Former US President Barack Obama teaches his daughter 3 ways to 'shape the world'

At a recent Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation event, former President Barack Obama offered advice he's shared with daughters Sasha and Malia over the years.

Family of former US President Barck Obama

Despite being busy with his political career, Barack Obama still makes time for his children and this is the leadership lesson he always teaches them.

After a keynote speech, Obama announced his involvement with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and discussed the lessons he learned during his time as president of the United States. He also used these experiences as examples to teach his daughter about how to “shape the world.” Here are three of the most important leadership lessons he has consistently taught her.

1. Being responsible is a huge privilege

The first lesson that Barack Obama and Michelle Obama tried to teach Sasha and Malia was about responsibility. Obama laughed and said: "When children are little, their responsibilities are very small, like saying 'I want to go potty' when they want to go to the bathroom, but as they grow up, the responsibilities grow with them."

Obama said he and Michelle have tried to instill “basic indigenous values” in their daughters Sasha and Malia, including virtues such as kindness, thoughtfulness, empathy and hard work. “These are the tools with which you can shape the world around you for the best,” Obama said.

Part of what we try to instill in our kids is that responsibility is a huge privilege. Even though Sasha is only 16 and Malia is 19, they've both been taught that having responsibility is a mark of being a "grown-up human being." It means that if other people rely on you, then you have influence and you can make your own name.

2. There are many different ways to contribute.

Obama noted that a common mistake people make is thinking there's only one way to make a difference. He realized Sasha and Malia would choose to engage in different ways because they have different temperaments, different strengths.

Being a leader doesn't mean you have to go out and lead a protest march, he says, there are many other ways to be a true leader, like helping foster children or volunteering at your local health clinic.

“If you’re a good engineer, you don’t have to give a speech,” he says. “You can create an app that amplifies or extends something really powerful if you’re someone who likes to care for people. There are so many different ways to contribute, and I try to emphasize that to my two daughters as well.”

3. Must be persistent

The third lesson Barack and Michelle have taught their daughter over the years is: "You have to be persistent." Obama said he thinks people often feel impatient because change doesn't always work.

"We get frustrated and we're always going to get frustrated when things don't go our way. I always tell people that my early career as a community organizer in Chicago taught me a lot of great lessons, but I didn't mess things up. Even though I had to do a lot of things, including connecting public parks to communities that needed them, starting an after-school program, and setting up a job training program for laid-off workers, if these communities didn't suddenly transform, they would still have huge problems. That gave me valuable experience and then I was able to build my own leadership skills," Obama said.

According to Young Intellectuals