Great Leaders – Born or created
We’ve debated for years the age old chestnut, whether leaders are born or if they can be created. There’s no doubt that many of the skills and competencies of leadership can be learned but I’m equally sure that great leaders are born with certain attributes that give them that potential. So what makes the difference? There are different styles of leadership and none are exclusively successful. I’ve been thinking recently about some great leaders that I’ve known over the years and what it was that made them special. Here’s a few of the things, that in my observation, made them stand out and which, regardless of their style, they all had in common.
Humility – Great leaders don’t have a big ego. That’s not to say they’re not full of self confidence, because they all are, but they’re not full of self importance. Great leaders value people and listen. They recognise the importance of other people’s views, and know when someone else’s idea is better than theirs. Being human, they also make mistakes from time to time, but the good ones are able to admit when they’re wrong, and say sorry. That’s not weak, that’s the mark of strong people. Great leaders make people at every level of the organization feel comfortable and valued.
Self-awareness – Regular looks in the metaphorical mirror is another mark of great leaders. They understand themselves, know their strengths and weaknesses, and recognise how others see them. They encourage feed-back from others about how they’re doing and how they can improve. They’re acutely aware of how their behaviour impacts others around them, and use that to create an environment of trust, confidence, and positivity.
They’re working on it – As well as getting the day job done, great leaders work hard on self-improvement and developing their leadership skills. Great athletes and sports people work relentlessly on their natural talent, to maximise their potential, and squeeze out every last increment of improvement – so do great leaders. Having latent talent isn’t much good if you don’t develop it, and great leaders are always working at becoming better.
So – born or created? There are certainly some attributes dished out in the lottery of life, which naturally lend themselves to leadership. If you haven’t got these naturally, can they be learned? People with the right attitude can learn to do most things if they really want to, and they try hard enough, so there’s no doubt people can learn to be leaders. I just have a feeling that the great ones were all born with the X Factor.
