Jakarta, 2 March 2023 — Leadership has no age. That’s what I rediscovered this week.

Story

It happened this week in Bandung, the bustling city amid lush green mountains, where the principles for the non-aligned movement were adopted in 1955 reflecting a desire for peace and security by the countries that make up what is now called the Global South. The discussion I joined this week was also about peace, yet this time with young leaders showing the way. 

On the initiative of their principal, four student leaders at the SMA Negeri 15 high school had, the day before, been the speakers at a seminar on bullying and peace-building in schools. Impressively, they attracted participants from 18 schools across Bandung. One day after, I was able to meet with them to learn from their experiences. In a wide-ranging discussion, the four students, their teacher, the principal, and the supporting team from Global Peace Foundation Indonesia, shared their experiences, challenges, and vision with me. 

Bullying in schools has been a global issue of concern for decades. It continues to affect far too many students and is impacting even primary school students, also in Bandung. The four student leaders had composed their speeches after researching the literature and reflecting on their own experiences. Their focus was, firmly, on what young leaders like they themselves could do to improve the situation in their schools. I was impressed with their leadership and was reminded of what I learned years ago from two other young Indonesian leaders: that leadership has no age.

Challenge

Research around the globe has shown that bullying can have a significant negative impact on the student’s well-being and sense of belonging at school, which in turn are essential for their personal growth and academic development. In addressing the challenge in their seminar entitled Speak Up: The Implementation of Peace at School for Students to Prevent Bullying and Violence in Educational Environments, the four students addressed bullying at school, peace at school, self-respect and care, and how to control their emotions. 

The day before, while attending the seminar as an online guest, I was impressed by how the students took the lead by making their presentations and then eliciting questions from the audience, and kicking off valuable discussions. Empowered by the enabling support from their teacher and principal, they showed excellence in conducting the seminar. I could easily imagine how their example could start a movement for students in schools across the city and far beyond to lead peace-building efforts in schools and influence positive changes together.

In our discussion, we touched on the importance of adopting a structured process for leadership growth, seeing the successful seminar as a kick-off rather than an end result. We contrasted the Bamboo way of growing leaders vs. the popular Banana way that relies on single events. Picking up on this, the students started considering, encouraged by their principal, to turn their seminar into a series of monthly opportunities for high-school leaders to practice implementing what they learned. We also discussed the critical importance of language when it comes to young leaders preventing verbal, physical, and cyberbullying, 

Question

Language is a core part of bullying and of the efforts to prevent it. Our discussion centered on the importance for students to carefully choose, with awareness, what words to let come out of their mouths, and that resonated deeply with me. Here again, leadership has no age. Choosing one’s language is important to leaders of any age, including adults of all ages and positions. Did you know that your words will either empower or diminish the people in your conversations?

In that regard, positive lessons learned at school can be used throughout life. What the four high-school leaders demonstrated has high potential to inspire growth in many leaders of all ages, just like it inspired me. This week, my question for you is how you control the words that come out of your mouth with the awareness of a leader. If high-school leaders can practice mastering this, what about you?

Working with leaders in my coaching programs, the importance of practicing language and effective communication can not be overstated. There are essential lessons to be learned with the help of powerful, revealing exercises. It’s never too late to learn these and, of course, the sooner you start the better. If you are interested to learn and master the language of leaders in your communication, set up a free strategy call so that we can discuss your transition into an effective leader. May the high-school students’ example inspire you.