We need more leaders and more leadership—but how does someone find their own unique role in the leadership process? We interviewed Debra Sullivan, author of Learning to Lead, to get her perspective on developing leadership ability at every level.

1) What inspired you write Learning to Lead?

There are a lot of books out there about leadership for almost any profession, field, or lifestyle imaginable. Not many of them are written for, what I call, the everyday person who is just beginning to examine her/his leadership ability and role in the leadership process. When I began teaching leadership theory classes, I found that there was very little that looked at leadership from a developmental perspective—looking at the early stages of leadership skill and ability. I needed something that the teacher's aide, the receptionist, the mail clerk, the cafeteria lady, the parent could look at and say, "I do that!" I wanted people to see, understand, and build on their own unique leadership skill and ability. We need more leaders and more leadership and I felt this would be more likely to happen if more people understood their own, unique role in the leadership process and understood that leadership is needed at every level, in every position, in every field—and that they owed it to our children to use that leadership!

2) What has been the general response from students, teachers, and administrators about your book?

The first thing I hear is that it is very accessible! People love the fact that they don't have to guess what I'm saying or guess what I mean. I wanted to write a book that made it easy for people to understand leadership concepts and put them to use immediately. People also like the fact that the book helps them focus on their own leadership development and practice—helps them learn more about themselves and who they are as leaders. Learning about how someone else became a leader is a great way to examine someone else's leadership. However, all those great leaders will not be standing by your side guiding your leadership actions when you go to work the next day. People tell me that my book helps them really explore their own leadership—their own values, their own visions, their own culture and how it influences their perceptions about leadership and leaders. They like the "Ask Yourself" sections very much!

3) You mentioned in your book that many of your students see leadership as something that belongs only to great people. What is the first step in convincing people that everyone can be a leader?

The first step is asking a child! To a child, every grown-up is a leader! Every child knows that grown-ups have all the power, resources, knowledge, skills, status, time, and money to do whatever they want. There is no way that a grown-up, even a young one, can convince a child that s/he is not a leader. So if you are in the presence of children, you are a leader. Besides, most of the great leaders did not know, when they were children, that they would be great leaders some day. Many were surprised to find themselves in leadership positions. Great leaders usually begin life just like the rest of us—as babies trying to find their way in a new environment. Many were simply ordinary people who did extraordinary things. Understanding that leaves the door open for many more leaders to enter.

4) Is leadership learned? Is it something you just inherently have? Or both?

This question comes up a lot. I believe it is both. All of us have something that we're very good at doing, something that has always come easy and requires little thought or practice. It could be anything—speaking, resolving conflict, math, organizing events, coming up with new ideas, performing, inventing new gadgets—anything. This is our natural skill and ability and it serves as the foundation for the leadership we are born with. Each of us also has something we have to work at—something that does not come naturally for us, but that we do because we really want to or because it is part of our responsibility at work or at home. This also can be anything. We become good at something because we practice it, explore it, reflect on it, and spend time with it. This is our learned leadership skill and ability. Almost everyone I know has some inherent leadership and some learned leadership. Our leadership task is to understand both better.

5) What role can parents and families have in increasing their leadership abilities?

Parents use leadership in their parenting every day and children learn and practice their earliest leadership skill and ability growing up in families. I think the most important role parents and families can play is to pay close attention to leadership development in the family. Everyone has leadership skill and ability—it just isn?t always recognized as such. Parents and other family members can pay attention to when leadership is being used (for example, teaching, visioning, negotiating, planning, resolving conflict, allocating resources, motivating others) and make sure to point it out. This should be done for both children and grown-ups! Many of us developed some of our strongest leadership skill and ability at a young age, but we didn't recognize it as leadership until we were much older. Leadership is developmental. The young child who organizes her/his playmates today in order to put on a show for the grown-ups may well be the future leader who organizes staff and colleagues in order to produce an important documentary tomorrow. Parents and families can also support each other?s leadership development by noticing each other's unique skill and ability and making sure they provide many opportunities for others to step into leadership roles. At family gatherings, for example, the older aunties and uncles can step back and let the younger aunties and uncles take charge of planning and organizing.

6) Lastly, what about the early childhood field today—and the people who work in it—puts the biggest smile on your face?

I am most pleased when I see children?s grown-ups—parents, early childhood teachers, kindergarten teachers, coaches, etc.—come together to support the needs of children in their communities. Children firmly believe that the grown-ups in their lives are working together on their behalf and the people who work in early childhood are so skilled at making this happen. When I see children make successful transitions between home, early childhood settings, and kindergarten, that makes me smile because early childhood educators are at the center of that transition. You can see in those children's faces that they feel safe, secure, supported, and cared for. When I see children in early childhood settings who are just bursting with the love of learning and exploration, who just can't wait to move on to the next learning adventure, that makes me smile because early childhood educators know how to tap into children's joys and passions to spark learning. When I see those who educate and care for young children advocating for the rights of all children to have a strong, healthy start in life, that makes me smile because we are growing leaders and their leadership may make all the difference in the world to the one young child who needs it most.

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