In today’s society, we are often asked the question, are we born to be a leader or a follower. We have been asked to contemplate the question, “were we born with leadership traits?” There have been countless studies by countless doctors, groups, and research firms and all the answers point to the answer maybe. According to the trait approach, the five central traits of a leader are intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, and sociability (Northouse, 2016, p. 23).
If we take these five traits and break them down to determine if we were born with them, or can they be learned, we will find that it is both. For example, if we take intelligence, some individuals are natural prodigies. These individuals have the born characteristics of being intelligent, but on the other hand, we have those individuals that study and learn and become wise. Northouse (2016, p. 24) described intelligence as “having a positive impact on an individual’s capacity for effective leadership.” So regardless if you were born a prodigy, or you have learned over time using what you know to further lead would be a leadership trait.
Moving onto self-confidence, this is one of the essential traits of a leader. Over time, the English aphorism, “fake it till you make it,” has been used by leaders. As Northouse (2016, p. 24) described, leadership is about influencing others. With high self-confidence, it allows you as a leader to sell your ideas to an individual, or a group of people. If we look back at some of the greatest leaders, while we may not all agree to their agenda’s, they were able to get a mass amount of people to follow their paths. Some examples of these individuals were Alexander the Great, President Reagan, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, etc.
One thing that leaders have in common is the desire to get the job done no matter the means; this is determination. They welcome the challenge that each encounter presents. Leaders also use determination in getting followers to move towards the goal, keeping an eye on the prize. Amid all the action, a good leader must be honest and fair. Followers must have faith in a leader and know that they have integrity; otherwise, a leader will lose their flock. Lastly, a talented leader must be relatable. They must be able to build relations with their peers and followers. Followers need to know that a leader is one of them and not some person who dictates from the top with no connection to what is happening in the real world.
After researching the trait approach, what comes to mind for me was why people stay working for a company they dislike. It is a rather simple concept; employees stay with companies for bosses they like, they don’t leave good companies, they leave bad bosses (Hyacinth, 2018). Great leaders turn into great bosses, regardless if they are born with exceptional leadership skills or they acquire them. If I think back through my career, I can relate to this exact scenario. I stayed working for large corporations because of the person I worked for and vice versa; I left great companies because of the person I worked for. So, looking back at the original question, “are we born with it,” the answer is yes and no, leadership skills an evolving door that needs constant grease to ensure that it is working to the best of its abilities.
Reference:
- (2018, July 23). A good boss is better than a good company! Retrieved September 16, 2019, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/good-boss-better-than-company-brigette-hyacinth
- Northouse, P. G. (2016). Chapter 2: Trait approach. In Leadership: Theory and practice (pp. 19-42). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
Antonio Araiza says
Jamie,
Thought-provoking entry! I admire your how you framed the dilemma from a leadership-followership point of view but would like to offer a different question that’s also frequently asked: Are leaders born, or are they made? Are we born with special leadership abilities, or do we learn the skills through time?
First, we must fundamentally understand the difference between traits and skills. A trait is “an inherited characteristic (trait, 2019)”. On the other hand, a skill is “a learned power of doing something competently” or “a developed aptitude or ability (skill, 2019).” We are born with traits, while we train, study and learn new skills as we go through our daily lives. Many traits, characteristics and skills evidently correlate with effective leadership.
For example, we learned about sociability, and this trait was also one that you listed as a fundamental characteristic for a good leader. According to Northouse (2016), “leaders who show sociability are friendly, outgoing, courteous, tactful, and diplomatic (p. 26)”. They are sensitive to others’ needs and show concern for their well-being. Sociability is a trait that is important to leaders; it’s their “inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships (Northouse, 2016, p. 26)”. A point to focus on is that, according to the definition above, leaders are intentional and determined to seek out social, cooperative relationships that may contribute towards achieving organizational goals.
Determination, like you mentioned in your entry, is the innate desire to achieve the goal; it includes characteristics such as “initiative, persistence, dominance, and drive (Northouse, 2016, p. 24)”. Indeed, when we look at these and other characteristics, it’s easy to focus precisely on what they are and what behaviors are exhibited by those who possess them. However, I would suggest that there are others things they align with to demonstrate how they correlate with effective leadership.
Problem solving, for example, is something that doesn’t immediately come to mind when thinking about sociability and determination, but if you really think about it, both of these traits demonstrate what a leader can do to achieve a goal. They intentionally seek out pleasant, collaborative relationships and show great determination when they overcome the challenges in order to achieve a collective goal.
Social judgment skills are “the capacity to understand people and social systems (Zaccaro et al, 2000, as cited in Northouse, 2016, p. 49). These are the skills leaders utilize in working with others to solve problems and to marshal support to implement change within an organization. Can we teach those in school? Can they be learned or are we born with these abilities?
When it comes to determination, lessons in life are what can help us develop that character trait. Failure will either teach people to quit or to keep on trying, but can you learn that in an academic environment? I agree with you and would offer that we are all born to be leaders and followers, and that leaders are not only born, but they are also forged in classrooms and in every deliberate action we make to help us achieve a goal.
References
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Skill. 2019. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved September 13, 2019 from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skill?src=search-dict-box
Trait. 2019. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved September 13, 2019 from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trait
kdm5565 says
It’s funny you wrote on this topic (of whether we are born to be a leader or follower) because my brother and I were just arguing about this the other day. We were talking about sports, and why some athletes greatness (in terms of scoring, how great of an athlete they are, etc.) is equated to them being a leader. In my opinion, just because you score more 3 pointers than anyone else, that doesn’t automatically make you a great leader. I feel like people often confuse talent with leadership though. I think everyone is born with the capacity to be a leader, but whether the world gets to see the leader in you is dependent on multiple things, and some of those things are not in our control. Just like our lesson reading said, certain situations can bring out certain characteristics in individuals; no two leaders are alike. I too have been in job where the actual job itself was mundane and uninteresting, but I stayed with that job because of my coworkers and boss. Retention in the Army is a big thing, and units that have low retention rates are always analyzed as to why. Is it the unit, the leaders, the soldiers, the job, or a combination of all? I have known people who were three months from getting out of the military, got a new Commanding Officer, and because of that new Commander decided to give the Army another two years. I think that is a true testament to how great of a leader you are. All the traits you mentioned are equally important, but the one that is most important to me personally is self-confidence. I have always been the kind of person that had a hard time feeling confident in someone if they weren’t confident in themselves. Believing you can do it is half the battle in my opinion, and a bad attitude or lack of confidence can spread like wildfire in a group environment. That is why we look to our leaders for that extra boost in confidence. If my Commander says we can do it, I’m going to put my faith in him and believe we can do it! Confidence is key!