MODULE 1: The Qualities of Leadership Part 1

Module 1 delivered in Term 1 involves development of the following skills:

• The value of good manners, respect for others and respect for self
• The life-enduring social skills to meet and get along with anyone
• The value of being open to feedback
• Valuing friendships and sourcing wisdom across generations
• Entrepreneurship including the myriad skills, essential character traits and risk/reward management capabilities of creating or investing in a new business.
• Recognising the value of dialogue about feelings. Men have feelings too - they are just not as well-trained as women to express them. This program aims to re-balance the competence levels of emotional literacy between the genders
• Respecting and understanding women; seeing women as equals; seeing women as our collaborators not our competitors
• Acceptance, tolerance and appreciation of difference in others
• Good sportsmanship - always being the first to stand up and clap, the first to shake hands and congratulate the winner. And when you win, never gloating. "It is at the time of your greatest triumph that you should be the most merciful" - Nelson Mandela
• Being able to strike up and maintain a conversation
• Address many of the speech inadequacies we hear across society including: poor pronunciation of basic words, omitting or importing wrong consonants, perpetual and annoying use of "um" and "ah", lazy articulation of T, D and K
• The importance of speaking in a chest voice, rather than a passive, weak head voice
• The enduring benefit of being a competent public speaker: recognising that facing fears of public speaking is best handled with desensitisation training which involves exposing yourself and your amygdala to the thing you are afraid of over and over again, and in manageable doses. Introverts, in particular, find public speaking challenging, but soon recognise the long-term benefit of conquering such a fear.
• The importance of attention to detail in presentation (good grooming, polished shoes, clean nails, etc)
• How to make friends and keep them
• The skill of giving constructive criticism
• Popularity in the 21st century = humble self-confidence, decency, good manners, edginess through being an individual and comfortable with self
• Embracing the opportunity to learn from failure; to find the blessing in the bummer, the diamond in the dumpster
• The lost art of chivalry
• Accepting praise with graciousness and handling criticism with an open and welcoming mind for improvement
• Recognising that real strength comes from a big heart and a sharp mind
• Understanding that with rights come corresponding responsibilities
• An abiding belief in the importance of acts of kindness, no matter how small
• Cultivating gratitude
• Feeling comfortable in your own skin
• Ability to share or devolve credit
• The concept of boundaries - consciously protecting yourself from difficult or toxic people (a key element of self-respect and good mental health)