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Are leaders born or made...And...

Question: Are leaders born or made?

My Answer : Made. (Although, all leaders are also born)

No, you decide - no-one has ever conclusively agreed on this - so, you decide, and make sure you choose whatever serves you best - so, if you believe leaders are born, i.e. not made, then make sure you also decide you were one of those luckier babies.

The IT Leadership Deal - Do this, or do something - the more suggestions / tips the more helpful to readers:

Please - share your Answer, your Thought or Comment

Question: I do not believe there is any such thing as a new idea - they have all gone - what do you think?

My Answer : In which case you will never have a new idea, which is great for people like me who know there are new ideas to be had all the time - because it means we will have them, and we have no competition from you, because you don't.

The Life and Leadership Deal - Do this, or do something - the more suggestions / tips the more helpful to readers:

Please - share your Answer, your Thought or Comment

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Comments (2)

My thoughts: Some leaders are born – you can see this in any infant school – some children just seem to take the initiative and lead out – it seems to be natural for them – and if the right opportunities come along they will probably be good leaders. However I believe the greatest leaders are made: often made as a result of their experiences and the opportunities that pass their way - combined with the decisions they make to step into the leadership position.

Bernard Peek:

When I'm not wearing my IT Manager's hat I sometimes wear my Management Development Trainer's hat. Part of my job is to take people who have been handed a management job and teach them how to avoid screwing up while they learn how to manage, and pass on some tips.

My take on this is that managers are mostly made, but much of that making happens even before they get to school. You can still learn it later in life, but it's more difficult.

When a bunch of people are milling around trying to figure out what to do they will usually follow the first person to say "I have a cunning plan." So becoming a leader just needs the confidence to propose a plan before someone else does. Having grasped the brown and sticky end of the stick you are stuck with the management job until you screw up or find another sucker. That's management rather than leadership, and it's much more complicated.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on December 7, 2007 9:00 AM.

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