Leaders Are Born Not Made

Leadership is the most essential aspect of a successful operation; without a leader there is no concise direction or defined power in charge. A leader’s intangibles and instincts must be sharp, knowing that everything hinges on their ability to place their people in the best possible situations to thrive. For as long as humanity has existed, man has always had a leader; both good and bad leaders, qualified or unqualified. People are divided on the concept of what a leader is. Are leaders naturally born? What makes up a leader? How do we determine a leader?

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to take charge, and take on leadership roles in a short period of time ? Some people may say that not everyone can be a leader. Some also believe that leaders are born with the necessary qualities, which make them successful as a leader. Others believe that leadership, like many other character traits, can be learned and developed through life. The debate depends on how you define leadership. A leader can be made in certain situations of survival. It can range from promoting what is right to perform social changes, or just to execute their own ideas. When you are a leader you gain a certain sense of independence, and pride that you started something. Therefore, when it’s finished you get to show people that you were able to accomplish all of this.

There are numerous theories about leadership. Some of the theories suggest that leaders are born while others suggest that leaders are made through training.

“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work,” says Vince Lombardi (qtd. in Walter). Lombardi, a retired American football coach, dispels the myth that leaders are born, but instead are the result of years of strenuous effort. As Lombardi depicts, being a leader is not easy, but a difficult task for the beholder. This feeling creates tension between the desire to become a leader and the difficulty of becoming one.

Throughout my short life, I have come to realize that a leader does not necessarily, although they may, maintain a defined position of leadership. A leader is one who will rise to the challenge even when the odds in opposition. A leader will tackle any barrier that stands in the way of the goal. A leader is willing to be hated and face criticism for doing what is right. Leaders come in all different forms, but a leader is the one who is always willing to make the difficult decisions.

The idea that someone is born a leader is wrong: there is a leader inside of everyone but it takes determination and patience to develop the skills necessary to become one. Sometimes the leader inside of people could be brought out by an idea. Bill Gates was not known as a leader until he formed one of the most successful companies of all time, Microsoft. An efficient leader is dynamic and can instill confidence in their followers when it is time to make a change.

Leadership is defined as the process in which an individual influences the group of individuals to attain a common goal. The goal is attained by mutual cooperation and cohesive behavior. A leader infuses a sense of positivity and directs others to reach the specified goal. Some would say military leaders are made, or just got well trained to be a leader. I feel there are born leaders and some who are given the position to be a leader. Their qualities I think you should posses to be a great leader, such as: Ability to learn on the job, share credit for success, can control emotions, has ability to communicate goal and vision, and most important integrity. With these skills you have the keys to become a great leader like Abraham Lincoln, John

Leaders are not born they are made. The basics of leadership can be learned by anyone, but most people choose not to take up the mantle. When a leader is formed they are crafted with honor, courage, and commitment.

The same is true for leadership. Not all who effectively lead are born with innate abilities that attract followers. Each of us brings our own combination of life experiences, personal traits and stylistic preferences to the practice of leadership. Through the act of deliberate reflection and contemplation, we become aware of ourselves and how our experiences and traits are likely to help or hinder our pursuit of effective leadership. We become aware of our personal truths, our strengths and our faults and I believe this is the foundation from which leadership is built.

In modern day business, leadership has become an issue that is given far more attention and investment than ever before. Leadership involves establishing a clear vision, sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly, providing the information, knowledge and methods to realise that vision, and coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members and stakeholder. This essay will discuss whether leaders are born not made, with varies of theories being compared and contrasted and the strengths and limitations of leaders itself. Further this essay will analyse the future aspects of theories which would establish whether a leader was born with leadership qualities or made into a successful leader.

Leaders aren 't born; their made. The process of leadership is long, complicated and has made elements. Respect, dignity, discipline, people skills, vision, emotional strength, opportunity, preparedness and experience are just some of the intangible elements which come into play when talking leadership.

Leaders emerge under different situations and circumstances. Pepicello (2016) argues that “leaders are not made, they are exposed” (W. Pepicello, personal communication, June 22, 2016). This is generally observed when working as a team on a project, especially in a virtual group setting where members are separated by time, distance, and communication, collaboration or getting members to fully participate in the project take more effort than in a face-to-face setting (Malthotra, Majchrzak & Rosen, (2007). Over a period of seven weeks, Group Two members clearly demonstrated not only leadership traits, but leader-follower relationship. This paper discusses the emergence of and presence of “leadership” or

So if a leader needs a combination of characteristics that makes them successful is a leader born or made? The answer is both. Some people already possess the traits that they need to be leaders and are often leaders from an early age. Some people observe and eventually become leaders. Leadership can be taught. Over the years many theories about leadership have been developed. These theories include but are not limited to trait theories, behavioral theories, contingency theories, and functional theories.

Are leaders made or born? The ever-persistent question asked when someone starts talking about leadership. To this I say we were all born, correct? Leaders and the leadership role are not inherited traits passed down through the DNA genome pool of the extraordinary powerful leaders. No, they build upon their naturally skills and abilities, and observe behaviors of great leaders before them. Believing in themselves that their best is yet to come. So the answer is neither, great leaders adapt and learn from their surroundings, the best leaders are the beast learners.

In today’s business world, organizations will tell you there are numerous factors that contribute to the overall success of the company. These factors include great people, great culture, great leadership, great operations, and a great vision for the organization. In my opinion, great leaders are the ones who inspire and motivate the employees to be the best they can be. We have all heard the saying that “leaders are born not made”, but I would argue great leadership takes a heavy dose of self-reflection and discipline, along with consistent and constant educational and mentoring experiences. Having been in leadership roles for over 22 years of my life, I can assure you I am not the same leader today, that I was 20 years ago. The key for organizational success is to have people that want to be developed while developing others. Great leaders typically breed great leaders, and these successors are the future leadership of one’s organization or the next. Dubrin (2016) stated that leadership development programs are widely practiced in a variety of ways across a variety of organizations. My research proved him right when comparing leadership programs from the healthcare, fire, and education industries.