Leaders are born, not made.
It's a dangerous myth that derails leaders even before they have an opportunity to see themselves as the leaders they are already and the leaders they could be.
When people describe a Natural-Born Leader, they generally fall back on personality characteristics like being charismatic, confident and courageous. But there is
a flaw in this argument. If these are the traits that add
up to being a leader, then why are there people who have these traits but are not seen as leaders?
And what if an individual who doesn't currently have those characteristics wants to be a leader? (Note: this is about being a leader, not about being a manager. There is a difference.) but does not naturally display these characterIt would be inaccurate to say that someone cannot lead unless they are inherently charismatic, confident and courageous. Many of our most-esteemed leaders throughout history have disproven that conjecture.
Research doesn't back up the notion that you must be born into leadership and that the rest of us are just out of luck.
What research demonstrates is that leaders behave in certain ways. The Leadership Challenge, a book and body of work by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, is based on research with over 5 million people who have provided information about the behaviors of leaders. From this work, we know exactly what behaviors make some leaders more effective than others. We have a behavior-based blueprint for leadership.
No one is born with the innate abilities to frequently demonstrate the 30 behaviors that define exemplary leadership.
But, any one could learn to behave in these ways and could set out intentionally to increase the frequency of these behaviors. That is why leaders are self-made.
Leadership is a choice. It is a choice to behave as a leader. It is a choice to learn what those 30 behaviors are and how to effectively demonstrate them. It is a choice to become an effective leader, one that others would willingly choose to follow.
Fostering the belief that leaders are born, not made, is a disservice. It discredits those leaders who have worked to develop themselves and behave as leaders. It provides an avoidance tactic for those who don't want to do the work of understanding and modifying their own behavior so they can lead. Most unfortunate of all, it prevents capable people from stepping into their own potential. It deprives the rest of us of their leadership when they are told or signaled that they are not and cannot be leaders.
There's a corollary benefit to behaving as a leader. Charisma, confidence and courage come to those who more frequently demonstrate the 30 behaviors identified through 30 years of research, conducted worldwide, by Kouzes and Posner.
So it's up to you. You can be a leader, no matter what you were born with and no matter what your job title, status, experience or station may be. If you want to become a self-made leader, all you have to do is make the choice to behave like one.
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