You Were Born To Lead, But No One Was Born a Leader, Here's Why

Between 1850 and 1860, Harriet Tubman guided out more than three hundred people from slavery, including many of her own family members according to John Maxwell. She made nineteen trips in all and was very proud of the fact that she never once lost a single person under her care. 

Harriet Tubman would appear to be an unlikely candidate for leadership because the deck was certainly stacked against her. She was uneducated, she lived in a culture that didn’t respect African Americans and she labored in a country where women didn’t have the right to vote yet. Despite her circumstances, she became an incredible leader.

Now, some would argue that Harriet Tubman was born a leader, with a genetic makeup or a specific kind of personality that allowed her to become a person of influence, however, if I told you that becoming a great leader has nothing to do with your personality, where you born or your DNA. Everyone was born to lead; everyone was born with a gift; the problem is that people die without never sharing their gifts with the world and as a result, never finding their true unique leadership abilities hidden within. 

PURPOSE

Every single person on this earth was born with a purpose; you were born with gifts to make a difference in this world. The problem is that we allow society, culture, the opinions of others to take precedence over our natural ability and as a result, the world never benefited from your gifts.  

According to Dr. Munroe, God’s purpose is that we bear abundant fruit and release the blessings of our gift and potential to the world. We each were endowed at birth with a unique gift, something we were born to do or become that no one else can achieve the way we can. When we find our purpose and serve it to the world, we are now becoming someone of influence, and as a result, our leadership abilities naturally start to manifest. 

Becoming A Leader

When you become a person of influence, and that influence is used to make a positive difference in the lives of people, your country, your organization, your community; you are becoming a leader. However, leadership is not a one-stop-shop; leadership requires continuous development, mentoring, coaching and in many instances personal drama, detrimental experiences, loss of employment to help mold someone into the leader they were destined to become. According to Warren Bennis, experiencing struggle and hardship molds leaders and help them go through a process of self-discovery to help them become great leaders.  

Leadership Requires Deliberate Practice

There are no shortcuts, leadership is developed, like all other skills, through deliberate practice according to George Ambler. Deliberate practice is about taking risks, working hard, stretching yourself, and stepping outside your comfort zone. Research has shown that excellence is the result of deliberate practice, not a natural talent. Likewise, most people can become good leaders; however, work is required to help unlock their hidden leadership potential.

 Research compiled from more than 100 scientists in The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, published by Cambridge University Press according to Ambler, studied expertise and top performance in a wide variety of domains, including surgery, acting, chess, writing, computer programming, music, aviation, and many others. This research found that:

“Consistently and overwhelmingly, the evidence showed that experts are always made, not born.” — K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, Edward T. Cokely, The Making of an Expert

No one was born a leader, everyone has the capacity to lead, but leadership is something you evolved into overtime, and it may require facing some challenges on long the way to help you find that hidden leader within. The idea that leaders are born is a destructive leadership myth, according to Ambler. Leadership is not something you’re born with, it’s not inherited, and it’s not the result of your DNA. Leaders are made when they connect their purpose, unique strengths with a deep passion to make a difference in the world.

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About Gifford Thomas

 I am the founder of Leadership First and the author of The Inspirational Leader, Inspire Your Team To Believe In The Impossible. At Leadership First, we are committed to publishing the very best inspirational leadership quotes and articles to inspire our 95,000+ community of leaders to believe in the impossible, while creating an environment free from toxic, fearful and intimidating leadership. We believe everyone can and should enjoy their work, but it must start with the leadership leading by example. Follow our community of leaders HERE, and let's change the leadership status quo to help inspire and motivate our leaders to make a difference and create an organization their people will love. You can pick up a copy of my book HERE