MODULE 5

Working Effectively With Adults

Leadership Skill Builder • Grades 9–12

You have an idea for your club, and you need help from an advisor, coach, or administrator to make it happen. A good working relationship helps you get the guidance you need while keeping your team responsible for work students can lead.

In this module, you’ll learn to:

  • Prepare a proposal that explains what you want to accomplish and what help you need.

  • Clarify which decisions students can make and which require input or approval.

  • Respond to concerns, follow through on commitments, and keep students in charge of the work they can lead.

THE CHALLENGE

A Service Fair Hits a Roadblock

Your student service club wants to hold a Saturday fair where local nonprofits can meet students and sign them up for volunteer opportunities. Several nonprofits have expressed interest, and your team thinks about 200 students might attend.

When you pitch the idea to the activities director, she asks who will supervise the fair, whether outside organizations can come onto campus, and how the club will cover supplies and custodial costs. She also asks whether the space is available that Saturday.

You have a few answers, but the director says she can’t approve the event as presented. Your teammates are waiting to hear how it went.

Before reading on, consider:

What would you tell your team about the decision? What would you try to find out before going back to the director?

  • Your team was thinking about what students could gain from the fair. The director also had to decide whether the school could host it safely and with the staff and space available. That gives your team a place to start. Find out which conditions the fair would need to meet, then decide whether you can build a plan around them.

LEARN THE TECHNIQUES

1. Find Out What the Adult is Responsible For

Before asking someone to support your idea, think about what they’re responsible for. Your club might be focused on getting students to attend the fair. The activities director may need to check staffing, access to the building, and who can approve outside visitors. A faculty advisor might help you think through those questions and point you to the people who can answer them.

Ask about requirements early, while you still have room to change the plan. For the fair, finding out which days the school can provide supervision could save your team from planning around a date it can’t use.

Language you can use

“Before we spend more time planning the fair, what requirements should we know about? Is there anyone else we should talk to?”

Practical rule

Ask about requirements before your team commits to a date, spends money, or makes promises to others.

2. Bring a Short Proposal and a Specific Request

A short proposal gives the adult enough information to respond. You can bring a draft and flag the pieces your team still needs to figure out.

Cover five points:

  1. Purpose. What do you want to accomplish?

  2. Plan. What would happen, when, and who would lead the work?

  3. Resources. What space, money, equipment, or help would you need?

  4. Requirements and risks. What needs approval, and what questions are still open?

  5. Request. What decision, guidance, or support do you need right now?

For the fair, you could bring a draft schedule, a list of interested nonprofits, and a rough supply budget. Your immediate request might be guidance on whether a Saturday event is feasible before you develop the full proposal.

Practical rule

Say what your team has figured out, what’s still open, and what you need from this conversation.

3. Agree on Who Gets to Decide

Sort decisions into three groups. The exact division depends on your school and the project.

  • Students decide. Your team might choose who will draft the volunteer sign-up sheet.

  • Students and adults work it out together. Your team might propose two fair layouts and ask your advisor which one works better for access and supervision.

  • An authorized adult must approve. A school staff member may need to approve use of the building or confirm whether outside groups can attend.

Ask who makes the final decision and what information they’ll need. While the director checks building availability, your team can keep drafting the schedule and estimating how many volunteers you’ll need.

Language you can use

“Which parts can our team decide, and which should we bring back to you or someone else for approval?”

Practical rule

Agree on who decides before making commitments, then keep moving on the work students are cleared to do.

4. Use the Meeting to Agree on Next Steps

If you have 15 minutes with the activities director, send a short summary beforehand and pick the questions you most need answered. In the meeting, give the idea a brief introduction, listen to the director’s concerns, and ask about anything you don’t understand.

Before you leave, confirm what was decided, what’s still pending, and who will do each next step. Then send a short recap. If you realize you’ll miss a deadline, tell the person before it passes and propose a date you can meet.

Language you can use
“Thanks for meeting with us. We’ll check which nonprofits could come on a weekday and send you a revised schedule by Friday. We’ll wait for approval before confirming a date with anyone.”

Practical rule
End the meeting with an owner and a deadline for each next step. Give people an early heads-up if a commitment needs to change.

5. Find Out What Could Change After a No

The activities director says the school can’t staff a Saturday fair. Your team still wants students to connect with local nonprofits. Ask whether the problem is the Saturday schedule or whether there are other limits, such as how many visitors the school can host.

A smaller lunchtime fair might meet the same goal if the school has staff available and can approve the visitors. If the decision is final, respect it and look for another approved way to help students find volunteer opportunities. If your school has a process for reconsidering a decision, ask how it works.

Language you can use

“If Saturday staffing is the main issue, would it be worth drafting a smaller lunchtime version? What would still need to be worked out?”

Practical rule

Understand the reason for the decision before revising the proposal, and wait for any required approval before moving ahead.

6. Keep Students Responsible for Work They Can Lead

The school approves a smaller fair during the school day. Your advisor wants it to go smoothly and starts assigning student volunteers and writing the schedule. The help is welcome, but those are jobs your team could learn to do.

Ask for a clear division of responsibilities. For example, students could prepare the schedule and coordinate volunteer shifts, with the advisor reviewing the supervision plan. Agree on when to check in, then deliver the work you’ve taken on.

Language you can use

“Could our team draft the schedule and assign the volunteer shifts? We can bring both to you on Tuesday to check that we’ve covered what the school needs.”

Practical rule

Ask to lead a specific piece of work and agree on what support or review you’ll need.

APPLY YOUR JUDGMENT

Choose the strongest response to each situation, then check the explanation.

1. Ready to Ask for Help?

Your robotics club wants to host a workshop for middle school students. You have a few activity ideas, but you haven’t confirmed space, costs, or supervision. What’s the strongest next step?

A. Survey families about a tentative date so you can bring attendance estimates to your first meeting.

B. Outline the workshop, flag the unanswered questions, and ask the activities director for guidance before committing to a date.

C. Ask the principal to endorse the idea first, then use that support to work out the details.

D. Build a complete schedule and budget before involving school staff so they have a finished plan to review.

  • Strongest answer: B

    A short draft shows initiative and leaves room to learn what the school requires. A could help estimate demand, but naming a date this early could create expectations. C might show support for the idea, but the team still needs answers about how to run it. D gives staff more detail but could lead to rework if the team plans around the wrong assumptions.

2. Who Can Assign the Volunteers?

Your student council has approval to run a school cleanup. The officers want to assign volunteer teams, but some jobs may need staff supervision. What’s the strongest approach?

A. Send every assignment to the advisor for sign-off before giving students their roles.

B. Assign teams based on students’ preferences and ask staff to cover supervision after the roster is set.

C. Assign everyone to jobs in the main courtyard so the team can use one supervision plan.

D. Ask which roles require staff supervision, then have students make the assignments within those limits.

  • Strongest answer: D

    Checking the supervision requirements first lets the officers make the decisions they’re able to make. A could add an unnecessary approval step for routine assignments. B may create a roster the school can’t support. C simplifies the plan but may leave useful work undone before the team knows whether that tradeoff is needed.

3. The Time Slot Won’t Work

Your drama club proposes an evening showcase. The activities director declines because there won’t be enough staff in the building. You still want students to have a chance to perform. What’s the strongest response?

A. Ask what supervision the showcase would require and whether a different time or format could meet those requirements.

B. Offer to recruit more student ushers and resubmit the evening plan.

C. Switch to a lunchtime showcase and start inviting performers while you wait for approval.

D. Ask your advisor to request an exception using examples of other clubs that have held evening events.

  • Strongest answer: A

    Understanding the staffing gap helps you decide whether an alternative could work. B could improve crowd flow, but student ushers may be unable to fill required staff roles. C offers a possible alternative, but inviting performers creates commitments before approval. D could be worth discussing if there’s a review process, but examples from other events don’t tell you whether staff are available for this one.

4. The Advisor Is Making Most of the Decisions

Your service club’s advisor has started handling the schedule, volunteer assignments, and partner emails for a fundraiser. The work is moving quickly, but student organizers want more practice coordinating the event. What should you do?

A. Offer to draft more materials while the advisor continues making the final decisions on every part of the event.

B. Ask to take over all three areas and send the advisor a summary after the fundraiser.

C. Explain what students want to practice, propose which tasks they can lead, and agree on when the advisor should review or step in.

D. Let the advisor finish this event and ask for more responsibility when the club starts its next project.

  • Strongest answer: C

    A specific division of responsibilities gives students meaningful work and lets the advisor provide oversight where it’s needed. A gives students more work but little room to practice making decisions. B gives students more control without checking which decisions need adult involvement. D keeps the current work moving but passes up a chance to take on a manageable piece now.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Check Your Readiness

Think of a real idea or project that could use an adult’s guidance, cooperation, or approval. Check what you can already answer clearly.

☐ I can explain what my team wants to accomplish.
☐ I know whom to approach and what they’re responsible for.
☐ I can name the decision or guidance I need right now.
☐ I know which work students can lead and what still needs clarification.

Use an unchecked item to decide what to prepare first.

Make an Adult Partnership Plan

Copy these prompts into a note or document. Use your answers to prepare for a short conversation.

  1. Purpose. What are you trying to accomplish, and who would benefit?

  2. Person to approach. Who can advise you or make the decision? What might they need to check?

  3. Draft plan. What would happen, when, and what people, space, or money might you need?

  4. Specific request. What decision or guidance do you need now?

  5. Questions. What requirements, concerns, or approval steps do you need to clarify?

  6. Student responsibilities. What can students lead? Where would adult support or review help?

  7. Follow-up. When will you reach out? After the conversation, how will you confirm what was decided, who owns the next step, and when it’s due?

Your Next Step

This week, ask an advisor, teacher, or coach one question from your plan. Use the answer to decide what your team can do next.

Share quick feedback on this module →

EXPLORE FURTHER

Next: Delegating Effectively →