student launch pad

Discovering the best direction for the futureAwaken Your Child’s Potential:

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As a parent, you want to awaken the potential in your son or daughter and watch their gifts come alive. Yet, how do you ignite your child’s future and launch them on a path where they can live into the potential you see in them?

One phrase that is often heard is to “begin with the end in mind,” which means you need to know where you are headed before you can start going there.1 However, before your son or daughter can begin deciding how to live out their purpose in life, they need to understand how they are wired.

It is often so tempting for parents to want to first jump to the how, telling your child how to get where you think they need to go and pushing them to go down the “right” path. The truth is, they won’t want to go down any path unless they know the reasoning behind it – the why. And they can’t begin to discover this until they know who they are.

Only after your child answers the question of “Who am I?” can you help them move onto the what and the why: “What is my purpose? Why is this important?” These address the deeper meaning behind how your child lives out his or her strengths. Finally, your child will then be able to start planning the action steps, answering the question, “How do I get there?”

Student Launch Pad follows this process throughout its program, and this book is designed so you can begin helping your child down this path of self-discovery toward action. By following these three key steps, you will be able to help your child know who they are and launch them toward success.Awaken Your Child’s Potential:

1 Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (New York: Free Press, Revised Edition, 2004)

Student Launch Pad’s vision is to launch students and recent graduates to their fullest potential by helping them discover and apply their purpose, passions, and strengths. Student Launch Pad embarks with students on a journey of self-discovery and

equips them for the future by teaching lifelong skills. We believe that having a job and having a passion can co-exist together. We show students how to combine their strengths and passions with the ability to support themselves in a

career. Student Launch Pad exists to take students to higher altitudes. Join us on the journey to ignite the future.

IntroduCtIon

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table of ContentsStEP onE: WHo Who am I? ......................... 1

Strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Competitive Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 STRENGTHS EXERCISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

StEP tWo: WHAt & WHY What is my purpose? Why is this important? ............ 8

Mission vs. Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Passions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 VISION EXERCISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

StEP tHrEE: HoW How do I get there? ..............14

Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Current Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Action Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN EXERCISE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

ConCLuSIon ..................24

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During the Student Launch Pad program, students discover their strengths, personality, interests, passions, and values. All of these components draw a complete picture of the student and are the foundation for finding a major and career that are a best fit.

Student Launch Pad begins with strengths discovery because it is fundamental to understanding the unique skills a student has to offer. Student Launch Pad graduates agree that discovering their strengths was central to

understanding who they are, and it gave them a new confidence for their future.

The following steps will take you through the process of helping your child discover their strengths. By answering the question “Who am I?” your child can begin to live authentically and make decisions according to how they are wired.

Who am I?

One college student, Aubrey2 , said, “After completing the program and learning my

strengths, I was able to begin college knowing what path I wanted to follow. It helped

me in deciding what major I wanted to focus on and figure out what I wanted to do

with my future.”2 Some names throughout the book have been changed for confidentiality purposes

StEP onE: Who

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StrengthsAs we age, our muscles atrophy, losing strength unless they are exercised. Similarly, your child’s talents will deteriorate unless they are exercised, trained, and nurtured. Therefore, these talents are often referred to as strengths.

“ Your talents…are the most important

raw material for strength building.

Identify your most powerful talents,

hone them with skills and knowledge,

and you will be well on your way

to living the strong life.” -Marcus

Buckingham and Donald Clifton, Now,

Discover Your Strengths3

In our culture, it is most common for teachers and parents to focus on a student’s weaknesses and try to “fix” them. One study4 found that 77% of parents in the United States believe that a student’s lowest grades deserve the most time and attention. This study suggests that students’ highest grades often go unrecognized. Instead, more time and attention should be directed toward the areas where students have the greatest potential. By focusing on and intentionally developing your child’s strengths, there is much more room for growth.

So how do you, as a parent, help your child to discover and develop their unique strengths?

1. What is their competitive advantage?

2. Practice these skills in new and challenging situations

Who am I?

For instance, when Emily first began the Student Launch Pad program, she had little confidence in her abilities. Because she was not a straight A student, she did not believe she had employable skills. Yet as she discovered her strengths,

she started to recognize her strong people skills. She began seeing how her ability to walk into a room of strangers and easily talk and connect with anyone was a valuable networking skill. “Before I started the program I thought that I wanted to be a nurse,”

Emily said. “After I had gone through the program, done the assessments, and the one-on-one coaching, I found that nursing might not be the path that I wanted, but that I really wanted to work with people through communications and public relations.”

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Competitive Advantage Athletes know the power that comes from focusing on their strengths. Champion athletes spend countless hours refining their talents to reach higher levels of performance. “No matter which sport you choose, the big winners all have one thing in common. They spend most of their time focusing on their strengths, the things they are naturally good at.”5 Similarly, your child will benefit from focusing on and refining what they do well. As professional athletes know, developing your strengths keeps you energized and excited, providing the chance to continually pursue new opportunities.

Businesses follow this principle as well. In Jim Collins’ Good to Great, he found that a key factor in an organization going from “good to great” was an understanding of and devotion to the one thing that company does better than anyone else.6 Businesses refer to this strategic advantage

as their competitive advantage, and this same concept can also be applied to your

child. What is it that your

child excels at and that exceeds expectations or surpasses their peers?

Experts in this field7 have narrowed down strengths into four categories: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking.

Based on these four categories, think about the strengths that your child exhibits. In what situations does your son or daughter feel most natural?

Is it when they are getting things done…ExECutIng

Leading a group or influencing someone to action…InfLuEnCIng

Building or maintaining relationships… rELAtIonSHIP BuILdIng

Or solving a complex problem? StrAtEgIC tHInkIng

Each one of these scenarios relates to the four strength categories.

3 Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton, Now, Discover Your Strengths (New York: Free Press, 2001)

4 Tom Rath, StrengthsFinder 2.0 (New York: Gallup Press, 2007)

5 Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt, The Power of Focus: What the World’s Greatest Achievers Know about the Secret to Financial Freedom and Success (Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc., 2000)

6 Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t (New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2001)

7 Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow (New York: Gallup Press, 2008)

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Who am I?

8Donald Clifton, Edward “Chip” Anderson, and Laurie Schreiner, StrengthsQuest: Discover and Develop your Strengths in Academics, Career, and Beyond (New York: Gallup Press, 2001)

9-12Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow (New York: Gallup Press, 2008)

As a parent, you can have a tremendous impact in helping to affirm your child’s strengths. Often students do not fully appreciate their strengths because they come to them so naturally and easily that they are taken for granted.8 By affirming your child’s strengths, you can let them know that their combination of talents is unique.

Read through the following questions and write down all of the words that come to mind when you picture your child operating at their best. As you go through this process, record specific examples of your child using these strengths, and share these occurrences with them to paint a vivid picture of all they have to offer.

• What is your child naturally gifted at?

• What kinds of activities or challenges are they most typically drawn to?

• What skills or knowledge do they pick up most quickly?

• When is your child so enthralled with what they are doing that they lose track of time?

Check all of the following questions that are true of your child to get a clearer picture of their type of strengths.

Executing Students with strengths in the Executing category “know how to make things happen. When you need someone to implement a solution, these are the people who will work tirelessly to get it done.” They know how to turn an idea into a reality. 9

Is your child highly motivated to achieve and be responsible for their actions?

If your child firmly believes in an idea, will they do anything to make it happen?

Does your child like to plan before starting big projects?

Is your child focused and deliberative when completing tasks?

Does your child seek to fix things and respond quickly to problems?

Influencing Being part of a team motivates students with strengths in the Influencing category. These students enjoy selling ideas, and they like to take charge. They will speak up when they have something to say and will also make sure that their group is heard.10

Does your child thrive in situations where they are in authority or doing something significant?

Is your child skilled at communicating to a group of people?

Is your child especially good at connecting with and getting to know someone they have just met for the first time?

Does your child exhibit a confident assurance? Does your child enjoy making people feel a part of the team?

relationship Building Students with Relationship Building strengths are “the essential glue that holds a team together.” These students bring individuals together to form a group that is greater than the sum of its parts.11

Is your child naturally good at empathizing? Does your child value harmony and like to focus on the positives?

Is your child gifted at getting others involved, connecting people, and welcoming them in? Does your child enjoy developing or mentoring others?

Is your child skilled at recognizing individuals’ unique strengths and what they have to offer?Strategic thinking Students with strengths in the Strategic Thinking category are focused on the potentials of the future. They are skilled at analyzing information and helping their team make the best possible decisions.12

Is your child constantly brainstorming new ideas?

Does your child enjoy thinking or strategizing about the future?

Does your child enjoy learning a wide variety of new topics and skills? Is your child good at analyzing a problem from multiple angles?

Is your child good at making well thought out decisions?

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Who am I?

Practice Just as muscles need to be resisted upon in order to gain strength, your child’s strengths must also be tested and tried in order to emerge and grow. However, many teenagers and young adults lack experience in applying their talents because they are afraid of the challenge and the risk of fail-ing. Yet reaching outside of your comfort zone is exactly where growth occurs.

Every champion athlete continually focuses on refining their strengths by practicing several hours every day to sharpen their skills.13 Similarly, your child needs to experience their strengths in action. Finding different experiences, whether volunteering, interning, or getting a job, requires that you learn and grow. Through these responsibilities, your child will be able to test out different skills and see how their strengths play out in the real world.

More ideas for how your child can practice their strengths are explained in Step Three: How Do I Get There. Before that, you will learn how to help your child recognize the purpose in using their strengths. Your child will be better able to move to action if they uncover the why first.

Liz, a college freshman, confidently started college knowing she wanted to major in International Business. Through Student Launch Pad’s assessments, Liz discovered her strengths, and she began exploring her talent for event planning. On top of excelling in her classes, she is gaining experience in event planning by working over 25 hours a week and running a non-profit she started that provides African children with shoes. Despite her busy schedule, Liz loves what she is doing and is energized rather than exhausted. When asked how she is able to manage everything, Liz attributes it to knowing her direction for the future, which she gained through the Student Launch Pad program. “I have so much more confidence now and know what I want to be doing,” says Liz. Gaining experience in the field she wants to go into provides Liz with opportunities to use and practice her strengths, keeping her busy doing what she loves.


During the Student Launch Pad program, students discover their strengths, personality, interests, passions, and values. All of these components draw a complete picture of the student and are the foundation for finding a major and career that is a best fit.

Student Launch Pad begins with strengths discovery because it is fundamental to understanding the unique skills a student has to offer. Student Launch Pad graduates agree that discovering their strengths was central to

understanding who they are, and it gave them a

new confidence for their future.

The following steps will take you through the process of helping your child discover their strengths. By answering the question “Who am I?” your child can begin to live authentically and make decisions according to how they are wired.

Section

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Mission vs. Vision Once your child has an understanding of who they are, it is important for them to understand the why: Why is their unique combination of strengths important?

A powerful exercise for your child to begin exploring their purpose is to develop a vision of their future. One of the most effective ways is to “begin with the end in mind” by writing a personal vision or mission statement.14

In an organization, a vision statement describes the desired future state of the company and what it wants to do. An organization’s mission statement explains how a company intends to accomplish the vision. In this sense, the vision is more of the why behind the what. The vision is why an organization exists, and the mission is what the organization does.

Some students prefer thinking of this motivational statement as a vision because it conveys a mental image that your child can visualize and focus on. A personal vision will keep your child working toward goals because they see “a picture of the desired future.”15 Others students are motivated by the idea of “being on a mission.”

“Real vision cannot be understood in

isolation from the idea of purpose. By

purpose, I mean an individual’s sense of

why he or she is alive.” -Peter Senge,

The Fifth Discipline

“To have a mission is to have a unifying

focus… It provides an answer to the

question, What should I do with my

life? Missions are powerful because

they focus your energy toward a useful

goal, and this in turn maximizes your

impact on your world – a crucial factor

in loving what you do.“ -Cal Newport,

So Good They Can’t Ignore You16

What wording your child prefers is not what’s important. The true power is the process of your child consciously thinking about their own purpose and how they want to work toward accomplishing it.

What is my purpose? Why is this important?

StEP tWo: What & Why

14 Stephen Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (New York: Free Press, Revised Edition, 2004)

15 Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (New York: Doubleday, Revised Edition, 2006)

16 Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love (New York: Business Plus, 2012)

17 Ronald Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Boston: Harvard University Press, 1998)

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Values In addition to understanding your child’s strengths, knowing what your child values is a key part to understanding their purpose in life. Values are what is valuable to someone – the definition of their character and what they consider important in life. Knowing your child’s standard of behavior will enable you to help them to make important decisions and clarify goals.17

For instance, if your child places a large value on commitment, they will make decisions based on their loyalty to a cause, group, or person.

Consider Grace, who even in the midst of a chaotic internship experience remained committed to completing her responsibilities. William, on the other hand, values control over commitment. In this same situation, he took control of his circumstance and completed what tasks he felt were most important. Neither response is right or wrong; it simply shows the difference in values.

Your child’s values will also help you understand their internal conflicts.

Thomas, for example, values both adventure and financial stability. He is torn over whether to take a more exciting summer job or one that he knows will provide stable income.

StEP tWo: What & Why

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Passions Knowing what your child is passionate about is also important for helping them see what energizes and engages them. Visions are said to create “ah-ha moments.”18 These moments reveal your passions and keep pulling you forward to make the work worthwhile.

Passions do not have to be neatly defined like

Liz’s passion for providing shoes for children in Africa.

Instead, passions can be more similar to a purpose your child feels drawn to or a general direction for their future.19

For instance, Caleb recognized his potential as a business leader because of his passion for casting vision for others and encouraging them toward a goal.

“Vision is a specific destination, a picture of the desired future.”20 Bringing the three components of strengths, values, and passions together draws this complete picture for your child’s future. The following exercise will lead your child through uncovering their purpose and why their strengths are important.

What is my purpose? Why is this important?

18-20 Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (New York: Doubleday, Revised Edition, 2006)

21 Richard Bolles, What Color is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2009)

A mission or vision statement can be broken down into three steps. In the bestselling book What Color is Your Parachute?, Richard Bolles says your vision or mission is uniquely yours and

• uses your talent, or greatest strength

• in place(s) or setting(s) that most appeal to you

• for purposes that are most needed in the world.21

Beginning with this framework, have your child:

1. Write one or two sentences that describe their strengths,

• This sentence should summarize the things that they do best.

• For example: I am at my best when I am strategically solving practical problems. Or, I am at my best when I use my strength of communication to lead others.

2. Describe the atmosphere where they fit best,

• This description should be based on how and in what settings they like to apply their strengths.

• For example: I use my strengths best in group settings where I can teach others. Or, I am most analytical when working in science labs.

3. Summarize how they want to make a difference in the world,

• This summary should highlight what they value in life and what they are passionate about.

• For example: I am motivated to end homelessness. Or, I value family and am passionate about helping orphaned children.

4. Bring their response together into one short paragraph.

• From the answers that your child has written, they should draw out what statements stand out the most and combine these ideas in a short paragraph or couple of sentences.

• For example: I will use my talents as a communicator to teach others, and I will use my social skills to bring people closer together in educational settings.

• Another example: I am at my best when I am analyzing real world environmental problems during science labs.

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How to write a personal mission or vision statement:

Like a spotlight directs one’s focus, so a vision should point your child in the right direction. This vision or mission is made up of your child’s strengths and how they desire to apply them, through understanding their passions and values. A vision must be inspirational and exciting for your child, so it becomes the stable factor in the midst of an ever-changing environment.22

Caleb, a college freshman, thought all throughout middle and high school that he was headed to Hollywood to go into high-budget film directing. “It wasn’t until the Student Launch Pad program that I realized that beyond any technical aspect of film and video production, what really got me fired up was the process of taking an idea and turning it into reality,” says Caleb. As he began to assess himself, he saw that what he enjoyed most about directing was inspiring others, empowering them to do their best, and casting vision for the overall project. Caleb began college already knowing his major, saying, “What I found out through the program is that the best way for me to truly use my passions and strengths is through business. It’s not that my passions and strengths have changed, but it’s really shed light on how I can best apply them going forward.”

It is often helpful for your child to explore their personality, passions, and values more before completing this exercise. A program like Student Launch Pad offers assessments and one-on-one coaching to help students discover who they are on a deeper level.

22 Jaepil Choi, “A Motivational Theory of Charismatic Leadership: Envisioning, Empathy, and Empowerment.” Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, Fall 2006 vol. 13 no. 1, 24-4312

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Now that your child understands who they are and why this is important, you can now (finally!) move onto the how. The best way for your child to understand the necessary actions that they need to take going forward is to look honestly at where they are now compared to where they want to be. This process sets their vision as the ideal and their current reality as the starting point. The contrast between your child’s vision of the future and the clear picture of their current reality produces “creative tension.”23

This creative tension is a positive experience, as your child will begin to gain a clear picture of how to reach their vision. This experience is similar to a rubber band, that when stretched creates tension between the vision and the current reality. The tension wants release, which will only occur if actions are taken to move the current reality closer and closer to the vision.24

This final section guides you through the process of helping your son or daughter set actionable goals to move them toward their vision or mission statement. A personal development plan is included at the end of this section for your child to fill out and for you to help them set action steps.

How do I get there?

StEP tHrEE: How

Courtney is a sophomore in high school with a vision of using her positivity and people skills to run her own business one day. Part of her mission includes a desire to attend college and work for companies in industries she is passionate about, such

as social work and criminal law. As she went through the personal development process with Student Launch Pad, she began to see that her current reality did not align with the goals she had in life. Initially, seeing this contrast discouraged her, but Courtney soon realized

the necessary steps she needed to take to get on track for her vision. As the new semester began, Courtney was very motivated to find volunteer opportunities with a local women’s shelter, and she scheduled time to shadow social workers and apply for internships.

Steps

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Vision At the top of the personal development plan, have your child write their personal mission statement that they have already developed. This statement will set their vision; so let your child dream. What would they do if they knew they couldn’t fail? How would they incorporate their strengths into this vision? Don’t judge their answers, just listen and try to help them envision this as clearly as possible.

Current reality Next, move to the bottom of the personal development plan to assess your child’s current reality. They should use their mission statement as a starting point to describe where they are now in relation to that vision.

Help your child see their current reality “as an ally, not an enemy.”25 Your child may have trouble articulating their vision, even if they deeply desire it. This hesitancy is probably because they

are becoming aware of the gap between their vision and their current reality.

However, this gap is what

will drive them and help them accomplish more than they thought possible. It can actually be a source of energy because if there were no gap between the vision and reality then there would be no need for them to take any action toward their vision.26

To fully benefit from this exercise, help your child be inquisitive and try to see their reality as clearly as possible. One way is to seek out feedback from others. Your child could ask a teacher how well they lead in a classroom or seek input from teammates on how they use their strengths. The key is for your child to record both positive and negative components of their current reality. This description should be tied directly to the vision.

For instance, if your son desires to use his leadership strengths to start his own business one day, where is he now in relation to that goal? Does he have leadership positions in a school club? Is he taking business classes or has he interned at a start-up organization? Remember, this section reflects where your child is now, not what they plan to do. The action steps come last.

StEP tHrEE: How

23-26 Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (New York: Doubleday, Revised Edition, 2006)

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Below are questions to help your child start thinking about his or her current reality:

Experience:1. What jobs or internships have you had?

Include any relevant jobs/internships you have held during the past couple years.

2. What were your main responsibilities at those jobs? Be specific and focus on what you accomplished and how you were valuable to past employers, in relation to your vision of the future.

Activities:3. What clubs, sports, organizations, or

committees have you been involved in?

4. Have you held any leadership positions; if so, what were your responsibilities and results from your leadership?

5. Have you done any volunteer work for an organization or company? (i.e. church, school, community service, non-profit, etc.)

6. Have you completed any projects or coursework that are relevant to the vision you want to pursue?

Action Steps The next step of the process finally addresses the how and determines the action steps that your child intends to take in order to use their strengths and reach their vision.

As mentioned previously, children growing up in this generation are by and large not used to pushing themselves and risking failure. They are hesitant to experience stepping out of their comfort zones, making it difficult for them to see their strengths in action.

As a parent, it is important to help your child commit to specific action steps and engage in experiences that are outside of their comfort zone. They are not always going to love what they are involved in or what work they are doing.27 Instead of focusing on what value they are gaining from an experience, it is more important to help your child see what value they are bringing to an organization, a club, or a team. This perspective will make your child aware of the strengths they have to offer.

“It’s hard to predict in advance what

you’ll eventually grow to love.”

-Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t

Ignore You

How do I get there?

27 Cal Newport, So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love (New York: Business Plus, 2012)

28 Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice (New York, Portfolio / Penguin, 2011)

29 Tim Elmore, Artificial Maturity: Helping Kids Meet that Challenge of Becoming Authentic Adults (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012)

It is therefore more important to keep improving and become better at what you do. This perseverance will leave your child feeling accomplished and better able to articulate what aspects of an experience they did enjoy.

Whatever activity or experiences your child decides to engage in will have its high and low points. Many students are tempted to quit their volunteer position, step down from a leadership role, or not commit to any club or organization in the first place. Setting action items with your child and determining what activities to intentionally say “yes” to will require that your child learn discipline, or “doing what needs doing regardless of how you feel in the moment.”28

There is a lot of value to waiting tables, interning as an office secretary, volunteering at the food bank, or running for class president. Intentionally choosing these experiences pushes your child out of their comfort zone and allows them to grow their strengths by taking “mini-risks.” Patience and perseverance through a failure or difficult experience teach children vital life lessons. They learn resilience as they struggle through a problem, and perseverance also allows their strengths to develop and shine through.29

Through Student Launch Pad’s program, Grace discovered her organizational skills and conducted informational interviews in the event-planning industry. These interviews presented Grace with an event-planning internship opportunity. Yet as she began interning, she quickly realized how disorganized and chaotic the project was that she was helping to plan. Initially she was frustrated with the lack of communication and follow-through, and many students probably would have quit the internship in her position. However, by staying outside of her comfort zone and persevering through the confusion, Grace learned how necessary her organizational skills are in the event field. What from an outside perspective could look like a failed internship experience actually gave Grace assurance that she was pursing the right career path.

“Comfort is frequently the enemy of greatness. When you choose to default to comfort, you are

choosing to be less effective in your life.” -Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative

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Some students, once they recognize the gap between their current reality and vision of the future, want to start saying “yes” to every opportunity, whether it fits into their long-term goals or not. Instead, help your child focus on what specific opportunities align with their vision. These decisions will require your child to say “no” to many seemingly good opportunities, which is often a difficult choice. The question, however, is whether they are good for them specifically. Help your child understand that what they decide to participate in – or choose not to – will affect the trajectory of reaching their vision. Teach your child that by “saying no to other activities that may bring you more comfort in the moment [you] are trading immediate gratification for future insights.”30

Other students are going to be overwhelmed by the tension between their current reality and vision. They might feel stuck, not knowing what actions to take. Many students are hesitant to work because it does not align perfectly with their vision of an ideal job. However, parents need to encourage their children to try different experiences because they will never fully understand what work they love to do until they put their talents into practice. As your child takes ownership of their actions, they will soon unlock new capabilities, uncover new passions, and experience “how it feels to be fully immersed in your work and know that you’re good at what you do.”31 How do you encourage your child to take risks in order to develop their natural talents?

How do I get there?

30-31 Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice (New York, Portfolio / Penguin, 2011)

Ellis, a junior in college, states, “Going into college knowing

my strengths really set me up to find the things on campus

that I was most passionate about and find where I fit on

campus the best. It also freed me up to say no to some

things, knowing that it didn’t match up with my strengths

quite as well.”

During his senior year of high school, Nick continually questioned what he wanted to do after graduation. He considered the military but then changed his mind. He wanted to go to college but did not feel ready. He thought taking a gap year between high school and college was his best option, but he did not know what opportunities to explore. Although his mom was very connected and presented him with a lot of options, such as participating in a program to spend the year abroad or working at a children’s camp, Nick was afraid to pursue anything for fear that it would not be a perfect match. He expected any job or program to match his strengths and ideal work environment one hundred percent. By going through Student Launch Pad’s assessments, Nick began exploring what type of jobs and experiences were a best fit. He learned that he liked people-oriented jobs that allowed him to use his artistic strengths. He decided to start small and take “mini-risks” in order to gain experiences and knowledge of what particular career he enjoys. He set up appointments with contacts in fields he was interested in, and he sought out opportunities to shadow at a job or complete a three-month internship. By starting small, he was able to gain the confidence to try something new while still not feeling like he had to commit long-term. He learned that the best way to discover what major and career to pursue is through hands-on experiences.

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How do I get there?

Your child’s action steps will be unique depending on their vision of the future. However, here are ideas to help your child start thinking about potential actions they can take to ignite their future:

1. Experiential learning Experiential learning is like it sounds: learning through experiences. As discussed above, encourage your son or daughter to try new experiences, whether it be participating in a sport they have never tried or running for a leadership position in a club. Also encourage your child to apply for a summer job or internship. Starting with a small commitment, such as a semester long internship, will allow them to build up small successes and confidence.

2. Intentional practice In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, he explains, “Excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice.”32 In other words, for your child to truly develop their talents they need opportunities to practice them. Is your son gifted at public speaking? Help him find and take advantage of opportunities to practice this strength. Does your daughter have leadership strengths? Encourage her to start her own club at school. The more opportunities your child has to practice their strengths, the more

they will stretch beyond their comfort zones and grow immensely.

3. Self reflection As your child tries new activities, it is important to teach them how to reflect on these experiences. Without focused times of reflection, lessons are missed, and it is difficult to fully comprehend the learning and growth that have taken place. Below are suggestions for how to make learning a conscious process, and applying these with your son or daughter will help them learn the most from their experiences.33

• When your child is midway through a big project or assignment, it is helpful to pause and reflect on how the process has been going so far. Ask them what is going well, what is not going as planned, and what changes can be made going forward. This reflection is particularly helpful if your child is discouraged and needs an extra push to continue. Also reflect on the small successes along the way to provide momentum for the rest of the journey.

• When your child has finished something major, such as completing a large presentation or putting on a big event, it is important to stop and examine what happened. Ask your child questions, such as what went well and what

32 Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2008)

33-34 Susan Gebelein, et al., Successful Manager’s Handbook: Development Suggestions for Today’s Managers (Minneapolis, MN: Personnel Decisions International, 6th Edition, 2000)

35 Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice (New York, Portfolio / Penguin, 2011)


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needs improvement. To learn from success, help your child see exactly what they did to succeed, and ask them questions about how they can apply that learning in the future.

• Throughout any growth period, it is important to tune into your child’s emotions and enable them to identify them. Negative emotions can be used as motivation to “draw your attention to something that may need changing, or to identify future areas of growth.”34 Positive emotions will help your child understand what actions brought about this satisfaction.

• When your child fails at something, it is important to view these mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth. Communicating failures in this way will make your child more willing to keep taking necessary risks in the future. Ask your child what they learned from the experience and what they would do differently next time. Encourage them to take responsibility for their actions and not focus on blaming others. Even if others’ shortcomings played a part in the failure, redirect the focus to how your child can prepare for others’ mistakes next time.

4. Finding a Mentor Sometimes it may be difficult to help your child reflect and begin to plan next action steps. In many cases, students are able to be more open and vulnerable with an adult they are not related to but greatly respect. Encourage your child to seek out a mentor, who will encourage them to think critically about experiences and how to apply their strengths. Your child will respect the practical advice of mentors who have already traveled on the path that your child is about to go down.35

5. Networking and Shadowing One of the key habits that successful people have is regularly meeting with others who are more experienced.36 Learning from mentors is one way to continually grow, but another strategy is to meet with a variety of professionals in fields you are interested in learning about more. Shadowing someone in an industry of interest will help your child see a career first-hand. Again, this technique goes back to experimental learning of actually doing and participating in order to learn.

As a side note: It will be a lot easier for your child to talk about their failures if you are willing to share your mistakes as well. When you can openly share what you are currently learning, it will make your child more comfortable to be vulnerable. It also reinforces that challenging yourself and risking failure is a necessary part of growth.

Through Student Launch Pad’s assessments, Brandon discovered his strengths and began exploring his talent for marketing. The informational interviews that Brandon completed during the program gave him insight into the industry, both in a corporate environment and at a small firm. Although students sometimes feel uncomfortable conducting informational interviews, Brandon made valuable connections, which presented him with internship opportunities in the marketing field.

Emily also set up informational interviews to gain more knowledge about the public relations field. One of her meetings led to an internship offer with a social media firm, which she was also able to earn college credit for completing.

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What is your personal mission statement? What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? How do you desire to use your strengths?

Vis

ion

Curr

ent

rea

lity

Action Steps What steps do you plan on taking to close the gap between where you are now and where you want to be? Focus on critical priorities: What do you want

to change or develop?

Implement something new: How will you push

yourself outside of your comfort zone?

Where are you now? Use your vision statement as a

starting point to describe your

current reality.

Include positives and negatives.

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This process is designed to spark discussions about how you as a parent can help ignite your child’s future. Although this action plan is only the beginning of your child’s self-development, it will awaken their potential, creating momentum for making successful choices about the future.

It is never too early or too late to begin discovering your purpose and all that you have to offer. As your child begins taking the initial steps down the path that will shape their future, encourage them with Henry David Thoreau’s words; “if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

Conclusion

Student Launch Pad is designed to further your child’s

self-discovery and determine their best direction for

the future. Student Launch Pad’s assessments and one-

on-one coaching will jumpstart your child’s personal

development and dig deep to uncover what majors and

careers fit well with their interests and what strengths

they bring to a job. Students learn to discover what

environments best fit their personality and what

industries are suited to their values and passions.

To learn more about how Student Launch Pad can ignite your child’s future, visit www.studentlaunchpad.com.

don’t wait any longer to ignite your future.

For more information:studentlaunchpad.com

or call 866.678.3609

“I wish I had this program 20 years ago!” – neil, parent of Student Launch Pad student

“My coach helped me figure out where I best fit into a major and career.”

– Caleb, Student Launch Pad student

CoPYrIgHtCopyright © 2013 by Student Launch Pad. All rights reserved. no portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means—except for brief quotations in published reviews—without the prior written permission of the author.

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