Are leaders born or made?

There is much discussion regarding whether people are born as leaders, or if people can become leaders. The answer is BOTH. According to Jack Welch, some of the leadership traits are innate and some can be developed.

In a recent LinkedIn post Jack Welch shared his five leadership traits:

1. Positive energy – an upbeat energy through good times and bad

2. Energizing others – help others release and focus their positive energy

3. Making tough calls – saying no when needed

4. Execution – getting things done

5. Passion – believing, sweating

Positive energy and energizing others are part of your personality. It is who you are, these are difficult to change. Passion is something that is mostly inborn, but people can unleash it.

Don’t despair there are two traits that can be developed!

If you’d like to be a better leader, the two areas that benefit from training are making tough calls and executing strategy. You can get better at both of these crucial skills by trying them and getting feedback on how well you did.

The worst thing to do is not try – you’ll never become an extraordinary leader if you refuse to make decisions on tough issues or if you sit back and do nothing.

One of the best ways to move ahead in making tough calls and execution is to hire a leadership coach. A coach can give you ideas to use for decision making, and processes to follow so that you get things done. In addition to tools and skills, a coach gives you honest feedback. And all leaders need that.

If you want to be a superior manager, I recommend you find a business coach to help you develop abilities in these crucial areas. Find someone who is willing to give you candid feedback. Someone that will hold you accountable for trying out and perfecting your new skills.

Leaders are both born AND made. If you’d like to be a better leader, work on your decision making and execution skills.

"A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, and has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you can be." - Tom Landry

I’d love to give you the tools to "step up" to the next level of leadership. I specialize in coaching leaders and teams with technical backgrounds. Contact me at Valerie.MacLeod@HainesCentre.com

Photo by Valerie MacLeod.