90 Helpful And Inspiring Leadership Journaling Prompts

We are all familiar with leaders. Leadership journaling prompts can help us reflect on how leaders have been a part of our lives since we were young. They may have come in the form of a political leader like the mayor of our town or city, or have been a teacher or school principal.

Those individuals who are true leaders inspire us, have the ability to delegate, relay information in an effective manner, and help us to build our own skills.

Leaders come in all different shapes and sizes. We tend to think of leaders as those who have great confidence, take charge and have a loud voice, who make decisions quickly and easily, and give direction to others to carry out tasks.

However, leadership journaling prompts can also be quiet and collaborative, and still be effective and inspire others to grow.

The fact is that there is more than one leadership style.

Many people possess leadership abilities but do not recognize it. A very good friend of mine is an excellent example of this.

She had been a teacher for a number of years and enjoyed teaching. She also ran the school choir, coached various teams, and was always eager to sit on a committee.

She had never seen herself as a leader, nor ever thought of becoming involved in the administration side of education.

She didn’t particularly like taking charge, preferring to work collaboratively with her colleagues. She didn’t see herself as ‘leadership material’.

When a friend at work spoke to her about the idea of becoming a vice principal, her initial reaction was a firm no, but the idea kept creeping into her thoughts, and she eventually decided to try it out and see if it was for her.

It ended up that administration was for her, and she dedicated many years to being first a vice principal, then a principal in a number of schools in her board.

She continues to enjoy the role, and has positively impacted the lives of many teachers and students.

Do you have leadership potential? Is it possible that you, like my friend, have simply not tapped into the leadership capabilities you possess?

Join me as I look at journal prompts for leadership and discover your leadership potential.

Journal Prompts For An Effective And Continuous Leadership

I have given the example of a friend who is a leader in education, but there are opportunities for leadership everywhere.

Leadership opportunities abound right where we live.

Have you ever thought of becoming involved in a committee in your community? Perhaps you would like to volunteer to sit on a committee for a charity?

Do you see a need for something in your town or city and would like to spearhead action in this area?

Exploring your interests and recognizing the leadership skills you have are steps that can lead to involvement that yields great personal satisfaction and benefits your community.

In the town where I live we are very fortunate to have an arts festival theater which brings world-class musicians to the community every summer and fall.

There is an extremely active group of volunteers, and also an executive which meets regularly to discuss ideas for improvement, and reviews the running of the festival.

Those in our community who have an interest in the arts as well as an interest in being part of an executive can be involved in this way.

The prompts which follow will get you thinking about your areas of interest. For example, this prompt will make you reflect on your values and priorities:

If you had ten million dollars to give to charities of your choice, what three would you choose and why?

The next prompt gets you thinking about your ideas around the concept of leadership. Exploring these kinds of quotes can help you to recognize the leadership qualities which you possess yourself.

Describe what it takes for a person to earn your respect. It might be a teacher, friend or family member. Pick one person whom you admire for their leadership skills and write about the traits that make them special and how they have influenced you in some way.

Take a look at the other prompts in this list and get inspired to tap into your leadership potential!

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23 Journal Prompts For An Effective & Continuous Leadership

1. "A home in the community has burned. Tell how you would help the family recover from the loss."

2. "There are several qualities one must have to become a great leader. Some of those include the ability to inspire, the ability to delegate, commitment, and confidence. Which of these qualities do you think is the most important one for a leader? Write an essay explaining why you chose that one quality."

3. "You may have heard the expression, “he’s a born leader.” Do you think that’s true? Is someone a born leader or was he taught the skills of leadership throughout his life? If you think it’s a skill which can be taught, what types of things can a person do to learn leadership skills? Write an essay giving several examples."

4. "Someone in your class throws a crumpled up paper at the teacher when her back is turned. No one admits to doing it, so the teacher decides that one half of the class (the side of the room from where the paper obviously was thrown) must come in during recess as punishment. You lucked out since you are in the half of the class that does NOT have to miss recess. However, do you think the punishment is fair? If yes, would you think it was fair if you sat on the other side of the classroom? "

5. "Your town hospital is seeking volunteers. Your friend wants to be a volunteer and asks you to write a letter to the Hospital Volunteer Coordinator recommending her for the volunteer job. Write this letter, explaining why your friend is an excellent candidate to be a volunteer."

6. "Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say“. This is a fancier way of saying action speaks louder than words. Should a leader lead with their actions or inspire with their words?"

7. "Everyone of us has succumbed to peer pressure at one time or another in our lives. Write about a time when you did something wrong because you felt pressured to do so. Do you consider the person who convinced you to do this wrong thing a leader, even if he or she led you in a bad way?"

8. "Describe what it takes for a person to earn your respect. It might be a teacher, friend or family member. Pick one person whom you admire for their leadership skills and write about the traits that make them special and how they have influenced you in some way."

9. "If you had ten million dollars to give to charities of your choice, what three would you choose and why?"

10. "American author Kenneth Blanchard has said, “The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority.” Give an example of this in your own life by writing about a time you showed leadership by using your influence."

11. "Write about someone you consider a mentor."

12. "Write about a patriotic holiday that has special meaning to you and how you would get more people to participate in its celebration."

13. "You have been chosen to represent your school at an international conventions for students to be held in Paris, France. Therefore, you have been asked to write a letter to the editor of your local paper explaining the prestigious award and what you will be discussing with the other students."

14. "A leader is defined as a person who guides or directs other people. In other words, he is a person who influences people. Yet many celebrities and music makers influence people in ways that are not good and which can actually be harmful. Are they still leaders? Write an essay on what you think the definition of a leader should be. "

15. "Your best friend starts making fun of the new kid in school because her clothes are not fashionable and out of style. What do you do or say to your friend? Would you stand up and publicly say something or would you wait until you were alone with your friend and confront her? Or conversely, would you say nothing at all for fear of losing her friendship? Choose an answer and write an essay defending why you would handle the situation that particular way."

16. "Why is it so important to some kids to be popular in Middle School?"

17. "There is a proverb which states, Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Can you think of an example where someone in power became too powerful; so much so that they ended up being corrupt? Write about it. "

18. "Write a letter to someone in your past that really made a difference in your life. Describe a specific experience that you remember vividly. Thank this person for taking the time to care about you."

19. "When a pack of wolves travel, the older and sicker wolves walk in front. They set the pace for the walk. The next group of wolves are the strongest. They are there to protect the front group from an attack. The absolute last wolf is the leader. Why do you think the leader is the last wolf, rather than the first one?"

20. "Someone in your class has been bullying you (calling you names, shoving you against lockers, knocking your books out of your hand,) to the point where you know you have to do something about it. How would you handle it, without resorting to violence or retaliation through something like cyberbullying?"

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21. "Have you ever been put in a position of leadership? How did you do? Write an essay telling about your experience."

22. "You’re in a store with your friend when you see him steal a candy bar and some gum. You think he might get caught and don’t want to get in trouble just by being with him. What would you do? "

23. "Do you think it is more important to be popular or respected by your peers? If you chose popular, do you think that will change when you become an adult?"

Leadership Journal Prompts For Teens

Teens are energetic, passionate, and motivated to improve their world. This an ideal time in a person’s life to begin exploring and developing leadership potential.

There are incredible teens out there who are doing motivating and marvelous things in their schools, their communities, and beyond.

Greta Thunberg, at the age of 15, became a worldwide phenomenon, speaking out about climate change and the need for countries to take steps to secure a safe world for the future.

Greta is an example of the strong voice which youth can have on the global stage, and how passionate commitment can affect positive change in a big way.

While not everyone will affect change on such a big stage, positive change is welcome and worthwhile at any level.

Any positive action that you take will be beneficial in some way.

The journal prompts in this list inspire teens to think about their values, who they see as mentors and heroes and why, as well as what they would like to improve in their own lives and in the lives of others.

Check out these prompts and pick some that you want to really think and write about, and you could be on the way to becoming a leader!

31 Leadership Journal For Teens

24. "How would your life change without the Internet?"

25. "If you could invent a new technology to do a task for you, what task would it do?"

26. "What’s your favorite way to spend a weekend?"

27. "Are there habits you feel good about practicing regularly, and if so, what’re they and why do they make you feel good?"

28. "Who’s your best friend, and why is he special to you?"

29. "What do you think is most important when being a good friend?"

30. "What do you think of high school/education in general?"

31. "What values are most important to you in life? And why?"

32. "What’s your favorite book? And why?"

33. "If you could travel anywhere in the world now, where would it be and why?"

34. "What’s your biggest fear?"

35. "What would you change about yourself if you could?"

36. "What’re your fondest memories from your childhood?"

37. "If you could be a superhero, what superpower would you’ve? And why?"

38. "What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten, and why was it so special to you? (You can ask them if they remember!)"

39. "What would it be if you could give your younger self one piece of advice?"

40. "How will you celebrate your birthday this year?"

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41. "If you could live in the world of a book, movie, or TV show, which would you choose and why?"

42. "If you could be friends with a celebrity, who’d you want to be friends with?"

43. "If you could spend an entire year with someone on a deserted island, who’d you take with you?"

44. "Do you think your parents ever made a bad decision in their lives? What was it, and how do they feel about it now?"

45. "If you could be a parent for a day, what new rules would you implement in your home?"

46. "Do you think the world will get better or worse? And why?"

47. "If you could change something about your hometown, what would it be?"

48. "Is there something that makes you feel insecure? How do you deal with it?"

49. "Do you ever wonder what’ll happen if you don’t try to create your future?"

50. "If you could change one law, what would it be, and how would you change it?"

51. "Do you ever wish someone would tell you how to do things differently?"

52. "Do you think you can change the world? Why or why not?"

53. "What’s your ideal future, and how can you achieve it?"

54. "What are the most essential things in life (apart from family)?"

Journal Prompts For Good Leadership

Okay, you have been thinking about taking on a leadership role for a while now and have made the decision to do it. Now comes the part where you figure out the details.

Perhaps an opportunity has come to your attention to take on leadership where you live, or maybe you have decided to run for a position on your school’s student council.

Staying grounded in your values is key to the action you will take as a leader or as part of a leadership team.

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Staying grounded in your values is key to the action you will take as a leader or as part of a leadership team.

There are prompts in the list which follows that will help you to reflect on those values, and how you can bring those to the work which you will do.

For example:

Share four traits that make you an effective leader. What specific actions have led to each trait?

Who has been a positive influence on your career path? Has anyone influenced your thinking so much that it changed the direction you are heading? Have you ever tried to imitate the way that he or she behaved? How did that turn out?

We all know that leadership can bring frustrations and challenges. There are prompts here which help with preparing for these types of situations:

Reflect on times at work when you were under pressure and you reacted poorly. Discuss what happened as you prepared yourself mentally for what came next.

Write about a strategy you developed to handle a frustrating situation.

These are just a few of the helpful journal prompts you will find in this list. Read through them all to see which ones can benefit you the most!

36 Journal Prompts For Good Leadership

55. "What are two ways your parents shaped your life?"

56. "Describe a situation where you felt you were not a very good leader. Did you recognize any warning signals in the moment? What might you do differently next time?"

57. "What role does humility play in leadership? Could you describe a time when you behaved unethically and how you managed yourself through it? What kinds of consequences resulted as a result of your poor behavior?"

58. "Share four traits that make you an effective leader. What specific actions have led to each trait?"

59. "Think about yourself as someone who is ready to assume command at work, school, home, and everywhere else. What makes you unique in your approach to managing situations? Why do you want to become a leader?"

60. "When was a time that you needed to step up and take responsibility because no one else would? Were you able to successfully manage the situation? Which strategies did you use?"

61. "How can you effectively build relationships within teams and groups? Write about the importance of developing solid working relations between team members."

62. "Reflect on times at work when you were under pressure and you reacted poorly. Discuss what happened as you prepared yourself mentally for what came next."

63. "Who inspires you as a leader? How do you emulate that person?"

64. "How important is communication in your work? How do you communicate well? Explain your experience using examples and anecdotes."

65. "Think back over the last few weeks/months: Have you accomplished any goals? Were they meaningful? Were they achievable? Identify specific examples of when you succeeded. Tell us more about them."

66. "What do you do to motivate yourself to stay productive amid distractions?"

67. "What experiences have made you stronger as a leader? Where did you learn those lessons?"

68. "What questions do you ask before making decisions? How often do you make good choices based on facts rather than emotions? Can you give an example of when you failed miserably at self-control?"

69. "List three things people usually don’t know about you. Share personal stories that illustrate how these qualities have helped you succeed."

70. "Did anything unusual happen at work recently (e.g., an accident)? What did it teach you about human nature? What did you do differently because of this incident?"

71. "Share an example of a time when you had to overcome adversity. How did you cope? What advice would you offer another person facing similar challenges?"

72. "Who has been a positive influence on your career path? Has anyone influenced your thinking so much that it changed the direction you are heading? Have you ever tried to imitate the way that he or she behaved? How did that turn out?"

73. "Write about a strategy you developed to handle a frustrating situation."

74. "What qualities do you value most highly in other people? Which ones do you ignore?"

75. "You are responsible for ensuring that you always act in accordance with the company’s mission statement. Choose a small aspect of your job and explain how that part fits into the bigger picture."

76. "Share with us a quote by someone you admire about how to be a good leader."

77. "Describe the qualities of an excellent leader: Do you have any strengths when leading a group? What can you contribute to help others grow into confident leaders?"

78. "What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made in business? The best decision you’ve ever made? Why?"

79. "What does your work environment look like? Does it reflect what kind of leader you want to be?"

80. "What have been the most rewarding moments in your career so far? Most challenging experiences?"

81. "What are five things you do to reduce stress and anxiety while carrying out difficult tasks? How effective do you find them?"

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82. "If you could travel back in time and meet someone famous from history, who would it be? Explain why you chose him/her. Share details that make this person memorable."

83. "Give a detailed description of a meeting where you felt like your suggestions weren’t heard. Use concrete examples, if possible."

84. "Tell us a story about a situation or person who inspired you to lead others."

85. "Name three things you can accomplish today no matter what happens tomorrow."

86. "What are some ways you encourage others to be leaders? Do they feel comfortable taking charge? Are there any signs that you lack a strong leadership style?"

87. "Describe an inspirational speech from someone else, including some details such as setting, tone, delivery, etc."

88. "Share a time when you faced a challenge and overcame obstacles. What motivated you? Were there any rewards along the way?"

89. "How will you demonstrate respect for coworkers and followers? Do they need to show their commitment in return?"

90. "If you could change one thing at work, what would it be?"

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Leadership Journaling Prompts?

Leadership journaling prompts are thought-provoking questions or statements designed to guide your journaling process. These prompts help you explore different aspects of leadership, reflect on your experiences, and stimulate insights for personal and professional growth.

Can You Provide Some Examples Of Leadership Journaling Prompts?

• What is a recent leadership challenge you faced? How did you handle it, and what did you learn?
• Describe a leader you admire. What qualities or characteristics do they possess that you'd like to develop?
• Reflect on a time when you had to make a difficult decision as a leader. What factors did you consider?
• How do you define your leadership style? How has it evolved over time?
• Write about a team project you led. What were the successes and challenges, and how did you motivate your team?
• Describe a mistake you made as a leader. What did you learn from it, and how did you grow as a result?
• Explore the concept of empathy in leadership. Share an experience where empathy played a crucial role in your leadership approach.
• Reflect on your communication skills as a leader. How do you ensure effective communication with your team?
• What are your long-term leadership goals? How do you plan to achieve them?

How Often Should I Practice Leadership Journaling?

The frequency of leadership journaling can vary based on your preferences and schedule. Some people find value in journaling daily, while others do it a few times a week. Consistency is key, so choose a frequency that works for you and stick to it.

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