Are Leaders Born or Developed?

Source: Bowman First Alert

Bowman’s article is based on a Wall Street Journal article of May 29, 2007.

Stanford University’s Evelyn Williams asserts that leadership is part nature, part nurture.

Some people are born leaders, but leadership qualities are a matter of degree, and whatever degree you are born with can be further developed.

Learning leadership is different from learning accounting. Learning leadership requires self-discovery, which is necessary in developing an approach to communicating with and motivating others. At Stanford, students are involved in intensive simulations (e.g., simulating a plant closing to replicate the emotional stress of putting people with families out of work) and various self-evaluations of their growth as leaders.

Leadership is more important today because of instant communication and flatter organization structures.

Women have particular challenges. For example, women need to be aware that speaking softly, using expressions like “sort of,” “I kind of think,” or “you know,” may militate against their leadership effectiveness.

For the complete WSJ article, click here.

From Bowman First Alert, the Bowman Accounting Report, Vol. IV No.10, Bowman Communications, 323 Wilcrest Drive SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30044-5253, 770-972-0783.