Market Leadership Development at Orientation
In addition to having booths or tables marketing specific programs or offices, consider offering a “Leadership Table” that highlights various experiences from across campus designed to foster leadership development. Have different offices identify competencies associated with their leadership experiences, programs, activities, courses, and roles. Put together a brochure or web page outlining the leadership competencies associated with these experiences to inform students and parents of the leadership development benefits and opportunities offered at the institution related specifically to competencies the students want or need to develop.
Help Students Chart a Leadership Development Path
Sometimes students know they want to get involved and develop their leadership skills, but they don’t know where to start. What a better place than to help them with their leadership exploration when they first get to campus. As part of Orientation or Welcome Week, have students take the Student Leadership Competencies Inventory so they are prepared to seek out specific leadership development opportunities that align with the competencies they want to develop. Help them develop an involvement plan and get them connected to student organizations, courses, and programs that will help them expand their leadership capacity.
Weave Leadership Development Curriculum Into First-year Seminar Classes
Use the Student Leadership Competencies® as a course design framework to help students develop the skills they need to be successful in college. Using the SLC retention framework, integrate those competencies related to student success and achievement to design curriculum and assignments that help develop students’ leadership capacity. Use the SLC Self-Guided Workbook, iOS app, Student Leadership Competencies Inventory, and SLC activities throughout the course to build upon students’ self-discovery and learning.
Help Students Identify Leadership Roles that Fit
We know that some students excel at an employee role at the front desk whereas others find their fit with roles such as Ambassadors, Tour Guides, or Orientation Leaders. How can we help students determine roles that are a good fit for them? By defining leadership competencies associated with each leadership role, students can be made aware of the competencies they need to be proficient in those roles. This can help them determine which roles align with the competencies they have or would like to acquire, and ultimately select roles that best fit for them.
Intentionally Design, Deliver, and Assess Student Leader Training
How can we make sure that our training for Orientation Leaders, Ambassadors, Tour Guides, Peer Mentors, and other student leaders is designed to help students be successful in their specific roles? Using pre-established curriculum, you can design and deliver intentional training grounded in the competencies students need for their roles and use standardized assessment measurements to assess learning and development.
Make Student Leader Involvement an Intentional Learning Opportunity
We know that students learn and develop by participating in student leader roles. But, how can we help make this learning intentional and then accurately measure it? Have student employees take the Student Leadership Competencies Inventory to self-assess their competency proficiency and create a competency-based professional development plan related to their roles. In addition, using the Student Leadership Competencies® assessment tools can provide insight to help advise and coach students on their leadership development.