1. Being a team player. This can be a tough one to wrap your mind around: even when you’re in charge, it’s not all about you. One major element of being a good leader is working with other people, not expecting them to work for you. You’ll have the opportunity to work on plenty of group projects in your high school classes, and most extracurriculars—drama, sports, debate team, you name it—feature team involvement of some kind. Make sure that you’re encouraging every member of your teams in order to boost morale and increase productivity. Here’s what being a team player looks like:

Listening to other people’s ideas with the willingness to implement them.

Compromising for the good of the team and the project.

Delegating. You shouldn’t shoulder all the work just because you’re in charge of the project; a good leader knows what to assign to others.

2. Independence. Yes, it’s important to be a team player. But you also need to develop your independence; you’re not expected to think the same as anyone else. If you can do the following things, you’ll be able to confidently present yourself to others in a positive way and be more productive.  Here’s what being an independent leader looks like:

Working on your own and making decisions without constant affirmation or supervision.

Developing your own opinion, regardless of what the popular opinion is.

Being comfortable standing your ground on issues you’re passionate about.

3. Communication: Being able to communicate with others is absolutely necessary for becoming an effective leader. You’ll never be leading in a vacuum; there will always be other people involved that need to know what your plan is in order to accomplish their jobs. Classes and extracurriculars like theater, English, and student government will all teach you valuable communication skills, as well as give you lots of practice. Here’s what communicating well as a leader looks like:

Being comfortable giving presentations to large and small groups.

Writing clearly. Emails and reports are part of practically every degree and job.

Keeping everyone in the loop with project updates and developments.

Being accessible, both in the way you talk and by being physically present.

4. Accountability: Accountable leaders follow through on their promises, whether they seem like a big deal or not. Deadlines are less flexible in the real world than they are in high school, and the stakes are higher. Use high school to practice keeping your commitments and taking responsibility for your mistakes. In high school this looks like:

Not checking out of your classes partway through the year (even if you have a serious case of senioritis!).

Completing your portion of a group assignment on time.

Communicating with teachers, group/team members, and anyone else involved if you need more time or more support.

5. Creativity: Being a creative leader doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re a great artist or musician. What it does mean is that you can think about problems from multiple angles. Good leaders aren’t stumped when they encounter a roadblock; instead, they brainstorm ideas of how to get around the roadblock. Creative problem-solving takes a lot of brainpower, but it’s a defining characteristic of good leaders. Here are a few examples of creative problem-solving in high school:

Resolving a scheduling conflict, either in your own class schedule or the school’s calendar of events

Finding a new, less expensive venue for an event you’re helping plan

Trying new ideas to help encourage people to donate canned goods for a drive

It also might mean noticing a pain point and coming up with ideas to remedy it; for example, if you notice students wondering how to get more community service hours for college applications, you might create a club focused on volunteer work or plan a school-sponsored blood drive. 


It’s no secret being a good leader will help you succeed in business. High school is the ideal time to start developing leadership skills—not because it will help your college applications (though it definitely will!), but because high school is a time and place where you’re exposed to a wide variety of people and experiences. You’ll take classes and extracurriculars that will teach you different aspects of leadership, and you’ll be able to learn from and with the people around you. Read on for our top five leadership skills to develop in high school. 

Top 5 Leadership Skills to Develop in High School

Keep in mind as you’re planning your high school classes and extracurriculars that colleges will want to see how you’ve gained leadership skills and experiences throughout high school. Approaching your activities with this in mind will make it easier for you when you’re filling out college applications!

Whether you’re playing team sports, like volleyball or soccer, or individual sports, like tennis singles or cross country, participating in high school sports is a great way to develop leadership skills. Don’t get too hung up on whether or not you make varsity, or whether or not you’re chosen as team captain. Instead, focus on working hard, being reliable, and encouraging others. Being a team player and putting in the effort necessary to be a great athlete will automatically teach you leadership skills and make others see you as a leader. 

Another great way to use sports to develop leadership skills is to volunteer to coach a little league team or work at a sports summer camp. You’ll be in an official position of leadership, which will give you great practice trying out your leadership skills. Not to mention, it’ll look great on a college application.

Stage productions are like huge group projects; everyone has a different function, but all are important for the success of the production. No matter what your role in the production, be you on stage crew or in the cast, you’ll have opportunities to demonstrate leadership skills by keeping others in order and giving direction that will keep everyone safe, on task, and on track to produce a great show. 

Stage performing also teaches public speaking skills. Even though your words will usually be scripted, becoming comfortable in front of an audience in a stage production will seriously improve your confidence off-stage, too. You don’t need to have a leading role or a solo to become confident in front of an audience, either; being a member of the ensemble will give you plenty of opportunities to present yourself onstage and become comfortable with performing. 

Being in a club is an easy way to gain leadership experience. You can start your own club or run for club office, the two most common ways to become a club leader, or you can assign yourself a role without election. See what your club needs to be more successful--maybe you could use more members, or more funding, or a better presence at Club Day events--and take initiative to make those improvements. Even if you don’t have an official club leadership position, you’ll begin to have leadership opportunities and be seen as a leader. 

NHS is an honor roll-type society that provides leadership training, community service opportunities, and college prep support to eligible 10-12 graders. In order to qualify for admission, you need at least a 3.0 GPA and demonstrated leadership experience. It’s worth it to consider joining NHS just because of the leadership training and community service opportunities you’ll have access to, but one of the biggest reasons to join is that you’ll be surrounded by other hard-working, goal-oriented students. 

If your school doesn’t already have a chapter of NHS, you can encourage your principal to start one.

There will always be opportunities for leadership in volunteer work. Even if you’re not in an official position of leadership, volunteer organizations and projects will always benefit from enthusiastic, knowledgeable participants who can show other volunteers the ropes and make a good impression on the community. 

Look for volunteer opportunities that coincide with your passions. If you love to read, sign up to read with struggling elementary school students once a week. If you have loved ones with Alzheimers or cancer, volunteer to help at walk-a-thons to raise money for medical research. Whatever you choose to do, make sure it’s something you really care about so you’ll be inclined fully participate.

You can also consider participating in summer programs that will hone your business and leadership skills. You'll learn about what makes a business successful, what it's like to work at today's top companies, and how to start a career in business. 

All high school extracurriculars will teach you leadership skills and give you opportunities to put them into practice. But if you’re looking for a little more guidance, or some specifics on how extracurriculars will prepare you to be a leader, read on. We’ve compiled a list of common extracurriculars and the leadership opportunities they’ll provide.

What High School Extracurriculars Will Give Me Leadership Experience?

Leadership-in-high-school

Top 5 Leadership Skills to Develop in High School

What High School Extracurriculars Will Give Me Leadership Experience?