Question

ARE LEADERS BORN OR CAN THEY BE TAUGHT?

There is considerable debate on the question, Are individuals born to be leaders or can they be taught? To better understand the leadership equation, answer the questions below and be prepared to discuss the basic concepts that define leadership.

1. Explain how individuals are taught to become good leaders.
2. Finally, are individuals mostly born or are they taught to become successful leaders? Explain.

Answer 1

Answer: Leadership is not by birth as claimed by some scholars instead it can be developed by using number of strategies. Leadership is all about traits, skills, abilities and knowledge and all these factors can be developed and learned. If the individuals are provided with a proper training program that imparts them with skills, abilities and knowledge required by a leader then it may help them to become a good leader. Leaders are not born but they develop over a period of time learning with their experience. Hence coaching and mentoring can enable a person to develop leadership skills like problem solving, influencing others and so on.

As mentioned earlier the leaders are not born but they are actually taught to become a leader. The leaders learn from others over a period of time by listening to others, observing them and by gaining from their experiences. Thus in a way the other leaders teach them leadership over a period of time. There are many examples of great leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Jack Ma who in their initial phase of life were unsuccessful but gradually by learning from others and through their own experiences became successful leaders in their life. Thus it can be established that people are not always born leaders and leadership can be taught. Mostly people are taught to become leaders and are not born leaders.