Preview

Leaders Aren't Born They Are Made

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
532 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Leaders Aren't Born They Are Made
“There are many well-educated and motivated people who lack the knowledge of how to lead others. So they don’t assume leadership positions, or if they do, they don’t do very well in them. They and others too, assume that these individuals just weren’t born to be leaders.

That’s really a tragedy, because our country and our people need good leaders. Corporations, associations, and athletic teams all need good leaders. Even parents must be good leaders or their families can become dysfunctional. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that our very success as a nation depends upon good leadership. But my research shows conclusively that effectiveness as a leader depends less on some innate trait you are born with, and much more on specific principles that anyone can follow.”

There have been a numbers of debates concerning the issue of what makes a great leader. This debate is usually summarized into two schools of thought. The one school proposes that leaders are a select few people who are born with the unique set of skill and have rare leadership abilities. The other school of thought proposes that leaders are made, that is they learn, grow and develop into great leaders through the books they read, the people they associate with and from their personal experiences.

My take on this discussion is that I believe that Leaders are made, and I am not the only one with this belief.
“…leaders are made, not born, and made more by themselves than by any external means. Second…that no leader sets out to be a leader per se, but rather to express himself freely and fully.” – Warren Bennis

The truth is the most people have the potential to become leaders. The real issue is that leadership takes time to develop…
§ People need time to figure out what they’re passionate about
§ People need time to understand their personal vision and purpose
§ People need time to learn how to express who they
§ People need time to learn how to use

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    A leader is not a title earned for the sole purpose of bettering one’s position in society. After all, one cannot ordain themselves a leader, they must demonstrate themselves to be one to their peers and to themselves. Being a leader involves…

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marcinko Research Paper

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "Great leaders don't set out to be a leader... They set out to make a difference. It's never about the role - always about the goal." This quote is by Lisa Haisha, a lady identified as one of Hollywood’s famous head counselors and humanitarians. The aspects of a leader varies by opinion, but one could compare the virtues of confidence, charisma, determination, and inspiration to be used as bases.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When we think of leaders, the first thing that usually comes to mind is an individual who holds significant power such as celebrity, high profile athlete, CEO of a fortune 500 company or a high profile political figure . Everyone has the ability to become a leader, as leaders, everyone has the power to not only influence others, but inspire and motivate them as well. The great philosopher, Plato once said that “all learning has some emotional basis”, it is widely accepted that soft skills such as active listening greatly affect how people feel and respond to others from our friends and family to our co-workers and bosses. If they feel valued, appreciated, and heard,…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marine Corps Leadership

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In society, as well as the Marine Corps. good leaders are not born, but made. They are molded and shaped by the challenges and strifes in there life. If a person has the desire and willpower, he can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some people are naturally born as leaders whereas others take a long and treacherous journey through life and become a star leader. I certainly wasn’t born into this world as a leader and nor do I consider myself a picture perfect leader at this point by any means. This does not stop me from knowing that I can become a Schulich leader and better the current generation and future ones to come.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Army Leadership

    • 2054 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Some would say a leader is born a leader while others have the belief that a leader is created over time. Some would say a good leader cannot exist without experience, and others believe a leader can learn all they need to be effective from books and classes. If you were to ask me,…

    • 2054 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    My Leadership Philosophy

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I believe that there is such a thing as natural born leaders that are innately gifted with the knack of leading others but most have to work extremely hard at it. Whether you’re born a leader or not, everyone can benefit from training and from consciously working to improve their effectiveness. Leadership skills can also diminish over time, as well. It requires constant effort to maintain proficiency, especially if you go long periods without leading anyone. Leadership improvement is a continuous process and the best leaders take an active role in developing it within themselves and…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many different opinions on how a person becomes a great leader. One view is that leaders are born. They are gifted with the ability to be natural role-models and have the capability to cause others to want to follow them. Another view is that there is no way a person is just born with leadership ability. Instead, people learn from others and develop leadership abilities through trial and error. The most sensible view, however, is leaders are a combination of the two, they are both born with a leadership mentality and have also learned, from other great leaders, skills which they use to become a great leader. In addition, great leaders must have the desire to want to leader others. It is not reasonable to believe that a great leader can not have both some innate abilities as well as some sound training in leadership.…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Army Leadership

    • 309 Words
    • 1 Page

    Some would say a leader is born a leader while others have the belief that a leader is created over time. Some would say a good leader cannot exist without experience, and others believe a leader can learn all they need to be effective from books and classes. If you were to ask me,...…

    • 309 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most people are not born with natural leadership skills and qualities, but leadership can be learned and developed.…

    • 868 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What makes a leader? Is it someone who stands on a hill giving instructions, or someone who sits by your side and guides you to a solution? Can a leader be someone who works hard and in the process shows others that their goals are attainable. There are many ways to be a leader, but society likes to stifle the notion that if your role within a grander picture is not unlike that of a captain who grips the wheel of their ship while barking orders at their crew than you must be a crew member. The belief, that if you do not have absolute influence than you have no way of making a change, is dangerous. It tramples the creative foresight of people the world over; people who could have made significant improvements in their community, in their country, and in our world. I’m a leader because I’ve shown others around me if you work hard enough even a poor boy raised by a single mother can be afforded opportunities he would never have received otherwise.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The age-old question continues to raise its ugly head: Are leaders born to lead, or are they made? Does Leadership DNA exist? We often point to one person or the other and say, “Now, he’s a leader,” without giving a lot of thought to how this person became a leader in the first place. Sometimes it is easy to simply conclude that some of us have the leadership gene and some of us do not. Those who do get to lead, while those who do not are forever assigned to the sidelines while leaders have all the fun, make all the decisions, and cover themselves in glory. This comes as rather unsettling news for those of us who fear we may get the opportunity to lead. What hope do we have that we can ever aspire to lead people, teams, companies, organizations, even our children?…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Paper Link

    • 3225 Words
    • 11 Pages

    In conclusion, it is clear that some individuals were born to lead as they possess the traits that differentiate them from other. It was also evident that not everyone has the ability to master challenging tasks, takes on great levels of responsibilities and set defined goals and objectives to accomplish. Also it is not impossible that an individual can be trained to develop good leadership abilities, but in order to select that person they must have displayed some great attributes or qualities. Individuals with these key leadership traits are more likely to engage in the behaviors associated with leadership than those individuals who possess these traits to a lesser degree. Therefore it is evident that good leadership truly depends…

    • 3225 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Leadership in Sports

    • 2158 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The debate between is a leader born or made has opened up a lot of questions to what the attributes of a good leader are. Agreeing that a leader is influential and needs to inspire through organizing change makes us ponder weather traits of a leader are in their personalities or a skill you can acquire over time.…

    • 2158 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Complexity Leadership Theory

    • 14451 Words
    • 50 Pages

    Bennis, W. G. (1996). Becoming a leader of leaders. In R. Gibson (Ed.), Rethinking the future. London: Brealey.…

    • 14451 Words
    • 50 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics