We have all been one or the other, a leader or a follower, or both throughout our lives. Are leaders born leaders? Can you learn to be a leader? The answer is yes and no, to both. This argument has gone on over time and still there is much debate on both. Some believe that leaders are born and raised with traits that exemplify how a leader should be or characteristics that they should possess. Some believe that someone can learn the proper ways of being an effective leader without initially having the traits of leadership.
I never really knew where I fit in in this world as a leader. I never felt I was born to be a leader, however that is where I found myself now in my life. I work for a large manufacturing facility where I have been employed for 15 years. I started out at the bottom and now I am a supervisor. I often think about how I got to where I am at, where I want to go from here and who helped me along the way.
I believe I fell into the Leader-member exchange theory. “Leader-member exchange theory (LMX) conceptualizes leadership as a process that is centered on the interactions between leaders and followers. LMX theory makes the dyadic relationship between leaders and followers the focal point of the leadership process” (Penn State). I know that I have seen leadership qualities within myself but it was my former supervisor that took me under his wing and showed me what it took to be a leader. This was evidence to me that leadership can be spawned through process more so than through the trait approach. He put me in situations in which my leadership skills could come to the forefront and allow me to take on roles that I was uncomfortable doing without the extra push. In group settings I became the one to take the lead and start showing those leadership capabilities.
I find myself now in a similar role in which I have the opportunity to build that leader-follower bond with my employees especially those that I currently do not see as leaders but know that they have the potential to become leaders if they listen, work hard and take the appropriate steps to become leaders. There are some employees that I do not have to focus as much time on because they follow the trait approach and have certain traits that have helped them get into the positions that they are in and will take them up on the ladder of leadership. A lot of my responsibilities that I delegate to them I do not have to worry about because I know they will do a good job at whatever I throw at them. There are some other followers that I have taken under my wing like my former boss did to me. I put them in situations that they would not have normally volunteered for in order to train and pull out those leadership skills that I know they have but they may not see themselves. I have taught them what responsibilities a leader has to be accounted for and what steps they need to take in order to someday be in my position and hopefully pass on the knowledge that was bestowed upon me to one of their followers.
I can’t say enough of how grateful I am to those that have helped me on this journey and it is far from being over. I continue to learn from my current boss. You are always a follower to someone. There is always room in life to learn how to be a better leader and improve on your leadership skills. In order to be a leader, great or bad, you can’t be either without a follower.
Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved January 15, 2019, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1975088/modules/items/25786742
Rebecca Hanna Hormann says
Hey Kevin,
I found your blog post to be quite thought provoking. It is true what you talk about, about how the argument between whether leaders are born or whether it is something that one can learn, has been around for a large amount of time. I agree with you in saying that both of these situations are possible. We’ve learned that defining the traits of a leader and what exactly a leader is really depends on the context. A leader in one situation may not necessarily be a successful leader in another situation.
Your example from your own life is quite a good one when it comes to being taught leadership and drawing it any leadership skills that someone might have. If you had been in a different line of work or not had somebody who took you under their wing, perhaps you would not have been given the opportunity to develop your leadership skills in the way that you have.
I think its also a great thing to remember that followers will not be followers. Many people in this world consider themselves to be nothing near a leader and simply conform to the role of a follower because they believe they do not possess the ability to be a leader. You are an example of this not being true. You were able to make your way up and away from being just a follower and now have ended up in a leadership position.
Thank you for sharing, I think you did a great job of taking what we looked at in this lessons readings and applying it to real life.