Leaders are made, not born

Some say leaders are born, some say they are made and others say it’s a little bit of both. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I strongly believe we are who we are from what we learn to become. It is true we have no control over a lot of things in life such as our parents, birthplace, upbringing, talents, IQ or destiny, but we can choose our character. People say talent is a gift but character is a choice. To get to the highest level of leadership, you must develop well character qualities from the inside out.

To prove my point that leaders are made, think of a worldwide leader that you look up to and then ask yourself why. You will realize that you are mostly focusing on qualities within his or her character. These qualities are often common, which may include commitment by action, effective communication skills, courage, focus, vision or generosity. Also, you may admire a leader because they are responsible, listen to their people, solve problems and respect others. As you can see, these indispensable qualities of a leader can truly develop from the inside out through learning and practice. Since the mentioned traits are self explanatory, I will only cover important aspects related to each character.

Commitment is what separates doers from dreamers. Therefore, commitment by action is important because many times people commit by words which are not measurable. Effective communication skills are important in all circumstances and without it the leaders and his people are simply lost. Therefore, it is critical for leaders to simplify what they say and how they say it. They should also focus on being audience oriented. I don’t have to say much about courage because we all detect it in movies, where a brave man takes a stand; fights for a cause then people around are inspired and willing to follow. The sharper the leader’s focus, the sharper he/ she become. For that reason, leaders need to priorities and concentrate in order to remain focused.

How about vision? It takes place when leaders start thinking about what they would like to see changed in the world that’s around them. Visualization is a topic by itself but my favorite example is Walt Disney. Disney’s greatest vision was Disney World and he got it simply while taking his two girls to the park every Saturday. He kept visualizing an amusement park as a kid’s paradise, with a wonderful atmosphere: smell of popcorn and cotton candy, exciting rides and so forth. You actually have to visit the place in order to appreciate Walt’s power of visualization. When I think of generosity, the giving Mother Teresa comes to mind; she was giving without expecting anything in return. When I think of listening and problem solving, people like Oprah Winfrey pop in mind. For those who watch her show know what I’m talking about. Finally, respect is something a leader earns and shares. Being responsible is when a leader is willing to take charge and face whatever outcome.

Some critics say, every leader has traits but great leaders have charisma. Most people think of charisma as something mystical and un-definable. In fact they think that this quality is again gifted from birth. However, when you think of it, what is charisma? It is what draws people to you and therefore this trait can also be developed. At the end of the day, we all want to follow leaders who are passionate about life, appreciate and respect others, give people hope and are exceptionally transparent with their followers. These charismatic leaders are those who think about others before themselves. As you can see, this adds on to the fact, leaders are not born but they are taught by strengthening the above mentioned traits.