Success Strategies for Teenagers

What are Success Strategies?

Research has shown that “peak performers” are distinguished from the rest by their Emotional Intelligence – attributes such as awareness of one’s strengths and non-strengths, emotional self-control, achievement drive, adaptability, empathy, initiative, inspiring others and building bonds. These attributes mould success strategies.

Why they are important?

· Students who are empowered with the strategic skills better understand themselves and others around them, their fears and ambitions. They understand how to channel their energies more constructively into the things that matter most to their success and others around them.

· Students who are more highly motivated (and skilled to stay motivated) about their studies, school life and life in general engage even more effectively at school

· Students can become better “team players”, and recognise the value of social interaction and understand how putting the “team first” is so important to their eventual success and fulfillment in life.

Why do teenagers need the strategies now?

Traditionally, emotional and strategic skills are developed through “osmosis” and “life experiences” garnered through the variety of activities fostered through our school system. However, the need to build upon this in a more concerted and systematic manner has become more evident.

· Jobs that have a high “technical” orientation are now being outsourced more and more to third world nations. There is a growing need for our next generation to be even more flexible, adaptable, creative, to confidently take calculated risks, to be able to communicate, lead and influence.

· We live in an era of “instant gratification” (counter to habits required for sustainable long term success and fulfillment), where Facebook has become a substitute for meaningful playground wrestles and banter. And yet, our future demands that our students become even better team players with sophisticated communications and relationship building skills.

· There is a constant, ever growing pressure and competition for academic (“paper”) qualifications which focus on “technical” and cognitive intelligence often at the expense of emotional or interpersonal skills

· The influx of migrants from backgrounds that value “academic” excellence over all else is, we believe, creating a significant imbalance in the balanced development of the individual.

Parents are often anxious over their inability to motivate or influence their “intellectually” gifted children to go “above and beyond”, to socialise and engage in schools. Do we understand why teenagers seem to be far too attached to the emotional gratification they receive from their computers, i-Phones, i-Pods and i-Pads?

Article by Mr. Dominic Siow, EQ Strategist