Are Leaders Made or Born?

The events of the past days have made me think about this century-old question; are leaders born or made? We in the USA have elected a new kind of President as our leader (whether we voted for him or not) and in Cuba, a dictator that ruled for more than 50 years has died.  Thinking of these men as two very different leaders made me wonder how they came to be.  Let's not dwell on that, I am afraid that exploring that thought may require much study and volumes of books.

Instead, let's talk about that old question! Are leaders born or made? Leadership as a field of study has been scrutinized for little more than 100 years. Prior to this scientific research people sort of knew a leader when they saw one. Most would agree that names that we recognize such as Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Queen Elizabeth I, Harriet Tubman, and Thomas Jefferson are remembered as leaders. So did they become leaders over time, learning the craft of persuasion with life's experiences, learned research, intellectual exchange, or did they just "have it" as a talent or gift from God?

Luckily for humanity, there is enough data which indicates that leadership, defined as the ability to influence others to do something that they wouldn't do on their own, is something that can be learned. However, just like in any field of study a few will excel and some will just get by; furthermore, there will be those who use their talents and skills for good and others for evil. Scholars may argue that those who excel have "it", the "natural talent". That may be so, but a century of study has not yet been able to identify that one talent! There are numerous studies that have analyzed a leader's traits, skills, personality, gender, behavior, etc. and not one has found the magical "it" or which "natural talent" is the one that makes a good leader. Which is good for those of us who just have to work at learning the craft to become better leaders.

So, to get better, simply take the time to study, learn, practice, and do it all over again. The fact is that just like in any profession, study and practice will yield better results. A ball player will improve his hitting if he listens to effective coaching and spends many hours in the batting cages taking batting practice; he may never be a hall of fame hitter, but, he will likely be better than one who takes no practice! As they say, "hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard".

If you are a leader, whether by title, position, or natural ability, take the time to learn the craft of leadership. Who knows, you may become a hall of fame leader, or at least help us recognize the good ones when it's time to select one!