Leadership may be one of the most talked about subjects in business today. There are many theories on leadership – how to find leaders, how to teach leadership to others and, of course, improve our own leadership.
Perhaps we can best understand leadership by dispelling the #1 Myth about Leadership. (Before you begin reading, stop and think of one person you know who embodies leadership. It may be someone you work under, someone who coached a team you were on, or a world leader. Test this theory against YOUR ideal leader.)
#1 MYTH – Great leaders are made, not bornNow before you get all up in arms and start regaling me with examples of leaders who were developed and not born, let me state that I’m not saying the opposite of this myth is true. What I would like to suggest is a compromise. Instead of believing either/or is the only possibility, let’s take a look at what happens if both lines of thinking are correct. I will concede for the sake of space that many leadership qualities are teachable. Given proper guidance, mentoring and instruction over time, qualities such as empathy, persistence and effective communication can be learned. Otherwise, it would be hypocritical of me to encourage leadership development with my clients. However, in my opinion based on over twenty years of experience studying human behavior, some innate abilities – like a talent – cannot be taught to a person who wasn’t born with them.
Consider the TV reality show, Dancing with the Stars, as an example of how we can illustrate this theory. If you were not among the 92 million viewers of this hit ABC show, allow me to explain the premise. Stars from various fields (e.g., movies, music and sports) are paired up with professional dancers to compete in a Ballroom and Latin dance competition. The stars have to learn a new dance every week and then perform before judges and a live audience. The judges critique and score each couple, and then viewers call in to vote for their favorites. While I admit I was attracted to this show purely for its entertainment value (One season they had a rap star, a female boxer and Jerry Springer dancing? Come on, that’s good TV!), I couldn’t help but draw parallels between the dancing ability of the stars and some business qualities such as leadership, when it comes to natural talent versus learned skills. Anyone who has watched this program would agree that SOME THINGS IN DANCE can’t be taught. Grace, rhythm and hip flexibility come to mind. Certain stars learned the steps perfectly week after week, but still could not execute them in a manner befitting a ballroom dancer. So, too is the case with leadership. There are many steps – i.e., skills – you can memorize and be taught to practice which, over time, you may become adept at executing. But there is at least one key element of leadership that I’m convinced you either have or you don’t. I will go so far as to say that in my career I have never seen someone master it when they didn’t have it to begin with. This quality or trait is OPTIMISM. I don’t mean a perpetually sunny or “glass-is-half-full” disposition. By “optimism,” I mean an unwavering confidence that the current situation – no matter how dire – can lead to a better future. This discussion dovetails nicely with another must-have quality of great leaders: Vision. While I believe you can help someone develop a vision or a visionary mindset, the optimism or positive state of mind seems for leaders to come even before a specific vision is created or conceived. It is an established quality they bring to the table. On the flip side, the pessimistic person typically cannot envision a better future- for themselves or others. If you’ve spent any time trying to paint a positive picture for a pessimist, you know that it is an exercise in futility. You suggest a winning strategy; they knock it down. You see possibilities; they see obstacles. Does this mean that there is no room in an organization for the critical-minded, skeptical person? Absolutely not. But in a leadership role? Don’t even think about it.
