Leaders are born not made: Is this a myth or fact???
It is believed that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership. To suggest that leaders do not enter the world with an extraordinary endowment is to imply that people enter the world with equal abilities, with equal talents. There are certain inborn characteristics that predispose people to be and become leaders. There is a significant difference between “learning a skill” and “mastering one.”
People can become leaders through the process of teaching, learning and observation. Leadership is a set of skills that can be learned by training, perception, practice and experience over time. Leadership learning is a lifetime activity. Good leaders seek out development opportunities that will help them learn new skills. Leadership is an art rather than a science. It is a set of innate traits, refined and perfected over time with education, training and experience.
“Integrity; charisma, inspirational, visionary, encouraging, positive, confidence builder, dynamic, foresight, effective team building, communicating, coordinating, decisive, intelligent, and win-win problem solver,” These attributes are a combination of personality, character, skill, communicative ability, and emotional intelligence. Therefore a leader is born, developed, skilled in communications, and cultivated through life experiences.
Five valuable qualities of leadership that make it a vital life skill:
- A positive attitude: The ability to believe in your own goals and abilities in the face of discouragement from others.
- Overcoming adversity: Reframing problems into “challenges” to stay focused and get over, around, or through all sorts of barriers.
- Perseverance: Sticking to a goal – a training program, work assignment, friendship – is difficult, while quitting is easy. Leaders know when to persevere and when to quit.
- Commitment: Learning from mistakes rather than being discouraged by them.
- Excellence: Doing the best you can in every situation.
Learning leadership skills, such as independence and resilience, helps children lead happier, more fulfilling lives. A good foundation of leadership experience also sets kids up for early adulthood. To conclude, leaders are not born but made by kindling the right skills in them from early childhood days.
By: Ms.Lalitha Harsha Reddy
Academic Coordinator- Primary and Middle School
