Who says you can’t become a leader?

Madam Tang Li Tang wants to groom students to be confident, resilient leaders capable of making a positive impact on the community. 

Tang Li Tang, Teck Whye Secondary School, Outstanding Youth in Education Award 2018 finalist

Making leaders out of students

Are leaders born or made? If this question was posed to me twenty years ago, my answer would have been: leaders are born. In school, I was always a follower, but that did not bother me as I felt I was not cut out to be a leader. I was shy and soft-spoken and I believed that all leaders should be outgoing and socially confident.

Today, my answer to this question has changed. Leaders are made. Everyone can be a leader given the right experiences and coaching, and through observation and learning. My journey as a teacher has convinced me to reach this conclusion.

Six years ago, when I was starting out as a teacher, I oversaw the development of student leadership in my school. This involved recruiting student councillors and training them to be effective and confident leaders. It dawned on me during the recruitment process that I was not looking for students who were confident or had good leadership qualities. Instead, I was looking for those with good character – I hoped that the student councillors would be good role models for their peers.

A few of the students I recruited did not want to be student councillors. They felt compelled to attend the recruitment drive because their form teachers nominated them. When I probed further, they explained that they were introverts and were uncomfortable in leading others. I won them over by giving them examples of famous leaders who were introverts.

I observed their initial awkwardness as they stepped into their new roles. They made no eye contact when they addressed their peers. Some even stammered when they spoke. Nonetheless, their self-confidence grew after I coached them and provided opportunities for them to be involved in various school events, such as the Secondary 1 Orientation Camp. Feedback was given to guide them on speaking with clarity and confidence.

Besides timely feedback, I also led councillors in one-to-one review on the development of their leadership skills. Training sessions were also conducted for them once every fortnight.

Over time, my councillors were able to maintain composure under stress. When faced with challenges, they would take the initiative to resolve them first, before seeking help. It was heartening to watch them develop their leadership skills and gain self-confidence.

On the last night of the Secondary 1 Orientation Programme in 2014, I received a text message from a student who had almost refused the student councillor role. He thanked me for recruiting him and giving him a memorable leadership experience.