4 Questions to Ask your Student Leaders

Developing student leaders can seem daunting to many student pastors, and many of us don’t feel prepared to take it on. Many of us are good at engaging in conversation with our students to encourage them to step into leadership roles. In this blog, I’d like to look at how we equip our students for leadership.

I’ve come to define leadership development as a series of ongoing conversations. Like any good conversation, there is the initial point of connection, which I call engaging, and then we get to the heart of that conversation. The longer you find yourself in these leadership conversations, the deeper your relationship with your student grows, and the deeper the relationship, the better the conversation is. When it comes to engaging and equipping leaders, there has to be a personal touch to the process. If engaging people with leadership opportunities is the beginning of the conversation, equipping is the follow-up questions we ask throughout the journey. I’d like to give you some of those questions I ask my students. These are questions I constantly ask of all my student leaders, but especially new leaders or those stepping into new roles.

1. What Do You Feel Went Well? What Didn’t?

I typically ask this question after someone has done something for the first time, but that’s not always the case. This can be a helpful question to ask after any leadership task has been completed. At this point, affirm the things they did well and coach them on the things they didn’t. Have a conversation with them that is both life-giving and helps them grow for the next time they have to step into that role. Taking in their feelings in this way may seem trivial, but it’s important because you’re considering their thoughts and emotions. After a student engages in something unfamiliar, they’re in an extremely vulnerable position. Make sure to take some time to help them process these feelings.

2. What Did You Learn?

Whether it’s stepping onto the stage to speak for the first time or making plans for an upcoming event that they’ve done a few times already, there’s always something leaders can learn to improve their leadership. Asking your students this question forces them to think about how it went and process any takeaways they may have learned. Self-evaluation is a necessary step for any leader, especially young leaders who want to grow. It’s not always easy, and sometimes it requires some tough honesty, but it’s part of the growth process.

3. What Are You Going to Do with What You’ve Learned?

It’s one thing to recognize what we’ve learned and another to apply that knowledge to our lives. Knowledge is a great tool, but we won't benefit from it unless we seek to use it. For instance, if a student discovered that they weren’t as clear in their communication as they believed they were, they now need to apply that knowledge to improve their communication skills. If not, the next time they find themselves in that role, they’ll repeat the same mistake. If they choose to take what they’ve learned and apply it, they’ll be a much better communicator the next time they need it.

4. What Can I Do to Support You?

This is more of a traditional idea of equipping leaders. “What resource or resources do you need to help you lead better?” Many times, that resource is going to be you. To stick with the communication example from earlier, if you’re a good communicator, you can coach that student in their communication skills. It may be something as simple as talking slower or louder, but it might take a little more intentional coaching. When we ask, “How can I support you?” and actually follow up on that need, it builds confidence and trust in your students. They need to know you have their backs and that you’ll be a safety net for them if their wings don’t work just yet. Every time you “catch and coach” someone you lead, their confidence in you and themselves grows.

Personally, I’ll give constructive criticism and guidance throughout this whole journey. But I’ve learned that if students reach answers to these questions themselves instead of being fed the answers, what they learn really sticks.

Equipping your student leaders isn’t about having all the right answers; it’s about being consistent, present, and asking the right questions alongside them as they continue to grow.

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

1. Think through the continuing conversations you need to have with those in student leadership and those you’d like to bring into student leadership. How can you help them along the journey of growing as a leader? What are some ways you can “catch and coach” your students?
2. What can you do to help your leaders recognize their growth areas on their own instead of just giving them the answers? Do you have any resources on hand that you think might be helpful for them?