The Spirit of Leadership challenge asks you to consider the qualities and attributes that make for successful, courageous and compassionate leadership. Are they the steadfast and unchanging or are they different for each of the three? What leadership qualities do you think are important? What kind of leader will you be?
In this section, we have pulled together some TED talks around the theme of leadership and some short tasks and reflective questions to guide you into blue-sky-thinking about the kind of leaders you want to have and the sort of leader you want to be. There are six task stations on the journey to the ultimate challenge. You might visit some or all of those stations according to the instructions you have been given by your teacher.
In the ultimate challenge you will identify a leader within your country who you admire for their beliefs and actions in the face of global adversity and tell their story.
At this station stop we consider some of the language we use to talk about Leadership and the meanings behind the terminology. We consider the definitions of the skills, attributes, virtues and attitudes that contribute towards effective leadership and invite you to add to the definition.
Here we pause to reflect on the likely characteristics of leaders that we would consider to be successful, courageous or compassionate. We identify common themes as well as the contradictions and challenges that might exist when we seek to combine them (particularly in facing adversity).
At this station we begin to unpack some of the virtues of successful leadership and ask ourselves what it takes to be a successful leader in the 21st century. Three TED Talks provide different perspectives of visionary leadership before we write a personal vision statement for the future.
This stop unpacks the concept of Servant Leadership, and considers our ability to apply our leadership skills to the betterment of others. Three TED Talks explore different motivations for and approaches to, Servant Leadership and what happens when we prioritise people over profits.
Here we consider how effective leaders cope and thrive under conditions of uncertainty and adversity. We draw lessons from three TED Talks that celebrate positivity, courage, motivation and shared purpose, and reflect with those around us on the key messages that tenacious leaders use.
At this station we consider whether movements and trends are created by the leaders or the followers, and what this tells us about our collective capacity to make a difference. We invite you to be part of creating a movement to see the world “through Round Square eyes”
For the Spirit of Leadership Challenge we would like you to identify a leader within your country who you admire for their beliefs and actions in the face of global adversity (past or present), and tell their story.
You are invited to choose your own format in which to do this (e.g. written narrative, presentation, video, speech, storyboard, etc)
