I Want My Child To Be A Thermostat

    “I want my child to be a thermostat, not a thermometer.” Desiring that his child develops into one who will effect needed change instead of only reflecting it, author James C. Hunter makes this statement in his book, The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle (2004). It is appropriate that we give credence to Hunter’s statement because it articulates what we should desire, with temperance, in all youth. By youth, I am referring to middle and high school students (however, elementary youth should be given an appropriate audience). Indeed, there are many young voices out there, now, crying “leadership”, “ownership”, and “sharing” in the decisions involved in many current issues.

     When we express our voices we are expressing ownership. When we express ownership, we are exercising leadership; simple math tells us this. Sadly, many adults do not take ownership (one of the steps to taking ownership for them, simply, would be to vote). If adults consider youth the inheritors of the future – we want them to express their voices as voters of the future - why not give them the opportunity to express their voices (and leadership) now?

     Today’s youth should, more and more, be given the opportunity to voice their opinions and exercise leadership. For example, in the 4-H Youth Program, this focus is evident in such state-level events as Junior Leadership Conference, Citizenship Conference and Washington Focus, 4-H Day at the Capitol, and the Conference on Cooperatives. The names and content of learning activities of a particular youth program may vary from state to state and from locality to locality. However, the point is this: all youth should not only take the role of participants, they should also be taught and encouraged to organize, plan, and help conduct events.

     In the county-level 4-H Program, youth learn how to express their voices through parliamentary procedure, collective decision-making, leadership, and teamwork. Youth professionals equip both adult volunteer leaders and club members with the skills to plan and present/conduct individual as well as club level activities.

     In planning and conducting activities, unexpected setbacks and disappointments may happen; however, they are reinforcements to learning and their occurrence not unusual. My take on leadership development is to equip and then facilitate. Offering help, for example, to a particular youth club that would like to plan a county (or parish) wide event, to include identifying a location, buying awards, and, most importantly, contacting all interested, county-level members of the particular youth program and inviting them to the event. In this scenario  members of the club that planned the event are allowed to exercise their sense of ownership and leadership skills – youth professionals and adult volunteers facilitate the whole process from beginning to end by sharing in the planning and providing professional knowledge, life experiences, and lessons learned.

      In reference to Hunter’s comment, above, I want all youth with whom I work to be thermostats and not thermometers.