What 8th Graders Taught Me About Leadership

As a middle school principal for many years, I learned so much from my students. And some of the best leadership lessons I ever picked up came from eighth graders. Here are three of those lessons that are also important for organizations of all types.

1. Everyone needs to know and be known by at least one caring person.

A story comes to mind about an eighth grader who wrote me a note of appreciation at the end of the school year. She said,

“I remember in sixth grade, you learned my name in the first week. And then every time you saw me in the hallways, in my classroom, coming into school, or leaving school, you would greet me, say something to me, and use my name. It mattered to me so much because it felt like you really wanted to know me.”

And that leads to the first concept that is well known in most schools: student success goes up considerably if students know and are known by a caring adult. Maintaining an intentional and consistent effort to know and understand each of the kids and have them get to know us was a critical piece. The staff then started to do it, so it became contagious, and the culture of the building changed dramatically. Then the students started doing the same thing. One leader showing care can be contagious and positively affect the culture of your organization.

2. People want to be inspired – to know they contribute to something greater than themselves.

The next concept reminds me of two students who came to see me in the summer of their eighth-grade year. They had been in Philadelphia the previous winter and saw something that really bothered them. They saw a homeless person sleeping on a grate where steam was coming up, and he was freezing. And they looked at me and said, what can we do? These two young ladies organized a blanket drive and collected enough blankets to fill an entire van! All they needed was us to get behind their idea when they first started it. They were inspired, and that led to a great number of people in our community also being inspired, including other kids organizing their own service projects.

Retention statistics across many different industries indicate that anytime an organization has service projects, retention is increased and job satisfaction is also increased. Employee service programs are mainstream and growing, and many industries are seeing an increase in this. Kids, like adults, don't desire to be cynical or critical. They want to be others-centered and inspired to do great things outside of themselves. Each of us has an opportunity to encourage that in the people that we are working with.

3. Character is knowing the good, loving the good, and doing the good.

Character is knowing the good, loving the good, and doing the good. Every Monday and Friday, I would read this quote and share an inspirational story with the students. Consistently infusing and embedding character inside every single day became a natural part of our school day. Our desire was to intentionally and consistently drip character concepts throughout the school day in everything from transportation to hallways, to classrooms, to grades, to sports, and to any kind of event that we had. The six pillars of character were respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, citizenship, and caring. Giving consistent, authentic encouragement in these six aspects will pay high dividends in your organization.

As a leader, work hard to know and be known by as many of your people as you can. Allow opportunities for your people to be a part of something larger than themselves, something that is important to them. And finally, embed, infuse, model, and celebrate positive character every single day for the people that you are working with.

These concepts are simple, but I believe they can have a significant impact on your organization. Contact us to learn more about how our team can assist you.

Over the past 30 years, Pat Tannous has gained exceptional experience in leadership through roles in education, as the co-founder of a global nonprofit sports organization, and as a board member of his church. His expertise includes crisis management, organizational culture, and executive coaching. Pat is passionate about helping organizations and leadership teams thrive around their mission and core values. He holds a master’s degree in Secondary Education and a principal certification from Penn State University.

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