Leadership is a process by which an individual influences others to accomplish set objectives by giving a sense of direction to achieve the goals. In the journey to achieve the common goal in a given group, leadership offers the appropriate direction and necessary steps to be followed in realising the dreams of the team. Leadership can be inborn, where a person is naturally oriented to undertake leadership roles without being informed on handling such issues. In such a case where an individual comes out as an outstanding individual, ready to take charge of roles, then that person is a born leader. Leadership qualities in a person who has not gone through coaching and mentorship to possess those qualities reveal that leaders are born. Therefore, leaders can go through mentorship in the right environment and get the right mentorship to help them advance their leadership skills and guide their teams well. A good number of theories exist that discuss the various types of leadership, with many thinkers and philosophers diving into this subject to help in the understanding of this diverse topic. This paper discusses the idea that leaders are born and not made, with examples to show the statement’s validity.
According to the Great Man Theory of leadership, leaders can be identified by looking at them and analysing their personality traits to determine what they are capable of (Hunt & Fedynich, 2019). These character traits are born, and these attributes show that one is a capable leader. These personal traits differentiate the leader from no leaders, and these traits can be physical or personality characteristics. Historically, leadership is seen as something of the chosen few, and this view strongly supports the idea that leaders are born and not made. Leadership is also seen as something hereditary, and these leaders are taken as heroes in their society as a result of possessing extraordinary skills and abilities, propelling them to the top of leadership. Such families gain respect, admiration and adoration. Leadership is then a special gift to these few individuals who do not have to undergo any training to gain leadership skills.
From a religious point of view, leadership is a God-given gift, and the Lord of Lords sends leaders as heroes to be in charge of the flock of God and teach righteousness to the nation of God (Penttilä, 2021). Thomas Carlyle, the founder of the trait leadership theory, also believes that leaders are born and have lived in times of crisis and discord during industrialisation. During that period, Carlyle found it difficult to believe that the church would offer enough strength, wisdom and the appropriate direction. However, God would do all He could to save the situation of humanity. In restoring order in his hometown, religious institutions or other organisations would not offer the right solution. However, the sent leaders or the born leaders would give a sense of direction and solution to the upheaval. The examples of such leaders are like Shakespeare in the world of fiction for possessing greatness in his attributes. Other remarkable leaders worth respecting are Martin Luther King and Olive Cromwell. Leaders with inborn leaders can inherit their leadership attributes to their children. Great leaders do not have to concentrate more on the background factors or environment to shape their organisational and leadership skills. Findings from research among the Swedish military show that the genetic makeup and family of individuals explain the exceptional leadership traits of leaders compared to the general population (Adams et al., 2018).
Leadership qualities are difficult to achieve with training compared to an individual already with leadership attributes (Penttilä, 2021). The attributes differentiate great leaders from other people. Vision is a great quality a leader should possess, whether in the political or the business field. Great leaders need to own the group’s vision passionately and with enthusiasm to drive it to completion. Such a quality is not taught in any school, nor can it be obtained from reading books; instead, it comes from the personal traits of an individual. The quality of vision is not one to rehearse or practice but one that proves that leaders are born and not made. Another critical quality of leadership is integrity. Leaders who possess the quality of integrity promote trust among their team members while demonstrating a commitment to moral and ethical behaviours. Like vision, integrity is hard to teach and achieve for an individual who does not know integrity or walk in an integral line. Great leaders are naturally integral and trustworthy in their dealings.
Transparency is a leadership quality that will indicate that one will be ready to lead the rest in the right direction. Leadership requires individuals with the ability to state things as they are and address issues most practically without hiding anything from their fellow leaders or their subjects. The transparency trait helps leaders to build trust with employees, and this helps them to give their feedback freely. Individuals who relate well with other people, especially their peers, portray a theory of transformational leadership in which they can easily relate well with people. In transformational leadership, leaders’ relationship with their followers is the most outstanding element. Such individuals showcase leadership traits and can lead others well due to the good human relations they possess. Character forms the core of one’s personality system. As such, the character of an individual is permanent and defines an individual from a young age, hence defining who one is. On the other part, traits are subject to amendment and changes. Therefore, the character can determine whether an individual is naturally a leader. For instance, if an individual is patient, trustworthy and naturally loyal, they will easily make great leaders as opposed to individuals who will learn the skills of management and problem-solving to take on leadership in a given institution or organisation.
Training and experience do not make one a great leader; it is a difficult thing to achieve since leaders are naturally born with the necessary leadership skills. Practising leadership qualities does not qualify an individual to become a leader; however, the personality of a leader is inborn, and this is what matters the most. Leadership demands a lot, like requiring an individual to be confident but humble, wise and bold, to take control yet be ready to accommodate other people’s views and personality traits (Iszatt-White & Saunders, 2017). Other scholars believe that even people who do not possess leadership qualities from birth can acquire them through training. According to these scholars and researchers, leaders can be created through learning and developing personal qualities and skills to reach the level of leadership desired in a given setting. Training among individuals with natural leadership attributes is an added advantage as they will strengthen their leadership qualities. Committing to personal development is a continuous life goal for naturally born leaders as they focus on building their hard and soft leadership skills as time passes, hence attaining even greater authority and respect from others. For instance, people who gain respect from a young age due to how they conduct themselves and engage with others indicate that they are great leaders naturally.
Many people and cultures believe that leaders are born and not made. For instance, according to the relative age effect (RAE) theory in China, individuals born in October and November are more likely to take up leadership in various parties than those born in June and July (Li & Hu, 2022). In addition, such a theory holds that parents who are officials in parties will have a positive impact on their children in choosing their career paths, and their possibility to become leaders is relatively high. Effective leadership is pivotal to the success of any organisation. With the evolution of the leadership sector and its understanding, the contribution of organisational management and human capital must be addressed. Regarding management, there is a need to differentiate between management and leadership. Management Is different from leadership in terms of visions and strategies as it concentrates on monitoring and controlling the organisation’s performance (Benmira & Agboola, 2021). However, leadership and management coexist despite having distinct roles. The two aspects complement each other, and thus, it is hard to separate the two. Every organisation needs leadership to set its vision and goals to be achieved and management to monitor the activities, maintain order and help the company or institution to remain stable at all times.
In conclusion, the discussion on whether leaders are born or made continues, and every side has its argument to validate which belief is true. As the debate goes on, there are indeed leaders who possess leadership qualities naturally, and they are leading well in their sectors. There are also many leaders today who have never had an experience of leadership in their family or community but have been trained to become great leaders. Such leaders have gone past their challenges and gone the extra mile to develop their leadership skills and have thus reached where they are. Leaders can be born, but it does not mean that they do not need nurturing and training. The training is meant to enhance their leadership qualities and help them perform better in their areas of leadership.
References
Adams, R., Keloharju, M., & Knüpfer, S. (2018). Are CEOs born leaders? Lessons from traits of a million individuals. Journal of Financial Economics, 130(2), 392-408.
Benmira, S., & Agboola, M. (2021). Evolution of leadership theory. BMJ Leader, leader-2020.
Hunt, T., & Fedynich, L. (2019). Leadership: Past, present, and future: An evolution of an idea. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 8(2), 22-26.
Iszatt-White, M., & Saunders, C. (2017). Leadership. Oxford University Press.
Li, Y., & Hu, X. (2022). Born leaders: China’s municipal party secretaries. Applied Economics Letters, 29(7), 626–629.
Penttilä, S. (2021). Leadership: Are Leaders Born or Made?
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