Are Leaders Born or Made?
This is a question I pondered frequently when I worked in corporate America. And oddly, I’m still confronted with it, so I thought I’d address it head on. I think it’s up for debate, but I have strong feelings one way, as you will soon read.
There are a lot of people who are put into positions of power and leadership and sometimes it’s unwarranted. I almost believe that people need to go through a battery of tests to determine if they are psychologically capable of leading others. Some people will do whatever it takes to be seen as the “boss.” Those are the people I take issue with, and yes, I do take issue with you.
These are people who will run around proclaiming, “I’m the boss,” as if this statement alone brings value to who they are as individuals and is more than a simple title. Leaders on the other hand, never proclaim, “I’m the leader.” The last time you heard that was back in the day when you played follow the leader—someone had to be the leader in order to play the game. And the more aggressive person usually became the leader—as an adult, probably a boss. The kid everyone nominated to be the leader, truly was, and probably still is.
Bosses bark orders and expect all to follow (or else). Leaders lead and inspire. They know and have faith that others will follow. They have done the background work to ensure their own success. Unfortunately, not everyone can distinguish the not so subtle difference between the two. Bosses tend to believe that a title: Principal, Manager, Director, VP, President, CEO, etc. means that they are some how omnipotent and thus untouchable. They falsely believe that they alone know all the answers. Their egos grow so large, that they ostracize themselves from those that can actually help them, and thus the saying, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And that’s not a fat joke.
Leaders are charismatic, fair, and empathetic while being stern, forward thinking, collaborative and inspirational. Bosses are not. The number one reason people cite for leaving their jobs? You guessed it: bosses. Not the leader of the department/division/company/thought…just the boss.
My guess is that it all boils down to insecurity. Anytime one has to resort to proclaiming to anyone who’ll listen that “I’m the boss,” something’s missing. Namely your self-esteem. You are not your job or job title. That’s why leaders are born. Not made. No one can teach you that. You can’t learn it on the job. It just is.
Just my thoughts…and yours
There are a lot of people who are put into positions of power and leadership and sometimes it’s unwarranted. I almost believe that people need to go through a battery of tests to determine if they are psychologically capable of leading others. Some people will do whatever it takes to be seen as the “boss.” Those are the people I take issue with, and yes, I do take issue with you.
These are people who will run around proclaiming, “I’m the boss,” as if this statement alone brings value to who they are as individuals and is more than a simple title. Leaders on the other hand, never proclaim, “I’m the leader.” The last time you heard that was back in the day when you played follow the leader—someone had to be the leader in order to play the game. And the more aggressive person usually became the leader—as an adult, probably a boss. The kid everyone nominated to be the leader, truly was, and probably still is.
Bosses bark orders and expect all to follow (or else). Leaders lead and inspire. They know and have faith that others will follow. They have done the background work to ensure their own success. Unfortunately, not everyone can distinguish the not so subtle difference between the two. Bosses tend to believe that a title: Principal, Manager, Director, VP, President, CEO, etc. means that they are some how omnipotent and thus untouchable. They falsely believe that they alone know all the answers. Their egos grow so large, that they ostracize themselves from those that can actually help them, and thus the saying, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And that’s not a fat joke.
Leaders are charismatic, fair, and empathetic while being stern, forward thinking, collaborative and inspirational. Bosses are not. The number one reason people cite for leaving their jobs? You guessed it: bosses. Not the leader of the department/division/company/thought…just the boss.
My guess is that it all boils down to insecurity. Anytime one has to resort to proclaiming to anyone who’ll listen that “I’m the boss,” something’s missing. Namely your self-esteem. You are not your job or job title. That’s why leaders are born. Not made. No one can teach you that. You can’t learn it on the job. It just is.
Just my thoughts…and yours
posted by Andrea | 2:29 PM
2 Comments:
People often tell me I was born leader, but I don't belive in it. I think life has made me what I am today, with the good and the bad. I do believe in genetics having a HUGE part of what makes us the people we are, but it's like a basic dough - then you ad nature (spices) and make it into a cake (and, considering how much I suck at cooking and/or baking, I CAN'T believe I used that analogy!).
I'm bred out of two leaders, but me being fit to lead is something I've become - and that's completely due to the things life throw my way.
Plus, who's to say that a leader is always a leader? It truly depends on the group you are to lead as well...
Loving your blog BTW!
I agree that genetics play a big part in leadership, and yes, some born learders don't always act as such. It's a huge responsibility to be a leader. Use your authority wisely. Thanks for checking me out and the kind words!
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