think about developing leadership in your own children and in the children and teens you influence in your daily life, think hard about the formative events that did (or could have) happened in your early life; and how they transformed your thinking and leadership ability for the better. Once you do this, the next step should be to cultivate these experiences and to encourage other adults and parents to do so, too.

In addition to thinking of experiences that you can generate, think also about skills, opportunities, and education. For instance, what skills should a child work on from an early age to ensure that she can operate effectively as a leader? And what opportunities and education must she have to ensure that she learns to interact with others well; and to lead them when it is needed.

Overall, developing leadership among your children and any teenagers and children you influence is a worthwhile and rewarding task. By doing so, you will help them to internalize important skills that they can apply in the future to be an effective leader when it comes to school, work, and home life.