Leadership

Leadership is about bringing people together around a shared goal, helping coordinate their efforts and managing progress. Leaders show up in ways that build trust and encourage others to do their best. What really sets a leader apart is their ability to bring out the strengths of others and keep everyone focused on a common purpose.

Leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about being open to growth, learning, and feedback from others. Effective leaders combine technical knowledge with interpersonal strengths such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving to support their teams and address challenges. Over time, they also develop their own approach to leadership, shaped by values and experiences. Rather than being a fixed role, leadership is something you grow into by reflecting, adapting, and building trust with others. At its core, it’s about knowing yourself, staying flexible, and helping those around you grow, too.

Course-Based Approaches

Here are some ways to encourage leadership skills in your course:

Invite guest speakers or panels to share their professional or personal experiences and discuss the impact of leadership in their fields.
Assign group projects with rotating leadership roles to allow all students to practice leading and supporting.
Use real-world scenarios in problem-based learning or role-playing activities to practice leadership skills like decision-making, critical thinking, and delegation of tasks.
Assign student-led discussions, demonstrations, or activities to give students opportunities to build leadership skills and increase engagement.

Programmatic Approaches

Go further by developing leadership skills at the program or department level with these ideas:

Create a Leadership Development Program

Develop leadership programs to encourage students to work with others, giving them opportunities to practice teamwork while gaining a better understanding of leadership skills. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania offers leadership courses for undergraduates and MBAs.

Leverage Existing NIU Leadership Development Opportunities

Encourage and support leadership development through training opportunities. NIU’s People’s Organizing Weekend Empowerment Retreat (POWER) provides student activists with a chance to build leadership skills while learning about organization, collaboration, and strategies for collective action.

Peer Mentoring

Implement peer mentoring programs to help students build leadership skills while fostering a sense of belonging and support. Southeast New Mexico College uses a peer mentoring program to enhance student engagement and connection.

Resources

Student Leadership in Higher Education — This post from Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning’s blog discusses how to make leadership development programs effective and inclusive.
What is leadership? — This article from McKinsey & Company covers necessary habits of leaders, leadership styles, and communication skills necessary for leaders.
Leadership — This list of career readiness skills from NACE provides examples of what leadership skills look like.
Bold New Directions for an Increasingly Uncertain World — This article from New Directions for Student Leadership (NDSL), explains that creating fair and inclusive leadership training means understanding interdisciplinary settings and making sure cultural awareness, global issues, and diverse perspectives are part of the learning experience.
New School Leadership — In this video from TEDxWenatchee, Donte Quinine discusses the evolution of leadership styles, focusing on the value of collaborative leadership and the importance of strong leadership skills.