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There is no doubt that effective leadership is an inherent trait that cannot easily be learned through people’s interaction with the environment. The debate on whether leaders are born or made can be analyzed from the perspective of nature versus nurture. While it is common to believe that individuals in leadership usually cultivate the necessary skills and characteristics, most successful leaders are naturally predisposed to leadership (Boerma, 2017). The features of successful leadership include strong communication skills, possession of innovative capabilities, passion, and commitment to leadership.
Current leadership trends indicate that successful leaders possess transformational and transactional leadership characteristics that can be traced to an individual's traits as opposed to learned skills. The changing trends in the leadership environment suggest that an individual's personality is unlikely to change from learning new habits; thus, the elements of good leadership are innate not learned.
Based on the “great man” theory, psychological researchers believe that leaders are born not made.
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The approach was developed in the 1900s and points out that great leaders have the inherent capacity for leadership. Great leaders have in the past emerged from lower classes or aristocratic regimes with limited opportunities for leaders and have ended being great leaders (Lee, 2018). These are people who did not have the luck to be nurtured in supportive environments where they could borrow a lot from their elders. For instance, leaders such as Napoleon and Hitler were not born in royal places where leadership could be spoon-fed to them.
They possessed leadership qualities that they were born with as opposed to learning these skills. The great man theory argues that successful leaders must possess qualities such as courage, commanding power, being shrewd, and self-possession among other traits. Such traits such as having a good character, fierceness and expressiveness can only be achieved by birth and not through leadership learning programs. Without a doubt, this shows that for a person to be regarded as an effective leader, they must at least have some of these defining traits.
Despite there being countless leadership training programs and courses, it has proven impossible for schools to teach people to become effective leaders. Leaders are born to lead and not trained to lead. Hodge (2015) asserts that the correct assessment of whether leaders are born or made can be analyzed from the perspective of the individual’s leadership environment. Individuals demonstrate character traits that they acquire from their parents. For instance, individuals born to a family of doctors are likely to think like doctors and will foster the idea of being doctors. Similarly, individuals born to a family of leaders are also expected to think and acquire leadership traits and will end up being successful leaders. Hodge argues that winners expect to win while losers expect to lose. Leaders attract followers by their belief on winning; therefore, while leadership is taught to some extent, the character traits of successful leaders are natural personalities that are born with an individual. When people are enrolled in leadership programs in school, only those who have inherent leadership traits will flourish.
People are born with different talents and endowments. Equally, individuals considered successful leaders are likely to be born with extraordinary endowments in leadership talents and abilities. For instance, while individuals train to be good athletes, not all people trained can be good athletes, primarily due to physical differences (Adams, 2018). The contingency theory also argues in support of the ideology that leaders are born as opposed to being made. According to the contingency theory, individuals exhibit different leadership qualities based on their responses to the leadership environment (Lussier, 2015). Inherent leadership traits make great leaders respond differently to different leadership environments. For instance, a good leader can adapt to any situation to exhibit exceptional leadership qualities regardless of the nature of followers. Consequently, since talents play a pivotal role in differentiating between two types of leaders, there is enough proof to show that leaders are not made as much as they are born.
Leadership qualities are dependent on the personal traits of an individual and great leaders possess innate leadership traits. Some of the leadership skills that include an individual's traits include charisma, confidence and professional talking among other characteristics. Charisma involves the motivation and encouragement of followers through flawless communication skills and having a winning personality (Lussier, 2015). Other features of a charismatic leader include humility and confidence as well as having quality listening skills and expression of maturity while handling leadership issues. While leadership characteristics such as listening skills can be learned, other character traits such as confidence and humility are inborn and can only be attributed to an individual character.
Different leaders have different leadership characteristics; however, a great leader has similar traits that suggest leaders are born and not made. For example, many of the great leaders who have gone down history books as great leaders all possessed element traits such as individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and influence (Boerma, 2017). These character traits are also prevalent in many transformational leaders who are known to have limited leadership training. For instance, Benito Mussolini was a great Italian leader who is credited with the formation of the fascist ideology. Despite being defeated in the 1919 parliamentary election, Mussolini managed to regain the seat in 1921 and went on to be Italy's strongman until 1945. Mussolini's leadership trait was based on his being courageous. The characteristic of being courageous cannot be taught and can only be in-born suggesting that leaders are born.
However, opposing arguments suggest that while leaders are born, some leadership traits need to be learned to make great leaders. According to (Luster, 2017), leaders can learn to be great leaders by learning what other leaders have previously done. An individual can become proficient in leadership skill by understanding the motivations and behavior of successful leaders. Another argument opposed to the idea that leaders are born is that individuals can become leaders through situations and circumstances. Luster (2017), believes that people are not born leaders; however; the environment may influence the leadership traits. For instance, Nelson Mandela was not born a leader, yet, the situation of colonization the need to lead the country to independence. Also, (Luster, 2017), continues to suggest that learning is a process that can be learned through teaching and observation. Every individual is capable of being a leader only that some individuals don't take the necessary skills to develop the required skills of being leaders.
In all, the debate on whether the leaders are born or made has been ongoing for a long time. Nonetheless, based on various leadership and management theories, it is evident that to a great extent, great leaders are born as opposed to being made. The great man theory, for instance, articulates that leadership is inherent and thus leadership traits are innate as opposed to being made. Similarly, the trait theory of leadership also asserts that leadership is a trait achieved from the environment that an individual is brought up. Parents play an essential role in developing the character traits of an individual, something that cannot be acquired through learning leadership skills. Consequently, leadership qualities differ from one individual leader to another; however, the personal character traits of a great leader are similar. Some of the common characteristics of great leaders include courage and charisma. However, the arguments raised against leaders being born assert, that leadership is a process that can be learned through teaching and observation.
Can Leadership Be Learned or Are You Born With It. (2021, Mar 03). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/can-leadership-be-learned-or-are-you-born-with-it-essay
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