Is leadership a born trait or a learned skill?

Answer 1

I have seen a lot of guys, where I work, go from the work force into management. It's been my experience that "good" leadership is something a person is born with. Yes, you can learn from a book or an instructor and increase your skills, but the best leaders in my experience were born with it.

Answer 2

People who WANT to lead are born (or early-childhood development - little difference in humans). They simply enjoy being in charge and being responsible.

Leadership skills can be learned. You can learn to listen, learn how to make responsible decisions, and learn how to direct others without dictating to them. For some people some or all of these things are second nature, but they are a skill like any other and can be trained.

Really though, what is a leader? A leader is someone who people follow. Though many will follow because of your past successes and your learned skills, a large portion of loyalty and respect comes straight from a person's character.
Character is born, earned, and learned in countless ways and variations.

I think leadership is a combination of these. You can do without one or another. A decent manager only needs the skills, and a reluctant champion has succeeded many times. However, the perfect leader has all of these, so it must be both.

Answer 3

Well, i have played football, and other sports throughout my life, and now in high school, we have coaches that teach us leadership, and sensitivity, and basic all around plychology stuff.
There are all kinds of leaders, how people lead that is. You can look for years for the definition of a leader, but will get a diferent meaning every time. The truth is a leader isn't someone at the top of the food chain, like the leader of a company, or the oldest or strongest or best on a team. There's a lot more to it than that. You see it everday, people follow the heads of companys, but the real leaders go unrecognized. A leader is someone resposible, and trustworthy, someone willing to do something for you without flaw, there are many other charicteristics to a leader, but to answers your specified question:
there are too many diferent kinds of leaders, so one person can be a leader in one way, but not by definition in another way. But for the most part i think a leader can be born with traits of one type of leader, but have to learn others. A true leader doesn't realy lead people, they are just reliable enough to get more kudos than anyone else. It's like on a football team, you have captins chosen for what ever reason, but there are other leaders on the team, like on the offense, you ask anyone who plays football, they'll tell you that the offensive line lead the offense, but the quarterback calls the plays and the running back gets the girls. Everyone relies on the line to do there job, or there is no play.
I know i made it realy confusing, but i guess i tried, and i know you arn't getting everything i'm saying but it's just realy hard to explain.

EDIT:
i guess i'm going to use me for an example, i'm not loud, big, or self centered. But people look up to me because they can trust me to go get there milk and eggs at the store.

Answer 4

Leadership is described as: an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction. So I would have to say that leadership is a combination of the two. As we grow-up in life we learn what is right and what is wrong. So therefore, we instinctively teach others what we have learned throughout our lives. And help them make the right decisions. Some of us may have inherit our skills through our family generations and naturally become leaders. But in the end it take both natural and learned skills to become a great leader. U must learn to be able to trust those who you work for you and they will have to trust your guidance. Great leaders listen well to their ppl. Don't forget...the ppls voice decides your faith in whether ur a good leader or a miss-lead leader.

Answer 5

Can Leadership Be Learned

Answer 6

I think it's both.
People who are strong characters tend to make natural leaders, but that doesn't necessarily make them Good leaders, that is to do with character.
But I think that those with a leadership tendency can by various practical means develop and grow in their own particular area of leadership.
To some extent everyone takes on a leading role in something but some people much more so than others.

Answer 7

BORN TRAIT. There are people that no matter the training could not be a leader and there are others who can't help being a leader even if they did not want to, it just comes natural. Sure you could learn to be a better leader, but you were probably a leader already.

Answer 8

I assume you mean "good leadership!" Even in elementary school, leaders emerge, and not all of them for the good: some become bullies, for example. My experience has taught that there exists innate leadership ability that must be shaped and nurtured to become effective, other-centered leaders. The self-centered leader is most often the dangerous leader.

If one accepts that effective leaders liberate their people to work productively in self-managed, self-starting teams, then one would accept that principles of leadership may be learned for the former presupposes much about the human experience that must be shaped by morality, ethics and effective, non-manipulative motivation.

Servant-leadership presupposes a spiritual component to leadership that is acquired by a personal relationship with the Creator - it not natural to be other-centered; it is natural to be self-centered: and in this case, these principles of thinking more highly of others are learned.

Answer 9

Both, some people are born into being stronger and more up for the spot light in a sense. While others (such as myself) will do it when needed but don't want to by choice. It depends on the person really, takes a portion of the trait to be willing to do it but more of it to just do it without thinking about it.

Answer 10

I feeled that it's a learned skill because, famous leaders can have children and they disrespect their authority and think it's used to just command people to do this and that. Leadership is learned and it takes time and patience. You can't just pick it up one day. It comes with responsibilites that alot of people just can't handle.