Kids have a lot of traits unremarkably identified in good leaders–brilliantly perceptive, brutally honest, ruthlessly observant, steadily curious.

So when we saw the The New York Times commodity reporting that executives–regardless of their ain gender–generally drew a man when asked to draw a leader, we wondered when that bias starts and what lessons we could gain from request kids the same questions.

After all, a child's brain hasn't been wired to years of bias, assumptions, and mental associations the way an developed'south encephalon has, then do the same kind of unconscious assumptions influence a child'southward idea of leadership?

Nosotros asked 10 kids betwixt the ages of iii and 12 to "draw a leader." Below are the results:

Emma, 3, drew her teacher, Ms. Noreen, considering she 'teaches me' and her mom because she 'feeds me yogurt.'

Emma [Photo: courtesy of Titilayo and Olugbenga Hassan]

Emma explained that she drew Ms. Noreen considering she teaches her new things like how to count (Emma and so demonstrated by counting from one to x) and the alphabet (which Emma proved by singing the alphabet). She says her mom is a leader considering she takes her to schoolhouse, helps her with her homework, and feeds her yogurt. Emma says she's also a leader herself considering she helps her younger sis, Lily.

Emma's parents are Titilayo and Olugbenga Hassan, both from Nigeria and are now living in Plano, Texas. Titilayo is an accountant and Olugbenga is an engineer.

Photograph: courtesy of Titilayo and Olugbenga Hassan]

Parker, 4, drew a cocky-portrait of  herself leading her class.

Parker [Photo: courtesy of Megan and Eli Rubin]

In the class called Ladybug at South Jacksonville Presbyterian Preschool, students choose from a variety of roles daily. 4-twelvemonth-sometime Parker remembers her role equally leader for the day and draws a cocky-portrait to certificate it. As the leader, Parker says she led her classmates at luncheon and the playground.

Parker'southward parents are Megan and Eli Rubin. Eli is the COO of Xtraining Equipment and Over again Faster and Megan is the possessor and designer of Parker & Co. Florals and Pattern based in Jacksonville, Florida.

[Photograph: courtesy of Megan and Eli Rubin]

Jack, 6, drew himself as a leader of turtles, and says a leader is someone who leads others to freedom.

Jack [Photo: courtesy of Lori Evans and William Bernstein]

When asked what he thinks leaders do, Jack, who is in the outset grade, says that "a leader is someone who makes sure that a place is safe, like they lead others to … I call up freedom." For his drawing, Jack drew himself and a turtle, explaining that he knows "how in that location are leaders of turtles." Jack admits that he hasn't seen these turtles merely he knows that "there are turtle schools and turtle moms and dads," adding that they're "the same as us but in turtles." When asked how he knows most these turtle leaders, Jack answers affair-of-factly: "I just know." When asked if he knows whatever leaders in real life, Jack says he knows many, list [Barack] Obama, Abraham Lincoln–"I wasn't alive and so but I know most him"–and George Washington. Jack also names his dad as a leader, proverb "I'1000 just guessing because I retrieve that he's a leader." Jack adds that he thinks his teachers "might exist a leader." When asked if he thinks he's a leader, Jack answers: "Of form I am," quickly followed by "well, sometimes I am."

[Photo: courtesy of Lori Evans and William Bernstein]

Jack'due south parents are Lori Evans and William Bernstein. Lori is the co-founder of HeathReveal and William is a healthcare attorney. They live in New York.

Jala, 6, drew a picture of her mom and of a physician.

Jala [Photo: courtesy of Jessica Stewart]

Jala, who is "six and a half," drew a picture of her mom (acme drawing) and of a doctor (bottom drawing). She says her mom is a "leader of youth" and in general, "a leader so I wanted to try to draw her every bit a leader."

As for doctors, Jala says they're leaders considering "(They) help when people are sick, possibly a stomach anguish or has to have a check up."

When asked if she knows any other leaders, Jala mentions Victoria who she says works with her mom. She too believes that she'southward a leader herself  "considering sometimes at my school, when people need aid, when they need a friend, when they actually feel lone, I simply ask them, 'practise you lot want to exist my friend?' " Jala says that both men and women tin can be leaders.

[Photos: courtesy of Jessica Stewart]

Jala's mom'south Jessica Stewart is an entrepreneur based in Georgia.

Allyson, 6, thinks leaders 'play with their friends and if somebody gets hurt, they aid them.'

Allyson, who is in the first grade, says she drew the character in her cartoon "because it looked like a leader." When asked what qualities she thinks leaders should have, Allyson said that they should exist "squeamish," "aid people," and "talk nice." When asked what she thinks a leader does all day, Allyson said leaders "play with their friends and if somebody gets hurt, they help them." She names her teachers, friends, mom, and dad as leaders she knows. Allyson says her parents are leaders considering "they aid me get set up for Girls Scouts and soccer and whatever I do." She says her teachers are leaders because they help her "learn stuff that we don't know yet" and specifically lists "math and stuff to help our school, (like) cleaning upwards because our classroom is dirty all the time."

Benjamin and Allyson [Photo: courtesy of Jennifer and Justin Miller]

Benjamin, 9, thinks a leader is "a dainty guy who wears fancy clothes with a dainty attitude."

Allyson'southward blood brother, Benjamin, explains that he doesn't know Bill–the name of the leader in his cartoon–but he was thinking of "a squeamish guy who wears fancy wearing apparel with a overnice attitude." When asked what Pecker's doing with his easily, Benjamin explains that he's a teacher getting people's attending. When asked what leaders do all day, Benjamin speculates that "they probably just help people." He adds that leaders should be "squeamish," "not hateful at all," and "if someone gets in trouble, they're non like, 'oh you lot should be doing this and that.' " Benjamin thinks his parents and teachers are leaders. He also thinks he'southward a leader, saying "I have a lot of friends and one time, one friend got hurt and I went to help him upward."

Allyson's drawing (left) and Benjamin's drawing (right) [Photos: courtesy of Jennifer and Justin Miller]

Allyson and Benjamin's parents are Jennifer and Justin Miller. Jennifer is a voice communication language pathologist and Justin is a manager for General Motors. The Millers are based in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Jada, 9, drew a doctor because they 'assist save people's lives' and a lawyer considering they 'make certain that people are following the police force.'

Jada [Photo: courtesy of Jeniece Stewart and Carlos Garcia. ]

Third grader Jada says she decided on a medico considering they "help save people's lives" and a lawyer because they "make certain that people are post-obit the law." She adds that her grandmother is "either a nurse or a physician" (Jada'due south grandmother in a physician'south assistant). When asked how a leader should human activity, Jada says that "a leader should non human action mean or have bad actions to make other people do what they're doing and brand other people follow along." Jada names her grandmother and mom equally leaders because "my grandma is a doctor and my mom helps with a business that helps with special needs siblings and people like to be mean to them or stuff like that considering they're non the aforementioned like everybody else." Jada believes she's a leader and when asked why, she answered: "Considering I don't do bad things and I don't follow other people who do wrong and I do my work and I become it done and I get skillful grades."

[Photos: courtesy of Jeniece Stewart and Carlos Garcia]

Caleb, 11, thinks a leader is 'someone helping children in need.'

Caleb [Photograph: courtesy of Jeniece Stewart and Carlos Garcia]

Jada'south brother, Caleb, who is in fifth form, explains that his cartoon is of a leader "helping children in need" (Caleb and Jada'southward mom is the founder of Special Needs Siblings & Network Ambassador). When asked how leaders should act, Caleb answered that "a leader should not follow other people that do wrong, and [they] should speak up for what's right and do what's correct." Caleb says he thinks it's "challenging" to be a leader, especially "when you're by the wrong people–they could really corrupt your character."

When asked if he knows any leaders, Caleb names his classmate Gabby, who he says always "does what's correct," adding that "she gets good grades and when we got our progress reports, she got over a 100 [score]." Caleb besides lists his "mom, dad and family" equally leaders, explaining that he follows them and "they aid [him] do what'south right when it's incorrect." Caleb lists famous leaders as Thurgood Marshall, considering "he helped a chocolate-brown girl confronting the Board of Education and schools are now unsegregated" and Martin Luther Male monarch because "he ended segregation."

Caleb says he thinks it was hard to exist a leader in the past "considering they put you to work really hard and y'all hardly had enough time to do what'south right." When asked if he thinks he'south a leader, Caleb answered "yes," explaining: "I help my brother and sister. I do the correct affair. I take good grades. And I don't hang with bullies."

[Photos: courtesy of Jeniece Stewart and Carlos Garcia]

Jada and Caleb'southward parents are Jeniece Stewart and Carlos Garcia. Jeniece is the founder of Special Needs Siblings & Network Administrator and Carlos is a cable technician. They are based in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

Tyler, 11, thinks a leader should always do the right affair–fifty-fifty when no one is watching, like Captain America.

From not hanging out with bullies to continuing up to bad people to do the right thing–fifty-fifty when no one is watching–Tyler believes a leader should ever step up to the plate. He drew Captain America considering he'southward one of Tyler's favorite characters in the Curiosity movies, explaining that "he leads people to do the right stuff." Tyler, who is in the 5th grade, says a leader should be helpful, caring, and overnice. He lists his mom, dad, and great-grandfather every bit leaders (the latter "because he was in World War 2.")

[Photograph: courtesy of Cori Abrams and David Sotsky]

Tyler's parents are Cori Abrams and David Sotsky. Cori is an orthoptist at Children'southward National Wellness Arrangement and independent presenter with Younique, and David is a financial adviser. They are based in Maryland.

Nora, 12, considers herself a good leader

Nora [Photograph: courtesy of Kate and Sean Visser]

When she thinks of a leader, Nora thinks of Rosie Revere, a character created by writer-illustrator duo Andrea Beaty and David Roberts, who is a quiet schoolgirl by solar day, inventor of gizmos by night. Nora'south cartoon too lists traits she thinks a leader should have, which includes being organized ("I like to go piece of work done and if they can't find something, it just takes time out … you could be doing something of import"), the ability to think outside the box ("y'all don't want someone who is e'er doing what everyone else is doing"), exist able to bounce back from mistakes ("you don't want them to get kind of stopped when one pocket-sized matter happens. You lot want them to continue going, even if your project gets difficult"), exist funny ("if something does go wrong, they could laugh at it and not just be like 'you did that wrong, yous have to do it again'"), and be a book lover ("I love books. I would want my leader to similar them too … just considering").

Nora lists her leaders equally Jane Goodall ("because I dear animals also"), Rosie Revere, Harriet Tubman, Michelle Obama ("definitely"), Hillary Clinton, her science teacher Dr. Rollins, and her mom ("she stands up for what she believes in and she does all the things I listed in my box [drawing]").

When asked if she considers herself a leader, Nora, who is in the sixth grade, says she does, but admits that there are some things she still needs to work on, like her listening skills, because "you always have all these ideas y'all want to share and sometimes, you lot become so overwhelmed in your ideas that you don't really pay attention to people when they have their own ideas."

Nora'south parents are Kate and Sean Visser. Kate is an after school programs teacher at Nora'due south school, Katherine Delmar Burkes Schoolhouse. Sean is a firefighter with the San Francisco Fire Section. The Vissers are based in San Francisco.