Summary
Mentorship · Youth Development · Leadership · Education · High Expectations · Psychological Safety · Identity Formation · Communication · Respect · Agency
In this episode of Lassoing Leadership, Jason Rogers and Garth Nichols reflect on their recent conversation with psychologist and author David Yeager, and what it means for anyone leading, teaching, parenting, or mentoring young people today.
At the centre of the conversation is what Yeager calls the mentor mindset — the idea that young people don’t need less structure or fewer expectations, but better leadership. Leadership that combines high standards with deep respect, clarity with care, and authority with credibility.
Jason and Garth explore why mattering is such a powerful driver of motivation, how adolescence now stretches well beyond age 18, and why many of our leadership instincts — especially in schools — haven’t kept pace with that reality. The episode also tackles the often-tricky work of communicating change with parents and invites leaders to ask an uncomfortable but essential question: What if the work starts with us?
This episode is about raising the quality of leadership, not lowering the bar — and about creating environments where young people can grow into who they’re becoming, not just perform for today.
Key Take Aways
This may be the closest thing we’ve seen to an instruction manual for raising and leading teenagers.
Mentorship isn’t a title or a long-term relationship — it’s a mindset.
Young people thrive when high expectations are paired with high support.
Status, stability, and respect matter more than we often realize.
Mattering and purpose are deeply intertwined — one fuels the other.
Adolescence doesn’t end at 18, and our leadership models need to catch up.
The next generation doesn’t need softer leadership — it needs better leadership.
Change in schools lives or dies on how well we communicate with parents.
Students can be powerful advocates for growth — even at home.
If we want different outcomes, we have to raise the quality of our leadership and teaching.
The Mentor Mindset: Leading Young People Well
Soundbites:
“This isn’t about lowering the bar — it’s about raising the quality of leadership.”
“Coaching over commanding.”
“Mattering changes everything.”
“This is a virtuous cycle — when respect goes up, effort follows.”
Time Stamps
00:00 – Introduction & Recent Experiences
05:31 – The Mentor Mindset: What Yeager Gets Right
08:26 – Why High Expectations and High Support Matter
12:14 – Mattering, Respect, and Motivation
15:28 – Adolescence, Identity, and Who Young People Are Becoming
18:21 – Why Leadership Hasn’t Kept Up
21:08 – Communicating Change with Parents
23:47 – Final Reflections & Next Episode Teaser
