3 Leadership Skills That Can’t Be Learned in a Classroom

Learning from pastors and professors is an important part of the career and spiritual formation journey for young people.

But some skills can’t be learned inside a classroom or from a sermon or lecture alone.

They have to be experienced firsthand.

Here are 3 leadership skills today’s emerging leaders need that can only be learned through experience:

1. Adaptability

It’s easier to come up with a plan than it is to adapt a plan when everything changes. Great leaders are able to pivot without panic, but that skill is best learned by making adjustments in the moment. 

Service Trips tend to have unexpected changes pop up. A service partner has to move the scheduled service time. The weather impacts an outdoor activity. Another leader gets sick during the trip. Adaptability is a key skill that can be learned during these times. 

2. Cultural Competence

Learning about other cultures by reading and hearing about them is great, but experiencing a new culture in real life adds new meaning. You learn to respect different traditions and understand more about where people are coming from. 

This includes new cultures within your own country! Cultural norms can differ from region to region, and those who get to immerse themselves in a culture unlike their own will walk away with new perspectives. 

3. Conflict Navigation

Conflict resolution skills are honed in real moments when emotions are high and the tension feels thick. Young leaders will inevitably experience this during trips when days are long and people are spending a lot of time together. They’ll learn that good leaders don’t avoid conflict; they carefully guide people through it.

Each summer, dozens of college age leaders learn these skills during their time as Community Hosts with YouthWorks.

That’s by design! We think service trips offer a unique training ground for young leaders to develop skills that will help them in whatever career path they choose.

Do you know someone looking for a paid ministry position this summer? Send them this application and give them the chance to grow in their spiritual and practical leadership this year.