Leadership: Born vs. Taught Leaders
Born vs. Taught Leaders: Leadership
Experts have given conflicting views in the question of whether leaders are born or made. One faction believes that leaders are born with special qualities that predispose them to occupy positions of authority from an early age. The other, however, believes that leadership capabilities are developed over time through education and training. This text evaluates both arguments and gives a tentative position on the issue.
Are Leaders Born or Taught?
Rose Haggerty and Don Berwick give conflicting views on the question of whether people who are not born leaders can actually become good leaders. Berwick is of the opinion that whereas some people are born to be leaders, anyone can lead, as long as they receive the right training and education. In other words, leadership can be taught. Haggerty, on the other hand, believes that leaders are born; as such, only the outgoing, socially-intelligent people, who are naturally able to work with others and bring together a wide variety of views, can make good leaders.
I am of the opinion that leadership is a set of innate traits, perfected and refined over time through experience, training and education. There are some inborn qualities such as extroversion that predispose one to become a leader. These can rightly be described as the 'raw materials' of leadership, which have to be nurtured and refined through training and education in order for one to make a good leader. People born with these characteristics are better-placed to become leaders. This is not to mean, however, that those born without these qualities cannot become leaders -- they can be taught to lead, through training and education, only that they will require more work in self-development than their counterparts who are born-leaders. Towards this end, it is possible for someone who is not a born-leader to be taught to lead, as long as they are willing and capable of learning. There is empirical...
Leadership, according to La Monica (1938), is when a person has authority that is recognized by others, and the person has followers/subordinates under them, who believe that the person will assist them in attaining certain goals (carrying out specific objectives for the followers). Furthermore, anyone that is willing to assist and help others could be referred to as a leader (p.8) Leaders see what others do not Most leaders have
He learned quickly, showed political prowess, was not afraid to lead his followers in troubled times (like the Screen Actors' strike), and he could think on his feet, develop his own very moving speeches, and he had very strong beliefs which he was not afraid to voice. All of these are qualities of a leader, and they developed as he made his way thorough life. Reagan, with support of some
Furthermore, there are a number of similarities and overlaps between such leadership theories that do not prevent their being characterized as transformational in nature. For example, "Most leaders behave in both transactional and transformational ways in different intensities and amounts; this is not an entirely either-or differentiation" (Miner, 2002 p. 743). One of the more interesting issues to emerge from the research is the need for transformational leaders to teach
This essay�describes the meaning of leadership and defines the characteristics and qualities of effective leaders.� It discusses the manner in which leadership skills can be developed and assesses the importance of leadership in organizations seeking to achieve specific aims.� Leadership styles, such as servant leadership and transformational leadership, are analyzed and qualities such as boldness, good judgment and emotional intelligence are examined to show how they support effective leadership.� The
Leadership For a business or an organisation to be successful, there is a need for well trained and effective executives / leaders. An organization without proper leadership will find it very difficult to achieve sustainable success. Leaders help in drafting and disseminating information about new visions or directions and providing staff with the right motivation to boost productivity in this age of intense competition. Therefore, it is necessary for companies to
Sun Tzu informs that we cannot punish people until they feel loyalty to us: namely, until they consider themselves members of our group. 10. Keep them guessing This quality may be pertinent only to leaders of a business / corporation. Her Sun Tzu advises keeping one's strategies and plans concealed from one's competitor so that one retains competitive advantage. III. Conclusion The Art of War, maintains Sun Tzu, is "a matter of life
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now