Successful Leaders Are Made Not Born
By
Theodore Henderson
The Wisdom Man
image via Leadership Institute of Yale
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” – Vince Lombardi
Psychology has made many crucial contributions to the understanding of human behavior. However, among the most important in recent years has actually been in the study of business and industry by helping to clearly define the key characteristics of recognized successful leaders. Additionally, psychological and skills assessments have been used to ascertain just what characteristics are most generally observed amongst successful leaders. The identified characteristics make themselves apparent in the behavior and actions outlined below. All of which can be learned by focused study, quality instruction, and practice as I highlight in my Learning Leadership Through Cinema seminar series. In other words, leadership is an acquired skill not an accident of birth and you are the architect as well as the builder.
The world of business is moving faster and faster all the time, which has become a major factor in this new focus on leadership. In the past, the road to promotion and success was to “play it safe” and to not “rock the boat”. Brand-new forces in the business world have made it essential to broaden or eliminate this narrow emphasis. The new leaders of tomorrow will be visionaries. They will be both teachers and continuous learners not robotic order givers. Not only will they foresee the changes in their culture(s), they will also bring a real sense of ethics and character to their environments. To say it another way, they will continuously learn, seek trained instructors (or coaches) and put their knowledge successfully into practice.
One of my mentors, leadership authority and author, Dr. John Maxwell, has identified several traits and activities to define an effective impactful leader that I include in my speeches and seminars. A short list is included in the following:
Communication: Several talents may distinguish exceptional managers. But one is most important: Relating, the ability to build relationships with different personality types and backgrounds. This ability multiplies your effectiveness and enhances your leadership capability in almost any other area. Think about it. No matter how skilled a manager is in other areas, their impact will be limited if they are unable to build effective relationships with others.
Influence: Becoming a person of influence is a critical basic skill to leadership success. Convincing your manager or your peers to back your ideas or encouraging your children to bear down or their studies, influencing is a key skill. It’s become even more important as society evolves and traditional sources of authority are dramatically less influential.
The Power of Great Questions: The key to solving problems is asking the right question.
Three questions of the many effective ones a leader can use for problem solving are:
- Why do we have this problem?
- How do we solve this problem?
- What specific steps must we take to solve this problem?
Notice “Whose fault is it?” is not on the list.
Failure is Not The End: Sometimes our plans work out and sometimes we “learn” from things not quite going our way. What all of us has in common; those experiences we can all say, “I have been there.” Each and every one of us has experienced a disappointing loss in our own personal growth or leadership. How we have responded to those mistakes, errors, blunders in judgment or just plain missing the mark has formed us even now. Understanding this makes us realize no bad experience has to ultimately defeat us.
Personal Growth: To discover your own purpose and potential, you will need to grow in the following areas:
- Self-awareness
- Character
- Skills
- Relationships
- Spirituality
As good as this may sound personal growth is not a natural process in most people’s lives. You will need to have a plan to grow. If you focus on goals, you may hit those goals, but that will not guarantee growth. However if you focus on growth, you will surely grow and always experience the success that growth generates.
Develop Other Leaders: The pathway to growing an organization is to grow its leaders. The message is simple: leaders can’t do it alone. To succeed at the highest levels, they must surround themselves with a team of influencers. Although leaders may see the big picture, they need other leaders at their side to make the picture a reality.
Leaders are born only because everyone is born. To actually be a leader you have to learn the skills and be tested. Surroundings and determination are major elements in the evolving “formula” of any leader; so if your aim is leadership, work on developing those areas of your self that you feel are unsatisfactory. Each of the above are highlighted in various sections of my workshop Learning Leadership Through Cinema so the participants will see through film how ordinary people can lead through challenging and extraordinary circumstances but more importantly how their particular situations can be addressed.
Just bear in mind, any individual can do anything they put their mind to. So get started now!
About the Author
Theodore Henderson AKA “The Wisdom Man” works with those individuals who desire to become entrepreneurs, business owners who want to improve their leadership and management skills, and those who need more productive job search strategies. He is an Amazon best selling author, a Certified Leadership Coach www.Wisdom4Business.com, Certified Career Coach, and a Certified Social Media Security Professional Powered by CompTIA. He is the author of “9 Simple Steps to Becoming a Strong Leader”, “The Wisdom Compass”, and the cyber security eBook “30 Smart Ways to Protect Yourself from Cyber Criminals” aimed at owners of Smartphones, Mobile Devices, and also those who have significant online activities including Social Media, financial services, and more. He may be reached at info@TheodoreHenderson.com.