Are Leaders Made or Are They Born?

On our radio show, we started a really good discussion about leadership at all levels: leading people, leading projects, etc. Afterwards, we received a great deal of buzz from our listeners. People sent in numerous responses, and the most popular question was, “Are leaders born or are they made?” I have found through research and also through my own experiences that it's actually a little bit of both. 

Leaders are both made and born. I think you have to be presented with the right situation in order to have your leadership skills rise to the surface, but you can also develop a lot of these skills. With the various kinds of intelligences that we have, there is this sense that your IQ is everything, but there are a number of intelligences. There is spatial intelligence, mechanical intelligence and there is this term, which you may have heard, called emotional intelligence, or EQ. 

A gentleman by the name of Dr. Daniel Goldman coined the name “EQ,” and I worked very closely with one of his associates, Dr. Druskat. She is from the University of New Hampshire, and she collaborated with me on one of the chapters in my book, Gen Y NOW. I learned a great deal from her about this sense of EQ. One of the differences between EQ and some of the other kinds of intelligences is that emotional intelligence can be developed, meaning it can be learned. There are certain elements that we can incorporate into our day-to-day situations and conversations, and it can simply be developed along the way. In my experience of having worked with so many leaders and businesses, from start-up to Fortune 500, it is important to focus on the fundamental steps of leadership:

·      VISION: First create a vision. A true leader has to able to see that vision clearly, understand it, visualize it and almost touch it.

·      ALIGNMENT: Next build alignment. Leaders have to take that vision and build alignment around it. To achieve this it is important to:

o   Have very clear communications

o   Be inspiring

o    Have open dialogue with the folks that you work with to get them all bought in

·      EXECUTION: Finally, execute, execute, execute. 

Leaders build momentum around that vision. They have the vision, they create that alignment and they build that momentum. A leader’s job is to build that momentum, create a framework, and put structure around how you go from point A to point B. Focusing on, “How does this thing continue to move forward?” Also, it's their job to build those feedback mechanisms that are so critical within organizations. 

Interested in learning more from Buddy? You can sign up for our weekly newsletter or read our free eBook, which is packed with valuable information. Get your free eBook download here.