Book Review : The Leader in Me by Stephen R. Covey

The Leader in Me : How School and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time by Stephen R. Covey

Are today's young people prepared to take advantage of the expanding global opportunities and duly equipped to deal with the accompanying challenge? Is the school system preparing our children so they can take charge of this complex global economy? Is the traditional reading, writing and arithmetic sufficient to prepare our children? Is the school system creating children who know how to do nothing but take a test well?

Stephen Covey focuses on 7 habits implementation within the school particularly in AB Combs Elementary in North Carolina. The latter part of the book includes feedback and example from other school around the world that have taken on the 7 Habits.

Principal Muriel Thomas Summers and her team from AB Combs discover that parents, business leaders and teachers wants for children was not academic achievement. Teachers want children to grow up with qualities of good character and basic life skills. Some of the examples are responsible, caring, compassionate human beings who respected diversity and who knew how to do the right thing when face with difficult decision.

Excerpt from this book shown Asia parents felt the world has changed. They want their children's education has emphasis in 4 areas: technology, global skills, analytical and life skills and Asian values.

As for business community, they want young people with strong communication, teamwork, interpersonal, analytical, technology and organization skills. They need young people who is self-motivated, honest, has strong work ethnic and creative minds.

How will we bridge all these gap?

This book shows that inspiring greatness one child at a time is possible!
Chapter 1 to Chapter 4 is about preparations by AB Combs in implementing the leadership theme. Chapter 5 describes tools used to sustain change and success in AB Combs. Chapter 6 and 7 describe practices and approaches in implementing the same leadership theme is other countries and other American states. Example of other countries are Singapore, UK, Japan and Guatemala. Chapter 8 summarizes the framework and approaches to take in school setting. Chapter 9 encourages parents or caregiver to start pursuing the same leadership themes at home. Stephen Covey reinforce that home environment is an important place to reinforce success in the Habits implementation.

As for me these are some pointer that I have picked up as I read the book:

1. Children know when they are treated with respect. They know when adults value their thoughts and point of view. When children felt that they are respectful and being accepted good and bad by adults, they will behave and live up to expectations. Children desired recognition and will live up to expectation and achieve. Teachers in AB Combs seen it. I experience it at home with my daughter.

2. Parents or teachers or caregiver in children's life are their leaders! Children sees the world through their parents/teachers/caregiver worldview. If parent or teachers or caregivers believe that a child has worth and potential, the child will sees it. According to Stephen R Covey, leadership is communicating people's worth n potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.

3. It's not another things that you do to inspire greatness in your child. It's part of your responsibility anyway.

4. This leadership theme require parents/caregiver/teachers to make decision to change first before they can model it so the children can follows.

5. AB Combs philosophy : if you treat all students as if they are gifted, and you always look at them through that lens of being gifted in at least some aspects, they will rise to that level of expectation.

Could this leadership theme a timely answer and match to the global demands in years to come? No one can guarantee but I feel certainly it will build a strong foundation for success in your child.