Do You Think Great Leaders Are Born or Made?
Becoming the Leader You Know You Want to Be – Series – Part 1 Do You Think Great Leaders Are Born or Made?
Do you consider yourself a great leader? Leadership can be challenging. It’s part science and part art. The science can be learned conventionally. The art is learned by experience. The ability to combine both separates the great leaders from the rest.
If you’ve always wanted to become an effective leader, you’re in luck. There has never been a better time to enhance your ability to lead others. This is the first of a six-part series that looks at the components involved to help you on your path to becoming the leader you know you want to be.
The debate over whether leadership skills are innate or learned has been going on for a long time. Are great leaders only born that way, or can great leaders be made? What makes a great leader? Do I have those innate leadership skills?
While it’s debatable whether everyone has the ability to become the next Franklin Roosevelt or Nelson Mandela, there’s little doubt that we are all capable of becoming effective leaders. A study by Arvey, Rotundo, Johnson, Zhang, McGue on male twins shows 70% of environmental factors accounted for leadership role occupancy.
Many experts hold fast to the belief that leaders are created. It’s simply a matter of learning the necessary skills and gaining the necessary experience. One of the most important skill to becoming a successful leader is self-awareness. Without the ability to be self-aware, it makes it very difficult to see your impact on on those you are leading.
Many of the famous leaders throughout history learned their leadership skills on the fly. They were passionate about a worthy cause and developed the ability to lead and inspire others along the way. They weren’t all born to be historical figures. You can too. Most importantly, you can greatly strengthen your leadership skills, regardless of your current level of expertise. Being shy or introverted won’t prevent you from becoming an effective leader. In fact, many of history’s greatest leaders were introverts. Such as Albert Einstein or Abraham Lincoln.
Stay tuned, as I explore all the components involved that you can use on your path to becoming the leader you want to be in this six-part series on “Becoming the Leader You Know You Want to Be.”
Part 2 in this series looks at what are the advantages of being a skilled leader.
Download my free worksheet to help you clarify where you are and where you want to be on your path of becoming the leader you know you want to be. Good luck with your transformation!