Leadership is the ability to make use of influence over other people. A leader is a person who rules, guides or inspires others. There is a clear distinction between someone who possesses the ability to lead and someone who does not. However, what are the origins of leadership? Are some people just naturally born to be leaders? Or is leadership simply a full package with skills that can be learned by anyone, regardless the personality the individual is born with?
There have been studies made by scientists on the issue of whether personality behaviours, including leadership qualities, are natural or learned. What many have found is that genetics do play a part in certain behavioural characteristics, such as shyness, intelligence, dominance, social presence and aggression. Critical pieces of leadership are really parts of your personality. You either have charisma or you don’t. You were born with a love for hard work or you are lazy. You have self-confidence or you have self-loathing. You are intuitive, with tons of common sense, or you are impatient and impulsive. And most importantly, you are honest with yourself and can see where your faults lie.
There are two quotes with which I can agree. The first one said by the great William Shakespeare- “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Just as he said “some are born to be great”. The other quote would be from Aristotle – ‘some men are born to lead, and others to be led.’ Just as he said some people are born with the ability to lead other.
The Essay on The Depression Great Families People
The Great Depression began in October 1929, when the stock market in the United States dropped rapidly. Thousands of investors lost large sums of money and many were wiped out, lost everything. The crash led us into the Great Depression. This period was the longest and worst period of high unemployment and low business activity, people went along with only the bear necessities, and the families ...
On the other hand, it is said that there are no ‘born’ leaders; however we are all born with unique strengths that help us in our leadership journeys. When the opportunity to make a difference, people willingly risk stepping forward as a leader. There are nine behaviours that a leader should have in which there should be the ability of being able to influence others, encouraging teamwork, using multiple options thinking and others. I believe that with proper experiential training, it is possible for people to learn these leadership behaviours. In other words, leaders can be developed. It is the potential you are born with, not full scale leadership. Mozart was not born a musician after all, just with the creative potential to become one. If you have the desire and will power, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a constant process of self study, education, training, and experience. Leadership, therefore, might be ordinary people with commitments who are willing to constantly take the necessary actions.
After viewing both points of view I believe that there are indeed, born leaders. These are the people to whom others look, even from a very early age; they seem willing to be seen and heard, take risks, stand up for what they believe. They do have charisma, people want to hear what they have to say, they want to get things done and bring people along with them. They’re happy in the public eye and they do have ‘vision’.
But even born leaders have to work at their leadership skills. It’s not something you ‘arrive’ at and that’s it, you’re there, a leader. Just like everyone else, to develop you have to practise.
