Are leaders born or are they made? This debate reaches far and wide and has been around for as long as leaders have had a title. Let's look at why the born or made debate matters to you:
People from all over get involved in the debate about whether leaders are born or made.
This topic ranks high on YouTube and Google search analytics. People want to know.
The internet is full of articles, blogs, videos and podcasts detailing the creators' opinion, showing that the divide is wide and the debate is as heated as ever.
The question strikes a chord with all kinds of people at various levels of life, provoking leaders and non-leaders alike.
The non-leaders are prone to taking a dogmatic stance, selecting their view in the face of evidence that states otherwise. It is safe to say that people are passionate about their opinions.
Although, leaders don't seem as protective about their view on the matter, maybe because they have the title already.
Polls and discussions on social media get peoples' hackles up. They vote, state their view and share their examples. Both sides of the debate have valid arguments and excellent examples.
Interestingly, the stance that people take in the debate is often a reflection of their journey to success. Sportspeople, without hesitation, state that leaders are made through hard work, commitment, sweat and tears because that is their personal experience.
Those who achieved success in life through their hard work and determination will use people as role models that did the same.
The sports reporter looks at the sportsperson in admiration and says, "They were born with greatness in them," unaware of the hours of training and sacrifice it took to stand at the top of the podium.
The person that believes leaders are born will list inherited characteristics as the cause of others' success.
The ongoing discussion and the multitude of examples for both sides of the argument convince me that the debate is flawed.
This article was never about proving one side or the other, it merely intends to discover why the debate is so important to you and me.
Here are links to articles and videos that discuss how the debate is flawed:
Article 1: Are leaders born or made? https://www.mindmuttermatters.com/post/are-leaders-born-or-made
So, why is the debate on the origins of leadership so popular? What is the reason for the obsession and flurry about what makes a leader?
People are looking for the X-factor, single defining criteria that separate those that lead from those that follow.
We want to list the characteristics that include or exclude people from the leadership title, then give that list to someone and ask, "Which side of the fence are you on?"
We want to use a list of leadership characteristics to do introspection or as a self-audit, evaluating whether we make the grade or not.
People regard the choices within the debate as some sort of mystical diviner, capable of predicting future success. People believe that if they have the same inherent characteristics as Bill Gates, they will be just as successful, or if they work as hard as Magic Johnson, they will also be listed in the basketball hall of fame.
There is a person that looks at a sports hero with the opinion that they were born with the dedication to win and uses it to justify their failure to achieve success because they were not born with dedication, therefore, their failure is justified.
I feel sorry for people that get into the born or made debate, promoting one view over the other because they miss the secret intent of the debate.
What is the secret intent of the debate? The hidden reason of the argument is to determine where we should put the responsibility for success; is success determined by something within my control or by something beyond my control.
Ironically, there is a single defining factor that separates the leaders from the followers, but it is never included in the debate, it is not even seen as a possible origin of leaders.
The defining trait of leadership is shared below, followed by reasons people don’t acknowledge it as the X-Factor.
The single characteristic that separates the leader from the followers is VISION.
The definition for a leader is someone that guides a team to achieve a vision. If there is no vision, there is no leader.
If you look at all the great leaders throughout history, forget the born or made debate for a moment, and ask: what is the single common factor between them?
Some of the leaders had money, but not all of them. Some had natural leadership ability, but not all. Some were born in the right circumstances but not all of them. Some of them were moral leaders working towards the good of all humanity, but most certainly not all of them.
None of these things separated the leader from the followers. However, all of them had a vision focused on a single outcome and worked to achieve that result.
The truth is that in life, you are working to achieve a vision; either that vision is yours, or it belongs to someone else. Whoever owns the vision is the leader.
Now, let me tell you why people don't like this perspective: it places the responsibility of success squarely at the feet of the visionary. People don't want to accept this view because of a few ugly realities it enforces:
- Having a vision is no guarantee of success
- Achieving the vision is up to you – no one else
- You can enlist help to achieve the vision, but the responsibility remains with you
- Hard work is no guarantee that you will be successful. A vision requires the leader to have a bag full of leadership goodies.
Brain Tracey, a leadership and success coach, said, "Earning the first million is hard; the second is inevitable. You mustn't work on becoming a millionaire; you must work on becoming the type of person that becomes a millionaire." See Clip here: https://youtu.be/V0Zt832tNlQ
The born or made debate tosses the responsibility for success back and forwards and with it, the need for personal change and development.
Success by vision places the responsibility squarely at your feet; you have to become the type of person that achieves the vision.
You have to work on yourself and it is just too hard for some people to accept.
People cling to the idea that inherent ability, being born a leader, make them rich or keep them poor because it frees them from the expectation of personal development.
The debate offers a way to avoid ownership of beliefs and behaviours that cause personal loss and difficulties.
People want to point elsewhere and say, I have… or I don’t have… Therefore, I can't…or I can…as a way to shift responsibility off of themselves.
People have written to me stating that since having a vision is the defining criteria; I must acknowledge that leaders are made. Sure, I will admit it. Provided you admit that owning a vision is not the defining criteria for success; you will not be successful because you have a vision. You have the potential to be successful by working on a vision.
People have written to me stating that if leaders are born with a vision, I must admit that leaders are born. No. Leaders are not born with a vision.
Leaders birth a vision by mining their skills and abilities and developing them to a level where they are recognised as subject matter experts in their field. Once they figure out who they are, they figure why they are here.
So, how do you go from here into becoming a successful leader?
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