Family.

Even though cynics might conclude that television is the great brainwasher of the young, the strongest environmental factor molding children is still the family. Prior to the start of school, children learn a great deal through observation and by modeling those around them. Future leaders may have been fortunate while young to have a leadership role model in a brother, sister, parent, mother, father, aunt or grandparent.

Personality.

While there is a lot of disagreement on whether certain traits are always present in leaders, we know that possessing certain traits can definitely help. This raises on interesting question, is it possible for a person to change certain personality traits? One might answer that question with a bit of humor.

Do you know how many psychologists it takes to change a light bulb?

It takes just one—but the light bulb has really got to want to be changed.

Position.

In some cases, the position inside an organization forces someone to "grow into it." We have seen this happen many times in human history when an individual with the title of King or Queen, also received the label Great beside their name. Katherine, Frederick, Alexander, Constantine and others used their birth right as a starting point to greatness.

In other cases, managers tend to fall into the trap of over using the authority associated a position to get results. There is nothing wrong with using authority. However, over reliance on it tends to inhibit the development of leadership skills.

Opportunity.

It's been said that certain leaders act like a battery—all that potential just waiting for the right conditions for the current to flow. Some have the potential to lead, but the conditions were never right to take charge, for them to emerge as a leader.

In corporate settings, this occurs when potential leaders are allowed to emerge to take charge of project teams for example. An emergent leaders generally does well since that person does not have to deal with legitimacy issues that so often bedevil team leaders appointed by management.

Belief.

One of the most subtle, powerful brakes or accelerators of leader development is what one believes. There is no stronger prison than the one we build within our own minds. For many, the mental prison consists of a small number of core beliefs that limit accomplishment.

If you ask a group of people, how many are managers, almost everyone will raise their hand, even if they do not have a business degree. If you ask the same group how many are leaders, few will raise their hand. Until such beliefs are erased, the person is 100% correct—they can never, will never lead.

Contrary to the opinion of many people, leaders are not born. Leaders are made, and they are made by effort and hard work.

Vince Lombardi, 1913-1970, Professional football coach, Wiebusch, Lombardi (Follett, 1971)

Learning and Effort.

While all the other factors are important, this one clearly dominates the list. It implies that leadership is a skill, and like all skills, it can be learned.

Strange though it may seem, most individuals learn very little from experience. Raw experience by itself, is rarely enough to learn a skill. If experience was all one needed, you could become a marital arts expert by watching Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies.

Finally, effort and underlying motivation play an incredibly important role in mastering complex skills such as transformational leadership. One has to be willing to put in the hours required to both seek out sound theory and then practice, practice and practice.

Copyright © 2003 by Murray Johannsen. All Rights Reserved