Are Leaders Born or Made?

Are Leaders Born or Made? – by Arnie Wohlgemut

From time to time I see discussion on this topic – are leaders born as leaders or are they made?

We all have areas and skills that come naturally to us and other skills we need to develop. Many of the leadership skills I have talked about over the years may not come easy or naturally to you.

A person who is athletic enjoys and participates in a sport of some kind. In order to get great, they still need to practice and learn new skills.

In the same way, some leaders appear to have been born with that ability, however if they don’t develop the skills needed to be successful, they may find themselves in a situation where they need a new skill.

We learn at an early age how to motivate someone. We may have experienced motivation from our parents in the form of a “carrot”. A reward for eating all of your supper, or a particular behaviour.

What is not so natural is the ability to inspire someone to live or perform at a higher level. Inspiration requires you to actually care about the person and have passion for what you are doing.

When you ask someone about the manager who most consistently inspired them, they almost always point to the one who believed in them enough, to push them out of their comfort zone.

I believe my Higher Ground Leadership Coach, Lance Secretan has it right, the soft skills are the really hard ones.

“I wonder why we call the easy stuff—like technical skills, professional mastery and STEM subjects—the ‘hard skills’ and the really difficult stuff—like inspiring other people and leadership—the ‘soft skills’. This seems upside down to me—the ‘soft skills’ are the really hard ones.” ~ Lance Secretan

Don’t give up, actively seek to learn where your abilities lie. The 5 Dynamics assessment can quickly help you see what is effortless and what requires deliberate effort. Build on that and expand your skills.