Republic of the Philippines

Malabon City University

Graduate School
Ph. D in Management Program

Leadership and Management Development

Ph. D. Mgmt 600

“LEADERSHIP WERE NOT BORN, THEY

WERE MADE” A Research

Prepared by:

JOEL A. SARZA
Student
Are Leaders born or made? This is one of the most often-
asked question about leadership.
Introduction

There has been a long time debate as people try to understand if

leaders are actually born or they are made. This debate has
resulted in different lines of thoughts as some people are of the
opinion that leaders are born while others are of the contrary
opinion (Anton 2004). My position as far as this debate is
concerned is that leaders are born and not made. Leaders are
born with basic leadership skills and these skills are improved
through experience and learning from other leaders (Northouse
2007). This discussion draws from relevant leadership theories
that prove that indeed leaders are born and not made.

Research by psychologists has proved that, in the main,

Leaders are ‘mostly made.' The best estimates offered by
research is that leadership is about one-third born and
two-thirds made.

The ability to effectively lead, motivate and direct a

group of people – whether it is in business, sport or
politics - requires a very complex set of skills, mostly
acquired through experiences, self development as well
as access to subsequent training.

To expect a person to be born a fully rounded, complete

Leader with the ability to influence and direct their Team
just doesn't make sense based on what we know about
Group Dynamics.

The fact that leadership is mostly made is good news for

those of us involved in leadership development - leaders
can indeed be developed. However – and this is the one
third – there are some inborn characteristics that the
great leaders have naturally which they use to their
advantage,

1. A Natural Born Leader?

Does this mean that introverts, persons of average
 social intelligence, or those of us who are not
particularly empathic will not make good leaders?
Certainly not. A great leader in recent history - the
Mayor of New York – has Leadership thrust on him in
the aftermath of the September 11 attacks for which
he was subsequently honoured. Remember, most of
leadership is made, not born. So, if you aspire to
positions of leadership, then the best course is to
embark on a leadership self-development plan.

2. Doing the Right Thing

To be successful, all leaders – whatever their
leadership style, type and so on - must choose the
right action at the right time and “keep a steady eye
on the ball”. They must be courageous, self-aware –
and ensure the consistent support of their team of
followers. This is a skill which needs to be practiced.

3. Introvert v Extrovert
Research suggests that extraverts are consistently
associated with obtaining leadership positions and
being more effective leaders. Think of Richard
Branson, Winston Churchill et al. There is evidence
that being bold, assertive, or risk-taking can be
advantageous for leaders. Leaders also need to be
smart to analyze situations and figure out courses of
action.

Intelligence is often associated with leadership.

Indeed it is often considered a pre-requisite. But this
doesn’t necessarily mean having a very high IQ or
being a member of Mensa! Often super intelligent
high functioning humans struggle to empathize
which is a critical component in being a great leader.

Emotional intelligence – the ability to understand

social situations and processes - is the component of
intelligence that is important for leadership. Some
 sort of empathy, or ability to understand what your
Team is feeling, is also advantageous for leaders
(although much of this is learned).

4. Lead by Example
This may be considered a natural born quality but
examples only come through experiences. Noted
leadership scholar, Bernard Bass, noted, "The leader
must be able to know what followers want, when
they want it, and what prevents them from getting
what they want."

5. Never Stop Learning

The well-known business coach, Hugo Heij says,
“True leaders ensure they continue to develop their
leadership skills throughout their careers, through
learning and development materials and activities.”

Fortunately, there is tremendous interest in

leadership and in leader development. Self
motivated Leaders may consider embarking on their
own leadership development programmed.

For those new to Leadership an employer backed

Leadership Curriculum programmed would provide a
great starting point on an individual’s learning
journey.
DEFINITION OF A LEADER

Various definitions have been advanced about who a leader is. A

leader is an individual whose work is to guide others into
achieving a common goal. A leader shows others the way by
examples and creates an environment that makes other team
members feel involved in the whole process (Jonathan, Ian &
Stephanie 2012). Leaders must also have the drive to push others
in situations that are not favourable. He or she motivates all
resources at his or her disposal to ensure that a favourable
outcome is obtained from unfavourable circumstances (Radman
2007).
“Born leadership”
There are a number of scenarios which confirms the assertion that
leaders are actually born and not made. One of the evidences is
that leaders are noticed when they are still very young. They are
first recognized during childhood in schoolyards. There are kids
who are always ready to assume command while still in school
and leadership skills to them appears to be so effortless
(Waldman, Bernard & Walter 2009). These child-leaders are
characterized by a great desire for adventure and thinks very
quickly whenever they are on the field. They are always ready to
take positions of responsibility such as becoming class monitors.
This is clear evidence that leaders are born with leadership traits
in them (Wagner 2009).

This belief is also supported by the Great Man’s theory which

asserts that great leaders are born with all the required internal
features such as intelligence, confidence, social skills and
charisma and these features make them leaders who are naturally
born (Waldman 2009). Apart from the leadership traits exhibited
by children while they are still young, we have leaders whose
leadership skills were not learnt but they were born with these
skills (Waldman 2009). Two examples of these leaders are
Margaret Thatcher and Sir Winston Churchill. Margaret Thatcher
and Sir Winston Churchill are credited for being the most
outstanding British Prime ministers since World War II. These two
leaders who did not attend any school to learn leadership skills
confirm the assertion that leaders are actually born and not made
(Seltzer & Bernard 2008).

However, learnt leadership is also important as a supplement to

inherited leadership traits. This is because before a person learns
leadership, he or she should have the drive and courage to take
up leadership positions. Courage is an attribute that is born in
leaders and therefore leaders can only be noticed if they have the
drive and courage to step out and lead others (Robert 2008). This
is another aspect than makes leaders to be considered born and
not made. The argument by Colin Powel that leaders are made is
valid. He advocates for learnt leadership. According to him good
leadership is only achievable through trial and error (Chen &
Bliese 2002). This argument is correct, but before engaging in trial
and error techniques a leader must possess the zeal to face
followers, which I believe is an attribute born with leaders. The
concept is that the attributes born with leaders forms the
foundation of good leadership (Rowley 2009). Without these
traits, then a leader cannot have the opportunity for learnt
leadership.

Additionally, people are endowed differently in various fields.

Therefore, suggesting that leaders have no extraordinary
endowment is to imply that all people are created having equal
talents and abilities. This is not true because some people are
known to perform better in some areas than others (Ruvolo,
Petersen & LeBoeuf 2004). For instance, not all people can be
athletes and this is regardless of the amount of training these
people are exposed to. The same case applies to leaders. Not all
people can be leaders, regardless of the training they are exposed
to (Jaques & Clement 2009).

Born leadership can also be evidenced from people who went

down the history books as great leaders. Their leadership skills
were not instilled through learning. One example of these leaders
is Benito Mussolini between the year 1883 and 1945. Benito was a
politician who was credited for leading the National Fascist Party
in Italy (Jacobs 2006). Additionally, he one of the main figures who
greatly contributed to the formation of Fascism (Jacobs 2006).
Mussolini launched fascism in a highly organized manner and
later turned it into a political movement. Mussolini was defeated
during the 1919 election, but regained his parliamentary seat in
the year 1921 (Bennis & Joan 2008). Mussolini was a well known
and his leadership which was characterized by courage was
inborn. He did not attend any leadership training school to nurture
his leadership skills. The leadership skills portrayed by Mussolini
are a clear indication that Leaders are born with leadership skills
(Bennis & Joan 2008).

It is not only the great man’s theory that supports the belief that,
leaders are actually born. Trait theory is closely related to the
great man theory (Gurriello 2008). The assertion of this theory is
that certain qualities of great leaders must be inherited. Examples
of these qualities include self-confidence, courage and
extraversion. All these traits are associated with great leaders
(Northouse, 2007; (Cohen & Rath 2007). These traits are known to
be inherited and not nurtured (Waldman 2009).
The last two theories in support of born leadership are the
relationship theory and contingency theories. Relationship theory
focuses on the relationship between followers and leaders. Since
it is the responsibility of leaders to inspire and motivate their
followers, they need to have the right traits in them and social
traits are in-borne and they are hard to be instilled through
training. Being social is a trait which is critical in forming good
working relationships between the leaders and their followers
(Conger 2009; Cawthon 2008).

Lastly, contingency theory has a relationship with trait theory in

supporting the assertion that great leaders are born. According to
the theory, the quality of leadership is dependent on the
environment where leadership is practiced (Arvey, Rotundo,
Johnson, Zhang & McGue 2006). It is the inborn traits which make
leaders respond to different types of environments. For instance,
a leader who is adaptable will express good leadership skills
regardless of whether the followers are responsive or not.
Therefore, in order for a leader not to be greatly influenced by the
environment of operation, he should be adaptive to different
environments a trait which a leader is normally born with
(Gurriello 2008).

“Made leaders”
There is a belief that leaders are made because it is not possible
to have a leader born with all the required leadership qualities. I
believe that effective leadership is a product of being born with
the right leadership attributes. This is due to the fact that
leadership is a complex undertaking due to processes and groups
involved (Dalglish & Miller 2010; Dao 2008). Therefore, leading a
military unit, an organization or a nation is a very complex task.
Leaders can therefore be developed, but there should inborn
characteristics that make people to be more suited for leadership
positions. Extraversion, assertiveness, boldness and risk taking
are all characteristics which increase the effectiveness of a leader
and which cannot be learnt (Conger 2009). Additionally,
intelligence is another factor that makes confirms the assertion
that leaders are actually born when compared to learnt
leadership. In the absence of intelligence, it is not possible to train
effective leaders. Therefore, it is only possible to train somebody
to become an effective leader if he or she is intelligent.
Intelligence is a characteristic that is not attained through
learning, but born in a person. This intelligence is what makes a
person to know what the followers want and want they don’t want
(Waldman 2009).

Therefore, from this discussion, it is evident that the most crucial

aspects of leadership originate from inborn traits as compared to
learnt leadership strategies. Despite the fact that both inborn and
learnt aspects of leadership are important, inborn traits are more
important because they form a foundation for learning advanced
leadership strategies. This is the reason why I strongly believe
that leaders are born and not made.

Conclusion
Leaders are born with leadership traits and training is only meant
to improve these leadership skills. This means that in order to
make a good leader, a person needs to be born with basic
leadership traits. These basic traits are then improved through
experience or learning. It is therefore not possible to nurture a
great leader from scratch (Bennis & Joan 2008). From the theories
discussed above, it doesn’t mean that training is not important in
leadership. It means that training should only be used as a tool for
improving traits born in would-be leaders. Firstly, the leaders are
born with these traits and then these traits are improved further
through raining and experiences. This is the reasoning behind
“Leaders are born and not made” (Bennis 2011).

It is possible for anyone with inborn leadership traits to learn and

lead effectively. However, only a very small percentage of
leadership can be taught. This is mostly because leadership is
compared to apprentice trade. People with inborn leadership
qualities use a number of ways to improve on their leadership
qualities because these skills are obtained throughout the entire
life of a person. They improve their basic leadership skills by
observing other leaders and trying to emulate their leadership
styles. Other ways leaders enhance their inborn traits is by
looking for role models and mentors. Additionally, these leaders
might enhance their skills further by enquiring from experienced
leaders about how they handle different situations (Anton 2004).
In short, improving basic inborn leadership traits is a lifetime task.
There are more to learn and good leaders always struggle to
ensure that they improve the leadership skills that they have.
Therefore, good leaders have inborn leadership traits which can
be improved further through experience (Andersen 2012).
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