LEADERS: BORN OR MADE

 LEADERS: ARE THEY BORN OR MADE?

By Onuigwe Chidi Sirnoel

(Relationship and Leadership Coach)

This topic has been a long time argument or should I say “discussion” amongst us (the living). I don’t think there is any generation that has existed without people trying to find out which is which.

But be that as it may, I will say leaders are born and also are made. Some leaders that we have today were born to be leaders while some were made leaders either by choice or by circumstances. 

Let me put it this way: there are people who are born with leadership traits while there are others who learnt it. I wouldn’t know the percentage of those who are born leaders and those who learnt leadership. But if you ask for my sincere suggestion I will suggest that those who are made are more than those who are born leaders. I am talking about those who are actually leading today. 

What are my reasons?

There are people who circumstances forced into leadership position (circumstances like sudden death of their leader; no one is willing to take over and they were cajoled or convinced to take over; sudden death of their father or husband or wife), they never prepared nor planned for it. 

There are people who become leaders because they so much desire to be one and not really because they have any natural leadership trait.

There are people who became leaders because people like their charisma and attitude with things or other people.

The people that fall into the above mentioned categories can be said to be accidental leaders, or leaders that are made.

But whether one is a born leader or a made leader, the most important thing is the person’s ability to positively lead those who he leads.

EXTERNAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS:

It is important we note that every leader whether born or made need to learn some external leadership skills if he must survive the hash whether outside their which every leader must face. That is what we call leadership development. Let me say this before I continue that external leadership skills differ per individual organization and per environment. And this is why no leader should depend only on his her natural trait. You need to constantly develop and improve yourself and if you don’t do that, the people you are leading might leave you behind.

Most organizations that were founded by someone else or that was formerly led by someone else won’t need the same level of energy with a fresh founded organization.  You will need more energy and more tactical approach when leading an organization that has had previous leader(s). Because you have to deal either with the positive or negative influence of the former leader.

And any leader who was leading without supervision would need some external skill(s) to lead under supervision. Because there are things he would do without supervision and no one would ask questions that if he does under supervision, he might lose his position. Leaders who constantly study how things evolve around them hardly “go out of fashion,” they are always relevant. 

Another thing is leading in rural area, semi urban area and urban area requires different skills too. Because the level of exposure of the people in this places are not the same.

Leading your mates, same gender, mixed gender and mixed age grade also requires skills that you must develop. 

... To be continued