A recent Forbes article pointed to seven crippling behaviors that keep children from growing into leaders. What really intrigued us was one of the tips on overcoming these behaviors: “furnish projects that require patience, so they [children] learn delayed gratification.” Goal setting is the perfect way to accomplish this, as well as foster the leadership skills. We want to take some time to provide resources on empowering teens who have not yet developed those leadership skills.

These tasks require motivation and initiative; with teenagers more so than others. But are adults the best resource for them? Sometimes, not. Those raising teenagers can testify to the desire of their teens wanting to be with people their own age. The reason for this is not only to break from their parents’ image, but by being with other teens they begin to form their own identities and frame their goals for life.

In an effort to empower teens, we have provided some resources and advice on teens below to help you motivate your teenagers to set goals and continue to follow through.

1. Set your own goal

This could be a family activity or something you privately share with your teenager, but set an attainable goal for yourself and show your continued progress. Your teen still learns from you and this action can speak volumes.

2. Encourage them to share goals

Next, share your goals. While they may not share with you, encourage your teen to write down goals and share them with peers. A great resource to use for a peer-to-peer forum is In Search of Me Café [LINK TO WEBSITE WITH TEST OF CONTENT/FORUM?]. This is a unique content delivery system that combines education, entertainment and interaction in a peer-to-peer environment. The content that is shared is developed from the most recognized experts in self-help and educational fields. The teens that participate in the program support each other in a way that teenagers can understand and relate to. For more information on the In Search of Me Café platform, visit [LINK TO SITE WITH DESCRIPTION ON CONTENT AND SUBSCRIPTION].

3. Follow Up

Feedback from teenagers tends to be limited to one or two word answers, so you can instead follow up with them on the goal you set. Share your accomplishments and struggles. Talk about how you have worked through them. Soon enough those one or two word answers may become a conversation, even if it is with their peers. You have given them a great example of taking ownership and built a foundation for leadership skills. You can even celebrate your success together and show the accomplishments of motivation and hard work.

For more resources and teen advice, check out www.InSearchofMeCafe.org. For your teens, we encourage you to consider subscribing to the content provided by In Search of Me Café and connecting your teenagers to a global community where they can begin the process of helping themselves and other peers.