So you want to be a
leader
Seven things to think about and do
Carolann Edwards, Norton Rose Fulbright
Aims
The aims of this session are:
• To develop your understanding of leadership
• To provide you with the knowledge and skills to become a
leader
Dartboard evaluation
How much do you know about
leadership? Put an X on the
dartboard in the appropriate
spot.
A bullseye means you have
perfect knowledge and
understanding. The further away
from the bullseye, the less
knowledge you feel you have.
Exercise 1: Board relay
Instructions:
• On the board, using single
words and short phrases,
explain what leadership is
• Everyone in the team
must take a turn to write
something
• You can’t go unless the
pen has been passed to
you!
Exercise 1 cont.
• Once the board is
complete, 10 bonus
points if you can use
everything on the
board to explain what
leadership is.
One volunteer per
team - no conferring!
Leadership defined
“A girl who believes
she can make a
difference and acts
individually and with
others to bring about
positive change”
Adapted from Power
Within, Care
Exercise 2: what do female leaders
do?
On a piece of paper,
write down:
• The name of a girl or
woman you consider
to be a leader
• Three things she
does that make her a
leader
Confidence
“Confidence is a feeling of trust in one’s abilities, qualities and
judgment.” – Oxford English Dictionary
Never let someone tell you that you can’t do something!
Viewing #LikeAGirl campaign
Watch this film: https://youtu.be/XjJQBjWYDTs
How did the film make you feel?
Building confidence
Write a “letter to
yourself” which talks
about things you are
proud of. These might be
your school grades, your
family, your sporting
achievements and
hobbies.
Take your letter out and
read it whenever you
have periods of selfdoubt.
Exercise: Optimism
“The pessimist complains about the wind.
The optimist expects it to change.
The realist adjusts the sails.” – William Arthur Ward
What is optimism? Hopefulness and confidence about the
future or the success of something.
How optimistic are you? Circle a number below
Low
1
2
3
4
5
High
Exercise: improving happiness
Every night before you go to sleep, write down three good
things that happened to you that day and the reasons why they
were good.
Good Thing
Reason
Goals – setting and reaching
them
The aim of goal setting is to achieve change. This often involves
breaking old habits. You are most likely to achieve the goals you
set if they are specific and realistic.
Exercise: goal setting
• On a piece of paper, write down a goal for yourself.
Goal: _____________________________________
• With a partner, review what you have written.
- Is it specific?
- Is it realistic?
• With the help of your partner, re-write your goal if necessary.
Goal: _____________________________________
Assertiveness
Speaking up for yourself in a way that is honest and resepctful
Examples of assertive phrases:
AVOID
TRY
“You’re wrong!”
“I don’t agree”
“You don’t care!”
“I feel ignored”
“You hurt me!”
“I feel hurt”
Dealing with difficult situations
Describe
Express
Specify
Consequences
– what happened
– how you feel about the situation
– the actions that should be taken
– of doing (or not doing) what you have
suggested
Exercise: dealing with difficult
situations
Think about a difficult situation you would like to resolve. Using the
DESC method prepare to talk about your problem to a partner.
Partners: give feedback.
Describe the situation
Express how you feel
Specify actions to solve the problem (partners: suggest alternatives)
Consequences of doing or not doing the above
Praise and recognition
Recognition and praise needs to be specific to each situation
and individual if it is to be taken seriously and appreciated.
Compare:
1. “Good job!”
2. “The way you structured your speech was really clear and
the content was inspiring. Well done!”
Which would you prefer?
Exercise: giving praise
Think of someone who has done something well. Use the DESC
method to give praise:
Describe the situation (what the person did)
Express how you feel
Suggest how the person could have the same positive impact in
the future
Consequences of continuing to do well
Dartboard evaluation
Now we are at the end
of this workshop, place
your X on the board
again to show where
your knowledge and
understanding of
leadership stands now.
Final words
As we have seen in this
session, the following:
• confidence
• optimism
• setting goals
• assertive communication
• using DESC to describe
and deal with difficult
situations
• giving praise and
recognition
can all help you become a
better leader