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Leaders are made

Leadership is the process by which a person influences others to accomplish a goal or

objective by guiding them to ensure a coherent and cohesive direction. It is a highly sought

after commodity, and good leaders are some of the most valuable entities an organization can

have. I believe that leaders are made and not born because leadership is about nurture and

not nature. It is a learned process, and something one must try to become (Northouse, 2016,

p. 1). It is also a personal skill learned through training. Leadership skills can also be

developed through an ideal model and turn someone into an effective leader. Motivation,

facilitation coaching, mindset changing, and communication are the primary skills that should

develop. Some people are not born with leadership qualities but have studied, researched, and

practiced the art of leadership and have managed to become great leaders.there is a

misconception that people are born with traits that make them predisposed to be leaders.

However, with a dedication to the skill, one can learn those traits, or mimic them enough and

be better than the “natural born” leaders. There are also statistical flaws in the twin studies

evaluating leadership. Still, there are historical figures devoid of the family history of leaders.

There has not been any original research that identifies one trait or a mix of traits found in all

leaders.

Role of genetics in leadership

Lack of experimentation on humans has made researchers rely on a statistical analysis of

variance between pairs of twins to estimate the extent to which correlation between the pairs
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with genetic or environmental factors makes a difference. The genetic component of the

leadership role occupies only 30%, while environmental influence is estimated to be 70%

(Boerma et al.). Occupancy in a leadership role does not assume that the person is an

effective leader. Even as identical and fraternal twins grow up in roughly equal environments,

they have slightly different perceptions of issues and internalize their environment to a

different extent (Boerma et al.).Molecular genetics and studies provide some indirect

evidence in the form of statistical correlation, or self-reported leadership occupancy. Still,

they also conclude that leadership is complex and is formed more significantly by the

environment. Outstanding leaders, therefore, are developed over time, hard work, and

experience.

Historical Examples

Genetics logic would have it that outstanding leaders are born to parents who are leaders.

Developing leadership skills, therefore, would be unnecessary for effective leaders. Several

historical examples support that both are false statements. Walt Disney came from very

humble beginnings and grew up in a home with his homemaker mother, his entrepreneurial

father who failed at most of his business schemes which he ventured, and four ordinary

siblings (Boerma et al.). His aloof and strict father disapproved of Walt's creative leanings

forbid his participation in related events. Despite all this, Walt at age 29 succeeded with

Mickey Mouse through perseverance, learning from mistakes, and developed his skills to a

rally team around an idea. He is the pioneer in the field of animation. He is an example of

outstanding leaders who are from a less than outstanding parental pedigree who are mentored,

learn from the environment, and develop through time and experience.

Leadership industry

Leadership is as much a set of personal skills and qualities as it is the act of leading a group

of people or an organization. Leadership often learned through mentoring or systematic

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training that accumulates in a defined skillset honed through the experience of many years

(Sadayappan). Although hard work, training, and dedication are important for developing

these skills, personal proclivity towards leadership cannot discount. The intangibles that

distinguish a successful leader are compassion, understanding, and forward-looking attitude.

Effective leaders have different personalities and skills, and how they influence people varies

greatly.

All that is needed is a framework or a model that could guide young persons in developing

their leadership skills. The model helps instill a strong sense of social responsibility and a

desire to become instruments of positive social change, and this is the best way to display and

encourage the element of strong morals (Northouse, 2016, p. 167). An ideal model would be

the one that is deeply involved in the process of facilitating student leadership development

and capitalize on the knowledge and experience of experts. The characteristic given at birth

impact the type of a leader someone is, whether administrative, relational, or strategic. Still, it

is the development of a leader that impacts how he leads. So nurture impacts the effectiveness

of one’s leadership. It is possible to have talented leaders who are lazy and lack passion and

conviction. In contrast, we have developed leaders who work hard in overwhelming

situations, humbly seeking feedbacks, instructions, and researching to contain the situation.

ethics

Transformational and authentic leadership should heavily focus on training an effective

leader. Ethics addresses the kind of values and morals an individual or a society finds

appropriate and attempts to understand the virtues and motives of an individual (Northouse,

2016, p. 330). The principles of ethical leadership: building community, respect for others,

showing justice, serving others, and manifesting honesty help learners to navigate ethical

issues they may face. Competent leaders always surrounded by a team of skilled and

committed people.
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Appointing individuals with a natural proclivity for leadership is a hard task.

Assessing a candidate’s ability to think holistically and take bold action when needed,

respecting and helping others is not easy. More so, an individual with these qualities does not

necessarily make a good leader ( Are Great Leaders Born or Made?) with each challenge

comes a new experience, an invaluable lesson in understanding others or a different way of

thinking. The skill of observation is critical and comes with time and practice.

There are ways of improving leadership skills so to become a better leader and think about

ways that can be implemented in daily life at work. These include having a clear vision,

mission, and goals shared with the other staff to provide a clear path that an individual team

can follow. It is also necessary to know and utilize the strengths and gifts he has to be a

formidable leader. Additionally, the leader should be passionate about the goals to have a

genuine enthusiasm for the projects. It would be good for the leader to serve as a role model

so that group members will admire and copy their behavior. The leader should also maintain

a positive attitude to look at the brighter side of life (Aline et al.). It is also necessary to

improve communication skills to clearly and accurately communicate the vision, goals,

intentions, skills, and expectations to others. The greatest leaders are those who involve

everyone in their sphere of influence by recognizing each person's most significant value.

The leader will continue to educate and improve himself in every possible way, be receptive

to everyone's perceptions and information from around always to grow and learn. Leaders do

the right thing; they are made and not born where there are a desire and will. They develop

through a never-ending process of self- study, training, education, and experience (Aline et

al.). My belief on how people become leaders affect my evaluation of people's leadership

potential. To believe people are born leaders is likely to result in a focus more on selection

than on development, where you develop the people you get. Considering that people are

made into leaders by their experience will focus significantly on making sure people have the
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opportunity to develop into leaders. Since education is the most powerful weapon you can

use to change the world, it is necessary to train and develop people to their full potential of

leadership heights.

In conclusion, training, hard work, and experience result in the development of effective and

outstanding leaders. Rarely do people become leaders without first experiencing intense,

transformative experiences that perfect and acts as catalysts for their change in perception

and behavior. Without sufficient motivation and self-awareness, one cannot rise into that

position. There have to be people around that one can work with so that they can be useful in

their role. Given the dynamic and complex social environments, most leaders operate.

Effectiveness requires them to have specific perceptive and adaptive capabilities. Great

leaders evolve and grow to their positions in society and history. Leadership is, therefore,

about nurture and not nature.

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