It
seems an everlasting question about the origins of leadership; can anyone be
made into a leader? Is someone a leader
or not, a condition anointed at birth?
I’ve spent my career working with leaders of all levels and capability
levels seeking to understand the answer to these very questions.
To
be clear, we’re talking about true leaders, big “L” leaders; those of whom most
of us are in awe for their vision, ability to inspire others, do new and
unprecedented things. Those who succeed
in making an indelible mark on their part of the world. The world is mostly comprised of little “L”
leaders who can lead departments and groups through variations of the status
quo. There is also a sizable number of
little “L” leaders masquerading as big “L” leaders, sometimes causing harm but
usually their self-delusion is benign to everyone except themselves.
What
I’ve observed about big “L” leaders may sound trite or mitigated, but I think
accurate. Leaders are both made and
born. In other words, one cannot turn
anyone into a leader, and a naturally born leader must have the benefit of
certain experiences to allow their innate leadership attributes to flourish
into something the rest of us can appreciate.
So what are these innate characteristics, and what are these critical
experiences?
Again,
my responses lead me to conclusions which are more ambiguous than I would
like. And the characteristics and
experiences are inextricably linked.
Leaders
must have an internal desire to serve a purpose; they must desire to serve
something larger than themselves. They
must also be exposed to a situation that inspires them to discover and
articulate that purpose and then the drive to pursue it in the face of
countless setbacks. Leaders must also
have a desire to learn, be curious and perpetually improve. They must consequently have the benefit of
education, coaches and mentors, and those who provide clear, honest and
constructive feedback. Leaders must be
humble and invest themselves in the service of others. True humility comes from love and so leaders
must have had the opportunity to experience real, self-sacrificing love in any
of their relationships. So long as the
person also has the ticket-to-entry level of intelligence, he or she will make
their mark.
I’ve
spent years of my life and tens of millions of dollars trying to turn people
into leaders. The sad discovery has been
that in any group I’m privileged to work with, there are only 1 or 2 with all
the natural prerequisites. My job became
simply providing the experiences to help their capabilities emerge, and by
consequence help improve the little “L” leadership of all the others. And how can you tell who’s who? The little “L” leaders became easily
identified as they sooner or later migrate to the sidelines, discouraged and
worn out by the prevailing headwinds but comforted by the legions of little “L”
sideline cohabitants. The big “L”
leaders by contrast forge on, oblivious to naysayers and frustrated by the
legions of comfort-seeking little ”L” leaders, racing only against themselves,
for themselves.
