Great Leaders are born, not bred.

Perhaps you’ve heard this statement.  Perhaps it’s even discouraged you because, although you want to be a leader, or have even been promoted into a position of leadership, you doubt your own leadership skills and abilities.

Don’t give up.  The “leaders are born” statement and others like it are leadership theories, not necessarily leadership facts.

Actually, there are other leadership theories that favor those of us born to regular parents, rather than being descendants of great historical leaders like George Washington or Martin Luther King, Jr.

Great Man Theory

To be more specific, the “leaders are born” theory is formally called the Great Man Theory.  It also purports that when there is a need for a leader, a leader will arise.

You’ve seen the Great Man leadership theory in practice.  Some of the reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother cast groups together from which leaders emerge.  Leaders, even if informal, arise in military boot camps.  They’re the ones encouraging others who struggle to complete the physical challenges or to motivate those ready to quit boot camp.

Trait Theory

Similar to the Great Man Theory is the Trait Theory.  The Trait Theory suggests people are born with specific, inherited traits, and that the right combination of inherited traits makes a person suitable for leadership.

An example would be the child that takes charge of the neighborhood to organize a game of hide and seek, that introduces others to a group and ensures everyone plays together.

Behavioral Theory

For those who are genetically challenged in the leadership DNA department, the Behavioral Theory says leaders can be made.  Part determination, part training, and voila!  A leader emerges.

The reality?

All three have merit. Why is it among a group of young kids, one emerges as a “natural born leader”?  Is it genetics?  Is it because they are raised in a way that unleashes leadership traits?

Leadership theories

Why is it in the face of disaster, a normally quiet, unassuming, even shy person suddenly gets a surge of something deep inside, stands up among the group and says, “C’mon… this is what we’ve got to do to get through this…” and they start delegating tasks to ensure the survival of the group?

Perhaps you’ve felt this very feeling yourself.  A tough or dangerous situation faces you.  You look around.  Everyone else is looking around, too.  Nobody takes charge.  You feel a stirring in your gut, an inner voice that says, “Stand up! Take charge!  You know what needs to be done.  Do it!”

You’ve seen possible Trait Theory leaders when sons and daughters take over a family business generation after generation.  Did the children inherit the right combination of traits from their parents to make them the next generation of company leader?  Or, as the Behavior Theory suggests, could it be that the children of great leaders become leaders simply because that is what they are trained for by their parents, even unconsciously?

A good author who is an easy read

An amazing author who has written exhaustively about leadership is Malcolm Gladwell.  In his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You, on page 245 he talks about leadership.  In the beginning he understood leadership development as primarily a process of personal development.  That’s still part of his leadership theories, but he’s added understanding of the importance of leadership in a team, and, especially, the importance of developing other leaders.

The book is practical.  Leadership is a skill that you continually develop.  You learn most of it on the job, by trying things out, observing how you do, and adjusting how you do things in the future based on results and feedback.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership gives you a great starting point for learning.  At the end of each chapter there’s a section on applying this lesson to your life.  There’s also a law called “The Law of Process” that reminds you that “Leadership develops daily, not in a day.”

There’s no promise of magic here.  But you can count on improved results if you use the book to guide your actions.

If you like to read another great book that has good, real life examples is It’s Your Ship, by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff. Excellent book!  I read it a few years ago and then reread it!

A must read if you run teams, especially more complex teams with higher level personnel is The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. If you have staff that is knowledgeable you also end up with issues regarding egos, trust, hierarchy, and more.  This book was fantastic at explaining some of those problems.