Most parents want to see their children leading the pack. It gives you the feeling of overwhelming pride, and make you want to let everybody know that the leader standing in front of everyone is your most beloved child.

But raising your child to become a leader requires a lot of effort. Leadership is not innate, it is honed. Just like the old saying goes, “Leaders are made, not born.” So as a parent, what could you do to empower your child to become a promising leader?

Here are some tips on how to develop your child as a great leader:

Show not tell.

Teaching your child to become a great leader would be most effective when you show it to him, not just only telling him. As a parent, you must set a good example. Show him how to lead.

For example, your child scattered all of his toys everywhere in your house. Instead of just telling him to put the toys in their box, help him clean up his mess by picking up the toys and putting them inside the box. Whenever you want your child to do something, show him and do it together. This may seem rather simple, but when your child grows up, he would remember that showing his followers and guiding them on what to do will help him to become a more effective leader.

Let your child participate in group activities.

For your child to become a great leader, he must learn how to work together with other people. Leading is a team activity. A leader could not deliver his function as a leader if he does not know how to make other people follow him. So, to start, your child needs to learn how to work in a team.

When at school, you could encourage your child to participate at the school’s clubs or team sports. Your child could join the student council group, the cultural club, the soccer team, the school’s choir, or any other similar group activities.

Teach your child how to make decisions.

One aspect of a great leader is being a great decision-maker. Don’t always decide for your child, let him choose what he wants. For example, you and your child are out shopping, and you want to buy him new clothes. Though you think that a blue shirt fits your child best, let him decide on what color of clothes he wants to wear.

If you, the parent, will always decide for your child, then he will grow too dependent on you, and will not be able to hone his decision-making abilities.

Let your child experience how to plan.

The best leaders always know how to plan. To help your child be skillful at planning, let him experience how to do it even in simple home events or activities. For example, your family will have an outdoor picnic. Let your child be the planner on what food should your family cook and eat.

Letting your child plan will give him a boost of confidence, and be better at his decision-making skills. When your child learns how to plan at an early age, he would grow up to be an excellent leader with serious project-planning skills.

Encourage your child to communicate.

A leader’s idea or plan won’t be executed by his followers if he is unable to communicate it well. If your child is somewhat shy, or does not talk too much, encourage him to communicate.

Instead of you saying what you want to buy at the store, let your child speak for you. “Mister, me and my mommy want to buy two of these.” “May I get the change?” “Could you put the items inside a bag?” Talking with other people will help your child become assertive and speak up.

Even in small, simple ways, you could empower your child to become a great leader. With your guidance, your child will learn how to lead.