Sunday, October 7, 2012

Are Leaders Born or Made?

     Its almost like the question of which came first the chicken or the egg?  Are leaders born or made?  After twenty some years of experience in education I have come to learn that leaders are made from their circumstances.  A leader's circumstances have more to do with their surrounding than with their genetic make-up.  The only genetic make-up that a leader really needs to have is a high energy level.  Being a leader takes a large amount of energy to put in the time and commitment to lead.  I am sure that there are some leaders out in the world that don't have the energy to lead and they are still competent in their job.  But without an adequate energy level leaders may lead but they may not be as effective.
     Leaders are made from their circumstances.  Their home and modeling from their parents.  Their education and training.  The type of leaders they had in their schooling.  The type of followers they were when they were being led.  Were they an intelligent follower?   All of these circumstances have one thing in common.  The leader was either trained or educated to develop the leader inside of themselves.  Everyone can be a leader if they so choose to be.  Especially in the United States were free enterprise exists.  Some of the obstacles can be challenging to overcome. Poverty, physical disability, family tragedy, illness, etc...  But they can be overcome.  Throughout history their has been numerous examples of leaders overcoming obstacles to go on and become a great leader.  Henry Ford overcome the death of his mother.  Abraham Lincoln's mother died when he was nine.  He also grew up in poverty.  David Paterson, Governor of New York is partly blind.  Theodore Roosevelt suffered from asthma and was sickly young man.
     Whatever the circumstances, these leaders and many others overcame their obstacles.  What I have learned from watching students after students go through my schools is that leaders have to be determined.  They have to have a vision and a plan for what they want to be or do then they have to stick with it.  They have to have some gumption and a never say die attitude.  If they don't stay focused then the day to day grind of life will get in the way of what they want to be.  What about you?  Are you wanting to aspire to something better?  Do you want to learn something new?  Be more skillful in an area that you have struggled?  What are your dreams?  If you have that desire to do something or be someone different then I would encourage you to do it.  Need a little help in getting started?  Try this link below and see if it helps you get started.  Good luck and go for it!


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