Sean Brown: 7 Tips on How to Develop Leadership by Being a Youth Advocate

1. Sean Brown: 7 Tips on How to Develop Leadership by Being a Youth Advocate Want to develop leadership in youth advocate programs? Then you're in luck. Below are our 7 top tips on how to promote youth leadership through a variety of methods and activities in which to involve and evolve with the youth in your life and to promote leadership skills by doing so. First off, by being a youth advocate, you are the representing voice for all the youth in your life and in your community. You are taking the initiative and by doing so have an amazing opportunity to promote strong life skills and a promising future for our youth's generation. Sean Brown is an Advocate who is an expert in the field of law. Distinctive nations' lawful frameworks utilize the term with fairly varying implications. However by doing so you must also be aware that you are a lead role model, coach, mentor, and guide and must be prepared to take responsibility and to be held accountable in doing so. Here are the 7 top tips for being an effective leader and mentor for today's youth: 1) Lead by Example: First and foremost, do and treat others as you would expect of them to do and treat you. Set a good example. One cannot promote good leadership if they are not a good leader themselves. So focus on yourself first and manage yourself effectively. 2) Set Realistic Goals: As a leader, it is your job to effectively manage your team and to set them up for success. Therefore, set both short term and long term goals, and monitor their successes. Be sure to set realistic and achievable goals in order to boost morale amongst your youth. Be sure to celebrate the successes, even the smallest achievements are worth celebrating, they are that one step closer to reaching your ultimate goal and these small milestones help to create a positive and productive ambiance among your team. 3) Prioritize: Do it right the first time, but also do the things that need to be done right, first. As a leader you must be aware of what issues are important to those you represent. Be sure to listen to their wants and needs and then remain focused and be aware of what needs to be done versus what you would like to be done. Effective leadership comes from being organized and clear. Also learn time management skills as this is an important tool for proper prioritization.

2. 4) Be Flexible: When in a leadership role, one must be able to handle a variable factor of unexpected circumstances and must be able to "go with the flow." You must also possess crisis management skills and be ready for anything. Life hardly ever goes as planned and an effective leader will always be ready and have an alternate plan. You must also be patient and be able to adapt to different situations as they will arise. 5) Invest in Others: Take the time to listen, as they say, " two heads are better than one." A successful leader wants to be able to teach others to lead effectively. There is no better way to promote youth to be "all that they can be" than by showing genuine interest into their likes, dislikes, beliefs and goals; and by then helping them discover the steps necessary to get there. Leadership requires one to have the ability to inspire others in order to achieve their goals and reach their dreams. To feel some sense of self worth and value is key to the outcome of your success. 6) Use Constructive Criticism: If one only ever hears negative connotations all the time then that is what they start to believe. Remember positive thinking gets positive results. If there is something that needs attention, find a positive way to inform the person. 7) Become Contagious: Be supportive and promote fellow leadership. Now that you yourself have become an excellent role model and leader for youth and peers around you, try to make it contagious! Encourage others to try by following the lead of your example. Offer support and advice and encouragement. One smile can become addictive and can multiply into many more, so put a smile on someones face today!