Are Leaders Born or Made?
In his book, "War as I knew It", General George S. Patton Jr. reflects on the key notion of leadership. He says, “I don’t know how you define leadership, but what ever it is, I have it.” We hear the word “leadership” thrown around a lot today. It is usually preceded by the phrase “lack of”. So what is leadership? Are their natural born leaders or is it something that can be learned? If it can be learned, how does one go about doing it?
Luckily, studies indicate that leadership is a learned trait. So for all of us that are still trying to capture that lightening in a bottle, there is still hope. However, therein lies the rub. In today’s instant gratification society, we expect leadership to be a trait that can be developed in few short months by taking a seminar from an expert, or leadership classes at our local college. Yet, we wonder why, for most of us, these steps yield little meaningful results.
In his book, The Way of the SEAL, Commander Mark Divine (USN Retired) points out that one of the fundamental traits of leadership is character. He illustrates the point aptly that, while you probably do need a system to help you succeed, no system is going to work without core values. He says you should “establish your set point, turning a deep set of values and purpose into a touchstone that will keep your feet in the sand and your eyes on the goal.”
So how do we develop those leadership qualities for our businesses and our personal lives? Here are something that you might consider when defining leadership and what it means to you:
- What are my core values and what do I passionately believe in?
- Who do I want to work with and why?
- What are something that I absolutely cannot or will not do in my business so I can feel good about myself?
While it is true that leaders are made not born, it is equally true that the process of becoming a leader doesn’t happen overnight. You may not be the leader that you want to be yet, but don’t stop trying. Contrary to what some would have you believe, it is generally not something you can learn in a class room in a semester. To truly develop your leadership style may take you months or years. Lastly, remember this old axiom: if you don’t like the way your business is being run, look in the mirror. Your business, and your life, are a reflection of you. You have the power to change it.