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Posted: 5/12/2011 5:42:41 AM EDT
What's your take on good leadership. Is it a natural-born thing, or can it be taught? A little of both?
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Some people are born with it and some people are able to learn it...some can't ever learn it.
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After many years as a Manager of a Training Department at a large refinery, where we trained many folks to be Supervisors, I can say that I came to the conclusion that training can "help" a person to be "better" as a leader.
But the ability to be a true leader is something a person is either born with, or will never have. They can be trained to be "better", but they will never be great. |
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Yes. I teach it and some seem to learn well. Boy Scouts has a great track record of teaching it. Others are born with innate sense and ability. Others are and will remain clueless forever.
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You are a product of your environment. Not completely though... I believe true leaders are born. Other people (like myself) can become pretty good through experience, but we'll never be THAT good. Just think back to when you were a kid in school, remember the one the pretty much ran the grade? That wasn't because he learned it. |
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Born
Just look at any of the military branches that advance based off of test and not leadership quailities... |
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Quoted: After many years as a Manager of a Training Department at a large refinery, where we trained many folks to be Supervisors, I can say that I came to the conclusion that training can "help" a person to be "better" as a leader. But the ability to be a true leader is something a person is either born with, or will never have. They can be trained to be "better", but they will never be great. As usual, OP hits the bullseye. |
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Most of it can be taught, but that final - often critical part - you either have or you don't have.
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After many years as a Manager of a Training Department at a large refinery, where we trained many folks to be Supervisors, I can say that I came to the conclusion that training can "help" a person to be "better" as a leader. But the ability to be a true leader is something a person is either born with, or will never have. They can be trained to be "better", but they will never be great. As usual, OP hits the bullseye. In my personal experience I'd have to agree. It's a sliding scale almost. Makes you wonder just how many great leaders there are out there who have no idea they're leadership material, because they've never been given the opportunity. |
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Many people can be trained to be an adequate leader. They meet the bare minimum requirements necessary for successful team goal accomplishment.
The best are born with it. To a man. They exude it. I'm one of the untrainable. |
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Leadership principles can be taught. Leadership traits are developed the same way a persons character is developed; from early in life and over time. If a person doesn't have a good foundation set early in life, you can't make them a good leader late in life. You might be able to make them a good manager, but there's a world of difference between a manager and a leader.
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Personality helps, and natural ability is required. You cannot make a good leader from an unlikable introvert.
But the average person can be taught to be an effective leader. But the required training is often not what you would think it is. Leadership training is NOT 10-step techniques and a review of Maslow. That's a philosophy class. Which might be useful, or it might not be. A man I really respect once told me that human ability, as impressive as it is sometimes, is also pittifully inadequate at others. The only thing you can ever truly ask of a man is for them to try and to care. And any man that tries, honestly, to the fullest of their ability, and cares above his self-interest will always be one of the most valuable members of the team. And everyone has the ability to that. It's your job as a leader is to get them to try and to care. |
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Most of it can be taught, but that final - often critical part - you either have or you don't have. I have to agree |
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I say born with it. some can learn leadership traits, but will never fully excel in a leadership roll.
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Some people are born with it and some people are able to learn it...some can't ever learn it. Agreed - rgrprib |
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Anyone can be trained to a leadership role, but like any other skill, their own natural talents will dramatically affect the outcome.
The best leaders are born to lead and their skills are refined by training and experience. I have found that the first thing about leadership is that most people will obey instructions when instructions are given with confidence, even when there is no defined leader/follower relationship. Don't believe me? Walk out into an intersection and start diverting traffic to anywhere you want to. If you do it with confidence, like you know what you're doing, most drivers will blindly obey you. Walk up to any random stranger and say "I need you to call the police, right now." They'll whip out their cell phone and start dialling. The real trick to leadership is to accept your role as leader without hesitation. You don't ask your co-workers to help, you tell them to help. They'll do it. And don't be apologetic about having to tell them what to do. Show no reluctance or reservations about your leadership role, and people will go along with it. They'll question weak leadership, though. This doesn't work 100 percent of the time with 100 percent of the people, it does work like that most of the time. CJ |
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Born, but they can be taught to be one or be better.
There are different types of leaders and in different tasks. Also, some people who are capable leaders may just choose not to. ![]() |
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Anyone can be trained to a leadership role, but like any other skill, their own natural talents will dramatically affect the outcome. The best leaders are born to lead and their skills are refined by training and experience. I have found that the first thing about leadership is that most people will obey instructions when instructions are given with confidence, even when there is no defined leader/follower relationship. Don't believe me? Walk out into an intersection and start diverting traffic to anywhere you want to. If you do it with confidence, like you know what you're doing, most drivers will blindly obey you. Walk up to any random stranger and say "I need you to call the police, right now." They'll whip out their cell phone and start dialling. The real trick to leadership is to accept your role as leader without hesitation. You don't ask your co-workers to help, you tell them to help. They'll do it. And don't be apologetic about having to tell them what to do. Show no reluctance or reservations about your leadership role, and people will go along with it. They'll question weak leadership, though. This doesn't work 100 percent of the time with 100 percent of the people, it does work like that most of the time. CJ And the best leaders do it without being a dick. If you can just get that little detail down, you'll go real far. |
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Quoted: Quoted: After many years as a Manager of a Training Department at a large refinery, where we trained many folks to be Supervisors, I can say that I came to the conclusion that training can "help" a person to be "better" as a leader. But the ability to be a true leader is something a person is either born with, or will never have. They can be trained to be "better", but they will never be great. As usual, OP hits the bullseye. Agreed. Trial by fire time for me, as I have accepted a new job/ management position . Never considered myself a leader, but I am not a follower either. Have always just kinda gone my own way. |
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What's your take on good leadership. Is it a natural-born thing, or can it be taught? A little of both? Negative...a LOT of both. |
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What's your take on good leadership. Is it a natural-born thing, or can it be taught? A little of both? My take on it is that a person must have aleast some "born instinct" to be a leader. No amount of teaching will accomplish the same with a person who has no instinct to lead. J- |
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After many years as a Manager of a Training Department at a large refinery, where we trained many folks to be Supervisors, I can say that I came to the conclusion that training can "help" a person to be "better" as a leader. But the ability to be a true leader is something a person is either born with, or will never have. They can be trained to be "better", but they will never be great. +1 |
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Taught.
When is the last time anyone was led by a newborn infant who couldn't even form words, much less communicate goals? |
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Taught. When is the last time anyone was led by a newborn infant who couldn't even form words, much less communicate goals? ![]() |
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Leadership principles can be taught. Leadership traits are developed the same way a persons character is developed; from early in life and over time. If a person doesn't have a good foundation set early in life, you can't make them a good leader late in life. You might be able to make them a good manager, but there's a world of difference between a manager and a leader. +1000000 |
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Taught. When is the last time anyone was led by a newborn infant who couldn't even form words, much less communicate goals? Meanwhile back in reality, everyone else dosent take everything they hear as literal. Effective leaders are those who were born with leadership as a personality trait. Enviroment, training, and expieriences allow that trait to flourish. |
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Quoted: Some people are born with it and some people are able to learn it...some can't ever learn it. Yep, I believe those that are good are born with the ability. Some need training to reach their full potential, others just come by it naturally. Like most things, genetics sets the range, environment sets the location within the range. |
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After many years as a Manager of a Training Department at a large refinery, where we trained many folks to be Supervisors, I can say that I came to the conclusion that training can "help" a person to be "better" as a leader. But the ability to be a true leader is something a person is either born with, or will never have. They can be trained to be "better", but they will never be great. As usual, OP hits the bullseye. In my personal experience I'd have to agree. It's a sliding scale almost. Makes you wonder just how many great leaders there are out there who have no idea they're leadership material, because they've never been given the opportunity. Leaders have the desire to lead. Skill and talent are worthless without the drive to put them to use. |
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Some people are born with it and some people are able to learn it...some can't ever learn it. The sad part is that they often think they are good leaders when in fact they are horrible. |
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Some people are born with it and some people are able to learn it...some can't ever learn it. The sad part is that they often think they are good leaders when in fact they are horrible. Anyone have a gif of Obama with "What you did there I see it"? I can't find one w/o a watermark. |
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After many years as a Manager of a Training Department at a large refinery, where we trained many folks to be Supervisors, I can say that I came to the conclusion that training can "help" a person to be "better" as a leader. But the ability to be a true leader is something a person is either born with, or will never have. They can be trained to be "better", but they will never be great. Couldn't have said it better. As with many things in life, everyone can become 'better' but not everyone can be the 'best' |
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Some people are born with it and some people are able to learn it...some can't ever learn it. The sad part is that they often think they are good leaders when in fact they are horrible. Isn't that the old equation? "Officers come will either be ambitious or lazy and smart or stupid. For the ambitious and smart, I give them my best field positions for they will take ground. Jobs can eventually be found for the stupid and lazy. For the ambitious but lazy, I make them my staff officers for they will see things that need to be done but direct others to do it. But for the ambitious but stupid, I get rid of them as fast possible for they will get people killed needlessly." ___________________________________________________________________ ("You can fool some of the people some of the time, most of the people most of the time, but some of us, you can fool all the time."––(w,stte), Cecil, the Seasick Sea Serpent) |
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You're set in your ways by the time you are 5 years old. If you don't get leadership skills by then, you never will.
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I believe a lot comes from how a person is molded during their upbringing, and how well that person's self-confidence is developed while growing up.
Leadership skills can be taught, but I feel that the really good leaders show a difference in the amount of respect given as well as received. Some grow up wanting to be a leader, but most grow up with only the will to follow directions. I think a lot of this comes from how they're parented. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Taught. When is the last time anyone was led by a newborn infant who couldn't even form words, much less communicate goals? Meanwhile back in reality, everyone else dosent take everything they hear as literal. Effective leaders are those who were born with leadership as a personality trait. Enviroment, training, and expieriences allow that trait to flourish. My point is that if one is born with this innate leadership trait, then people would follow them from the beginning. If it's a natural born trait and you can recognize that it is (natural born), you can define or communicate what it is. What is missing from this discussion is the definition of leadership, or the qualities that make a good leader, and the natural born "leadership trait". What makes a leader? Honesty? Intelligence? Inpspiration? Courage? Foresight? Determination? What is the natural born "leadership trait"? Charisma? Intelligence? A 6th, 7th, 8th sense? Red eyes? Short arms? |
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usually learned To a point. Those with the spark tend to continue to think clearly when it drops in the pot. |
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Taught. When is the last time anyone was led by a newborn infant who couldn't even form words, much less communicate goals? Meanwhile back in reality, everyone else dosent take everything they hear as literal. Effective leaders are those who were born with leadership as a personality trait. Enviroment, training, and expieriences allow that trait to flourish. My point is that if one is born with this innate leadership trait, then people would follow them from the beginning. If it's a natural born trait and you can recognize that it is (natural born), you can define or communicate what it is. What is missing from this discussion is the definition of leadership, or the qualities that make a good leader, and the natural born "leadership trait". What makes a leader? Honesty? Intelligence? Inpspiration? Courage? Foresight? Determination? What is the natural born "leadership trait"? Charisma? Intelligence? A 6th, 7th, 8th sense? Red eyes? Short arms? |
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Leadership acts- how you lead, how you present yourself to the people you are leading, how to influence people- all can be learned.
However, what provides the base for that leadership is your moral character and intergrity, combined with the way you interact and communicate with people. That, plus your ability to learn and understand, cannot be taught, it is pretty much the result of genetics and your upbringing and experience. Give me a person with a solid base, and we can develop them into a leader. Give me a guy with no integrity who can't comprehend what he is told, and he will never lead. |
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I believe it's learned; those that appear to have been born leaders were raised by leaders.
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What's your take on good leadership. Is it a natural-born thing, or can it be taught? A little of both? Good leadership can be taught. Great leaders like Julius Caesar, well, it's natural-born. There's no one he could really "learn" from to the degree that he mastered it. |
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Yes. I teach it and some seem to learn well. Boy Scouts has a great track record of teaching it. Others are born with innate sense and ability. Others are and will remain clueless forever. That's the point. Scout youth leaders are elected, and those leaders choose their assistants. The BSA teaches youth how to be better leaders, but quite frankly, any election conducted by teenagers is based purely upon how charismatic that person is with their peer group. You have charisma or you don't. It's innate, but it also depends upon the social environment. One person might be extremely popular in a group of deep-fried rednecks, and be a total bust in a group of intellectuals. |
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Another thing to consider.
A leader may be hell on wheels at the squad, platoon, or company level...and be someone whos troops will willingly go through hell with And then peter out at higher command levels. By the same token, they could be mediocre, at best, with small units yet, be hell on wheels at division level. |
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IMO, leadership can be learned, but not ever taught.
I see success in leadership as a combination of natural disposition and application of life lessons over time. I have never seen a good leader come from any form of training. |
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What's your take on good leadership. Is it a natural-born thing, or can it be taught? A little of both? My take on leadership is that people emphasize it too much. The world needs far more planners, more day in and day out do-ers, more people willing to take the time to gain substantial knowledge in their area of interest. The US is too full of people who think leadership is going to get them through life successfully, is going to set them apart. A "leader" is often just someone who thinks they know how to tell people to get things done. Most often their assistance is entirely unhelpful and unnecessary. In politics, the US doesn't need to be "led". We need to be freed of such people who think they know best. |
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