hTe TRU-GUT Method originates from the foundation of “Trust your gut”, which became my main principle for leading in my personal and professional life. It is the path that I chose to follow in order to discover that Leadership was not simply a random tendency of mine to give purpose to myself and others. It was something that had been developing through the way I observed situations, made decisions, interacted with people and reflected on my experiences. The TRU-GUT Method is based on this process. It supports young learners in moving away from simply acquiring knowledge and towards creating their own understanding of what they observe, choose and reflect on. It teaches them that knowledge is important, but knowledge on its own is not enough. Knowledge needs to be used in real-life situations and projects that allow learners to apply what they know, become more self-aware and develop their own critical thinking skills.
Since Leadership often hides in plain sight, self-awareness stands at its core and this is the first skill that a young learner should focus on. However, self-awareness includes many other skills and certainly takes time to develop. By dedicating this time to useful procedures through which young learners enhance their communication skills and interact with their peers, they also have the opportunity to develop many other skills, such as decision-making, organizational skills, adaptability and responsibility. This is why communication is another significant part of the application of the TRU-GUT Method. Young learners need to communicate in order to understand themselves, understand others and take action, and this is where the use of language plays a vital role in their development.
The use of language is not simply a way to express ideas. It is also a way to share feelings, deal with conflicts and reflect on what you have learnt after having an experience. This is why young learners should learn to use appropriate language in different situations. Language can eventually become an important means of building a resilient personality because it gives learners a way to express what they think and feel instead of simply reacting to situations. Emotional regulation, rather than simple reaction, is one of the crucial skills that a student can develop through this process. It is also connected with confidence and with the ability to move from “What should I do?” to “What can I do?”
Learning that they cannot do everything and realizing that negotiation is not always enough can be an essential life lesson for young learners. They need to experience situations in which they cannot immediately get what they want and need to find another way forward. This is why, instead of simply referring to the numerous skills that can also be found analyzed in my book The Leadership Manifesto, we should ask ourselves whether there is anything that young learners cannot learn when they are given the opportunity to take initiatives on things that matter to them. This is also one of the common setbacks in Education. Educators often complain that students are indifferent, but is indifference really the main reason why students do not take action? Or have we sometimes failed to give them something meaningful enough to take action on?
Leadership is not about being the first person to lead or about always being the person who takes control. Leadership is about realizing what you can do to solve a problem, choosing the best way to approach it and taking action. This is what students can learn through the TRU-GUT Method. They become aware that they cannot achieve their goals without effort, patience and persistence and that, in some situations, they may also need to make compromises that they would not normally want to make. They learn that even when they have developed many of the skills that a leader needs, there is another important step: they need to be able to see themselves as leaders.
Young learners do not need to wait until they become adults to reach this kind of awareness. They need opportunities to experience it earlier. They need educators who can recognize their potential, give them meaningful opportunities to take action and guide them towards understanding what Leadership can mean for them. The TRU-GUT Method is designed to create these opportunities and to help young learners discover that Leadership is not something that belongs to their future. It can already be part of the way they learn, think, choose and act.
Leadership should not be confused with being the most confident child in the classroom, being the person who speaks the most or being the child who naturally takes control of a group. These behaviors may sometimes be connected with Leadership, but Leadership is much broader than that.