Can I be a leader?

There are two questions that send shivers down my spine when I hear them.

One is "Are leaders born or made?" and the other is "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Until recently, the second question was a defining factor in the five-year change and transformation cycle. Now, I think even if we reduce it to "5" months, it still remains up in the air. Now, let's come to the first question, "Are leaders born or made?" What will we do if we learn the exact answer to this? Let's say we decided they are born. Then, those who believe we are not born as leaders will say, "Well, if we can't be born as leaders, then let's find a leader to follow without much effort." From there, they will attribute it to a victim mentality and choose the seemingly easy way out. Let's look at the other side. Let's say we decided leaders are made. Then, a lot of people whose talents and values are not suitable will still strive to be leaders, wasting themselves on this path.

Instead, I invite you to ask the question in the following way.

"Do I have the potential and motivation to inspire others towards meaning, goals, and purpose?"

If the answer is a sincere yes, then there is a leader inside you. If you feel a discomfort about what is happening around you and dream about how things could be better, and if you express this in more or less small groups, then that leader has started to reveal itself. It should be encouraged a bit and nourished with resources to try.

Although sometimes it seems like we are moved by purpose or meaning, it is our emotional needs underlying our desires that keep us on track. "What Do I Need?" by Ceylan Da? is one of the most beautiful books I have read to understand one's emotional needs. Unfulfilled needs for Love/Affection, Respect, Appreciation, Belonging, Self-Realization, and Fun determine our choices in life. Life becomes a journey in which we apply the choices made in pursuit of satisfying these needs.

To connect this to the question "Can I be a leader?", do you have emotional needs that wake you up every morning? If you were to give a score of 1-10 to each of the needs I listed above, how fulfilled are they for you? The unfulfilled ones will still keep you awake for new choices. Then, the possibility of encouraging others to pursue the goals you have acquired will be very high. If you are inclined to meet these through creating benefits rather than using others' resources, complaining, or letting your ego control you in an uncontrolled manner, we can continue.

Another determinant of whether it's possible or not, how much of a habit do you have to create solutions and how much of a habit do you have of complaining in your current situations? If you are in the second group, I have bad news for you. Leaders are not made just by complaining. They emerge from those who take action, seek solutions, and start to mobilize relevant individuals on this path.

Let's add one more dimension to this. If you only focus on the result, it will also be incomplete. Why, you ask? Are the resources you used along the way still suitable for recycling? I am not just limiting this to financial or material resources. If all the people you collaborated with during the journey have undergone a more advanced, aware, and productive change in their situation at the point of farewell compared to when they started with you, then you can seal your leadership there.

I think by now, the question of whether you were born a leader or became one has become irrelevant.

Regards,

Gamze Acar Bayraktaro?lu, EIA Master Practitioner Executive/Team Coach