Lessons From Early Education: Leadership Development At Any Age

By Andrea Vargas, CEO

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com for the Forbes Business Council.

Whether in grade school or the workplace, solid teaching methods (such as the teacher-centered method, inquiry-based learning, or the Montessori method) can foster long-term leadership skill development and position people for the transition into greater roles. By providing a strong teaching model for your team to emulate, you can create leaders at all levels. Based on my experience in education and business, here are some ways you can create a dynamic that sets your team members up for success:

Joining a new team, taking on additional responsibilities, or starting a new role are all examples of times when a team member may need more support. I've found that when it comes to offering that support, leaders should first proactively consider the weight of the change the employee is facing. Just as teachers can prepare students for meaningful next steps and transitions in their education, leaders can build career paths that help their employees continually grow and develop their skills and character. By fostering a dynamic of self-direction, you can help your team members better navigate change, acclimate more effectively to new surroundings, and know when and how to seek out support.

Consider the features of a strong learning environment: providing materials and resources necessary for students to thrive, along with intangibles like genuine coaching, mentorship, transparency and shared values. I've seen how these aspects encourage a commitment to caring for a shared space, which is essential in the workplace, too.

At the same time, a recent Gallup study found that only 31% of employees felt engaged at work in 2024. I believe this demonstrates a clear need for employers to reinvent workplaces so all team members can flourish. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, consider how you can make a space that meets a diverse range of needs. By helping your team develop a personalized connection to a space, you can create a culture where workers care for their work environment and their peers.

I value teaching methods that emphasize life skills that will become important down the line, including collaboration and communication. In a work setting, ideas great and small come from a well-developed culture that empowers everyone to contribute.

When students can work on a group project, or attend a reading group or music class, they get to know what working together feels like in practice. Through these types of experiences, at work and at school, individuals can learn their strengths and even how to surface them in others.

Elevating our unique abilities is part of what makes collaboration so important, so hone a sense for where your team members excel, and use that knowledge to make more space for collaboration. I recommend modeling an open communication style and encouraging frequent brainstorming. Connect team members from different departments. Build trust by reinforcing the idea that multiple perspectives are necessary for positive outcomes.

Lessons learned in the classroom or workplace can help us navigate distinct chapters in our lives, preparing us to develop our future learning and career paths. Just as teachers should offer students early experience and give them tools that will be useful well beyond their school years, great leaders who recognize that learning never ends can meet teams where they are to empower them for the long term.