Traits and skills necessary for leadership
Question:
Discuss about the Untapped Potential of Introvert Leaders.
The statement, ‘are leaders born or made?’ has been an issue of debate for many years. There have been disagreements stating that leaders are individuals who are born with a set of unique skills, which are prevalent right from birth, while another argument states that leaders are formed through the education imparted to them, due to which they learn, grow and develop essential leadership skills.
It is considered that hard work, dedication and focus are the essential elements that contribute towards the development of leadership skills and lead to the formation of a leader (Luster 2017). Gender can be said to have almost zero impact in the formation of a leader and any individual may develop leadership skills irrespective of what his/her gender is (Black, Morrison and Gregersen 2013). However the presence of certain traits in individuals like curiosity, ambition, good communication skills, creativity, commitment and responsibility are some characteristics that might have a direct effect on the cultivation of leadership skills in an individual. Genetic factors may or may not affect the creation of a leader however, most leaders credit their success to the numerous amounts of struggle and difficulties they had to experience, along with a set of skills and behaviors, which they acquired over certain duration of time.
There have been many arguments that state that the leadership skills are not present in an individual right from birth since it is a never-ending process and requires constant learning and development. An individual who is placed in the position of a leader needs to be open to experiencing new things in order to increase his overall knowledge and needs to conduct self-evaluation for understanding and improving his shortcomings as well. An example of this can be said to be Winston Churchill’s experience as a victim of being bullied in his childhood years (as stated in his biography), which may have had an impact on him and later on helped him to assume the role of a leader in the fight against Germany during the second World War.
According to the statement by Carlyle, the leadership skill is inherited from birth in certain individuals and that contributes to the formation of a great leader. This notion was soon argued by Spencer, and he stated that, even if an individual is born with a certain set of unique leadership skills, the retention and development of these skills greatly depends upon the social environment and surroundings of the individual influences whether or not he is to take up the role of a leader in the future (Albantani 2015). Therefore, external factors play a major role in the shaping of a leader. There also needs to be a presence of willingness in the individual.
In case of consideration of the theories relating to leadership, the trait theory is seen to support the statement that leaders are born and not made. It also states that a good leader must possess certain traits like honesty, cognitive abilities, motivation, achievements and self-confidence, thereby informing the required characteristics of a good leader (Sharma and Jain 2013). Most of the criticisms drawn against this theory question related to why some of the individuals cannot become leaders even after possessing the above mentioned qualities. The reason for this is considered to be, influence and competence. An individual who is surrounded by players would be influenced to become a player himself. Similarly, a talented individual would not be able to utilize his skills effectively without perfecting those skills, which can only take place through practice and a determination to be better. The behavioral leadership theories on the other hand, consider that it is possible for an individual to be developed or grown into a leader and essential leadership skills can be taught to him.
The impact of personal interest and external factors
The study of historic events have shown the presence of great leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and others, the likes of whom were not a result of genetics but were the result of self made skills and practices (Suarez). The reaction an individual has towards a condition also has an impact on the growth and learning process leading to developing leadership skills (Yammarino 2013).
The process of leadership is often considered to be a matter of choice. An individual who takes up the role to lead in the moment a challenge arises is a leader, while there may be individuals who have been trained and educated in leadership skills and yet choose not to take up the challenge, are not leaders. Therefore, it is not necessary that an individual who has been trained to lead may not be successful in this task while an individual with no prior training or qualification may take up the responsibility to lead (Williams 2013). It can also be stated that an individual who is more comfortable in following than leading, would not become a leader even after proper training and skills are imparted to him.
It has also been observed that the leadership skills of an individual may differ in different situations. For example, an individual who possesses great leadership skills and controls the business of a large scale organization may not be able to perform up to the mark in a small scale organization, though he is highly qualified for it. Thus, personal interest works as a strong motivational factor in leadership.
Lastly, it can be said that though there are a handful of people who have the traits of a leader from birth, the notion, ‘are leaders born or made?’ has one answer, and that is leadership is a skill which requires dedication, patience, experience, hard work and practice. It is thus more of an art rather than science (Khade 2015). The idea of leaders are born and not made is a destructive myth that demotivates individuals from taking initiatives to commit to the development of their personal skills, identify their unique individual talents and strive towards becoming leaders (Pawlaczyk 2015). Leadership is not a skill that is genetically inherited and needs to be developed. However, in recent times individuals are more inclined to being followers than leaders due to the numerous challenges and risks that a leader is expected to face.
The trait of leadership is present in almost all individuals. It requires focus and prioritization on the development of a number of skills in order to transform into a successful leader. The process of leadership requires an individual to possess the following qualities:-
Being optimistic- A leader is expected to have a positive attitude towards the solving of problems that may arise. This in turn motivates the team members into putting in more productivity rather than being dissatisfied, bored and frustrated.
Encourage creative practices- A good leader should encourage creativity from his team members as it may provide valuable ideas and thoughts regarding the new challenges that take place. It helps increase the active participation of the team members. Apart from the team members, it is also important for a leader to be creative regarding his approach to situations he is unfamiliar with. Creative thinking can be considered to be the key to becoming a successful leader.
Step out of the comfort zone- A good leader is expected to be ready to face all forms of challenges and hence, it is necessary for him to operate out of his comfort zone. This would not help in not only gaining new experiences but also acquiring new skills and establishing new relationships. It would enhance the leader’s ability to face more challenges in the future.
- Be a good listener- It is important for a leader to be a good listener as new ideas and thoughts may arise from anywhere. Apart from this, it also portrays that the leader cares about his team members and gives priority to their opinions and discussions.
- Honesty- It is important for a leader to be honest as well as genuine towards his role since he serves as an idol for the rest of the team and his values would be reflected among his team members.
- Be fearless- A good leader should be fearless in his dealings with new forms of challenges and problems, confronting and analyzing the issue while maintaining a control over the entire situation rather than everything falling apart.
- Aim to be an inspiration- A leader must ensure that the work performed by him and his team is of the highest standard. In order to do so, the team must work together as one and share the same set of goals or objectives. This aims to create a high morale among the team members and inspires them to push the boundaries further.
- Maintain a good flow of communication- The presence of good communication skills is an essential for any leader (Han 2017). A leader who maintains a good flow of communication with his team members would experience higher rates of involvement and productivity from them since, the team members are clear about the vision of the leader and work towards achieving a common goal. In order to maintain a good communication flow, different forms of media may be utilized like messaging applications, e-mails, web portals, and so on. The leader must maintain frequent communication with the team members.
- Encourage feedback- A leader should always encourage and be open to feedback from his team as well as other staff. An honest feedback would help the leader in understanding and addressing the problem which a team member or employee may be facing.
- Ensure growth of talent- A leader does not work alone and achieves all his goals by working with a team of individuals. It is therefore important for a leader to identify and encourage the development of new skills and talents among his team members, as this also opens up an opportunity for the creation of new leader from the team in the future (Roehl 2015.).
- Self motivation- It can be considered as the trait that acts as a driving force for the leader into putting in more effort and striving to be better (de Vries et al. 2015). It can be considered to be a reason or reminder that motivates the leader into becoming better and working harder. It is the most difficult skill to master and the best leaders in the world possessed this trait (Augustine-Shaw 2015).
- Be confident- Instead of criticizing the skills and abilities possessed by him, a good leader should be confident about the work he performs. The leader acts a s a source of motivation and inspiration for the team members and it is necessary for a leader to remain calm in difficult situations and ensure to fulfill the goals set by him or the organization.
- Be responsible- A leader is responsible not only for himself but on behalf of the entire team (Montague 2017). It is important for him to perform his job with faithfulness and utmost importance.
- Know the team- A leader must be aware of the various skills and gifts as well as drawbacks of his team members. This would help him to assign the individuals in a task that is relevant to their area of expertise.
- Prioritization of tasks- It is important for a leader to divide his task according to their level of importance since it would help in completing the job in a more efficient manner and on time.
- Build and maintain relationships- The building and maintaining of relationships is important as for the leader, it would allow him to stay more connected, receive new ideas, thoughts and feedback essential for his personal growth.
Lastly, it can be concluded by saying that it is also important for a leader to follow the example of another successful leader (or maintain an idol). Reading and following the success stories of great leaders would provide a scope of learning new elements relevant to the personal development (Silva 2014). Understanding their strengths, communication techniques and other important information would also allow an individual aspiring to be a leader to understand what he can do to be seen and heard better by others (Antero-Jacquemin et al. 2014).
References
Albantani, A.M., 2015. Preparing The Future Leaders Through Character Education?. In Proceeding: The 2nd International Conference on Education in Muslim Society (Vol. 2).
Antero-Jacquemin, J.D.S., Berthelot, G., Marck, A., Noirez, P., Latouche, A. and Toussaint, J.F., 2014. Learning from leaders: life-span trends in olympians and supercentenarians. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biomedical Sciences and Medical Sciences, 70(8), pp.944-949.
Augustine-Shaw, D., 2015. Leadership and Learning: Identifying an Effective Design for Mentoring New Building Leaders. Delta kappa gamma bulletin, 81(2).
Black, J.S., Morrison, A.J. and Gregersen, H.B., 2013. Global explorers: The next generation of leaders. Routledge.
de Vries, M.F.K., Korotov, K., Florent-Treacy, E. and Rook, C. eds., 2015. Coach and Couch 2nd edition: The Psychology of Making Better Leaders. Springer.
Han, H., 2017. Making leaders. Lamp, The, 74(8), p.16.
Khade, S., 2015. Leaders are made…………….. Not born!!!!. Journal of Education Technology in Health Sciences, 2(2), pp.72-73.
Luster, P., 2017. LEADERS ARE MADE, NOT BORN: To drive business growth and see the financial results you want, you must have a mission. Strategic Finance, 99(2), pp.12-13.
Montague, A., 2017. Attribute that Build Effective Leaders. The Journal of Student Leadership, 1(2), pp.59-65.
Pawlaczyk, M.A., 2015. The Untapped Potential of Introvert Leaders.
Roehl, H., 2015. A Culture of Successful Leaders. in Search of Leadership A Critical.
Sharma, M.K. and Jain, S., 2013. Leadership management: Principles, models and theories. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, 3(3), pp.309-318.
Silva, A., 2014. What Can We Learn From Great Business Leaders?. Journal of Leadership Studies, 8(3), pp.52-57.
Suarez, E., Some of the Best Thoughts (20) of Nelson Mandela and my Interpretation of Them: Lessons for World Leaders.
Williams, R., 2013. Why leadership development fails to produce good leaders. Psychology Today, Retrieved from https://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/wired-success/201310/why-leadershipdevelopment-fails-produce-good-leaders.
Yammarino, F., 2013. Leadership: Past, present, and future. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 20(2), pp.149-155.
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