The question of whether leaders are born or bred comes up a lot. I hear reference to great leaders who were “born to lead” or “have that certain something that can’t be taught”. But given the breadth of styles and personalities in great or beloved leaders, what ACTUALLY makes a leader great?
Well I’m taking a side. I believe leaders are bred, and that in fact there is no singular characteristic or personality type or quality that determines a great leader.
The interrelated pair of qualities that I think makes for great leaders? Heightened self-awareness and a willingness to do the work needed to address anything which weakens their leadership potential.
It’s that simple.
Oh sure, I’ve heard great leaders described as charismatic, intelligent, great relationship builders, excellent strategists, thoughtful, decisive, patient……and on and on and on. There is no dearth of descriptors, and of course a leader is never ALL of those things, just some “magical” combination (that never seems to be the same between great leaders).
But we all know that no one is perfect. And there are enough examples out there to prove that a great leader is not one single, particular combination of attributes. So the way I see it, it comes down to how those great leaders behave that’s DIFFERENT from those who may have those same characteristics that AREN’T great leaders.
And it comes down to awareness and effort.
So to all those who aspire to demonstrate great leadership, consider these questions to challenge yourself to the next level:
What are the ways I’m already a great leader? Am I leaning into those things?
What are the things (qualities, characteristics, habits, behaviors, etc.) that diminish my leadership? 1) Do I even know what those are?, and 2) Am I actively working on mitigating those pitfalls?
