- High School
- 11th Grade Boys
- UNIT 6: Leadership
- Session 1: Leadership Skills Part 1
Supplies
- N/A
Supplementary Materials & Preparation
Attachments
Objectives
By the end of the session, students will be able to do the following:
- Feel empowered to be leaders
- Understand what makes a good leader
Introduction
Introduce the session by asking the students:
Who were the great leaders in Klal Yisroel’s history?
Write these on the board. Try to get examples of leaders from different time periods of Jewish history: Adam/Noach, The Avos, The Shevatim, Moshe/Aharon/Miriam, Dovid/Shlomo, Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi, Abaye/Rava, Ravina/Rav Ashi, Geonim, Rishonim, Achronim, etc.
Who are the great leaders in the Jewish Community you can think of alive today?
Write these examples on the board. Tell the students, these should include Rabbinic and lay-leaders/Askanim as well.
Procedures & Activities
Step 1
Tell the students:
Just as a company or a large organization has a Board of Directors to help lead and guide it, so too we all need to surround ourselves with people who can help us on our leadership journey.
Ask the students to use the “who’s at your table worksheet” (attachment A) to create their own Board of Directors or their table of mentors/role models. Who are the people the participants know personally or from history etc. that they look up to? What about them do they respect/can they learn from that would make them want their involvement in a ‘company’ or organization they managed? They can use the lists on the board, or additional people they can think of.
Step 2
Ask the group about whose table YOU might be sitting at, serving as the mentor or role model. Is there anyone? A younger student or sibling?
Step 3
Describe how personal values guide us in making decisions, and every decision we make should be in line with our sense of self and our vision. We should always be asking ourselves if this choice is going to accomplish what we are looking to, and does it reflect positively as the person/leader I want to be.
Step 4
Tell the students: Now that we have specified certain values that matter for a leader, moving forward ask yourself:
- What are the five main values in your life that give you strength and lead you to good decision-making?
- What are the five main personal factors in your life that impede your strength and good decision-making?
- How do these negative factors affect your decision-making?
- Can you replace them with more empowering (healthy and positive) values?
- How can you apply these values in your daily life?
- What change might you see in two weeks?
Step 5
Note to Teachers: Optional video, “Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg Passes Away at 101”. Discuss what aspects students notice in Rav Scheinberg’s character that make him a leader.
Discuss with the students the importance of a leader looking out for the Klal. Emphasize empathy as a defining virtue of a good leader. Ask the students if a king is better servicing the nation when he is selfish or selfless. Discuss. In fact, the Rambam in mishne Torah hilchos Sanhedrin (2:3) explains that such a judge (a form of leader) must have children, in order to be fully merciful.
Summary:
Review the main points of the class:
This week we learned about what makes a good leader. We focused on what values and personal beliefs/factors will guide us to make better decisions in life. We also explored what some negative factors may be and examined changing those. Recognizing which leaders we look up to is a crucial first step in understanding our paths towards becoming positive leaders in our communities.
