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What makes a good leader? Are they naturally born or bred?

I recently came across a brief but interesting article in the trade publication Training, entitled The Myth of the Natural Leader. Written by Bruce Tulgan, founder of professional development consultancy RainmakerThinking, it puts forth the notion that “the best managers are people … who learn proven techniques, practice those techniques diligently until they become skills, and continue practicing them until they become habits”.

My immediate reaction was, “Nah, most leaders just got lucky and pulled an ace from the bottom of a deck of charisma cards”. But the more I thought about it, the more Tulgan’s premise seems accurate.

And depending on your perspective, that’s either good news … or bad.

It’s bad news if you prefer to cling to the myth that all good leaders just happened to be on God’s preferred list, were gifted all the requisite charm, tools and instincts at birth, and can stand before the sheep and lead them in whatever direction they want. (I suppose there’s a case to be made for proven “lemmings to the sea”-style leaders. After all, we’ve seen the likes of Jim Jones and David Koresh.) Also, clinging to the myth that all leaders are simply “born that way” is an all-too-convenient excuse for not putting in your own hard work to become a leader since pre-destiny forgot to leave your tickets at Will Call.

But it’s good news, if not great news, if you aspire to be a high-performing, respected leader in your organization — be it a corporate setting, political group, sports team, or garden club – and you don’t think you’ve quite yet arrived. If you desire to lead, it’s apparently a matter of simply working at it.

And working at it. And working at it.

Repetition. I Repeat, Repetition.

In athletics, the word “reps” is thrown around a lot. It’s slang for “repetitions” which Mr. Merriam and Mr. Webster tell us is “the act or instance of repeating, or being repeated”.

It’s rote learning at its roots, but also not breaking news. What it is, is worth revisiting.

If you want to become something you’re currently not, you can do something about it but it takes work. (What’s the old expression, “practice makes perfect”?) Pretty much anything is attainable if you’re willing to part with the blood, sweat and tears necessary along the road to polishing your craft – and that includes noble leadership and being an effective manager of people and/or processes, and becoming the very best at whatever it is you do.

So, what do leaders look like?

Are they tall, dark and handsome? In some cases, yes.

Are they gorgeous, shapely and perfectly put together? In some cases, yes.

But not always.

I venture to say most leaders are rather pedestrian in outward appearance and might have a hard time spelling the word corisma, er, charisma. But they quietly and effectively know which buttons to push and when, what name to call (or not call) when a need arises, when to look over a shoulder and when to observe from a distance, and when to rally the troops and when to bite their tongue. Like a ringmaster in a circus, they ensure all performers are, well, performing their assigned duties at the highest possible level simultaneously. And doing it happily.

In all cases, they remain focused on the goal; the slangy “keep your eyes on the prize” you hear a lot in business.

There’s Always a Man or Woman Behind the Curtain of Success

Coaches don’t throw touchdown passes, finish an alley-oop, or deliver that all-important speech before an audience of hundreds. But they do know how to inspire, motivate, and guide you so you can succeed at any of these. And really good leaders are more than willing to bypass credit in favor of letting another shine.

Robert Winship Woodruff, the legendary patriarch and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company during its most robust period of growth, had a plaque on his desk that read, “There is no limit to what a man can do, or where he can go, if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” (The same, of course, is true for women.)

But, it takes work.

Some experience great success right out of the gate. “He (or she) is a wunderkind, genius, wizard, virtuoso, prodigy, an ace!”, they say — but that doesn’t mean they can sustain success, or even repeat it once. How many one-hit-wonders have flitted by in the music industry?

Late last month, St. Louis Cardinals infielder Paul DeJong homered in his first major league at-bat. Step aside, Mr. Ruth and Mr. Aaron, right? Not so much. DeJong’s next 40 plate appearances yielded only nine singles, a double, 11 strikeouts and nary another dinger. Two weeks after his flashy, touch-‘em-all debut, he was sent back to the minors to – what else? – work on his craft.

Check out Vincent Van Gogh’s first work of, ahem, art called Potato Eaters and see if you’re moved or impressed. Likely not. But Vinny went on to become one of the great Dutch Masters and his works have sold for hundreds of millions of dollars. Why? Because he worked at it. And worked at it. And worked at it. And he got good.

Abe Lincoln was a 6’4”, gangly, not-so-gorgeous guy who was often called oafish. He wasn’t dashing and full of flair, or even very talkative. Yet, he went on to lead America through one of its most trying times. He did it by appointing “the best and brightest to his Cabinet, individuals who were also some of his greatest political rivals. He demonstrated his leadership by pulling this group together into a unique team that represented the greatest minds of his time”, according to historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, a keynote speaker at a Society of Human Resources Conference in Chicago a few years back. “He also withstood adversity and moved forward in the face of frustration.”

Am I a Leader? I Try to Be.

My personal preference when it comes to leadership style is to maintain a relaxed demeanor while being very focused and driven. Customer-centricity, for me, is ALL-important but, hey, let’s have a little fun along the way and not take ourselves too seriously. There’s much to be said for “whistling while you work”.

When I’m the one being led, I function best when taking direction from someone who is humble yet tenacious in everything they do; people like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos (who recently acquired Whole Foods), Pope Francis, and my Dad come to mind. None of them were handed anything, they earned what they have, including immense respect and success.

My point here is, by and large, the best leaders are made and molded, not gifted and given. They’re the product of clear vision, determination, ethical standards, consistency, inclusiveness, empathy and two-way respect. And yes, some level of intelligence is needed but not necessarily Mensa smarts.

They act long before they speak. Boost rather than boast. Motivate rather than dominate. They prefer focus to hocus-pocus.

Do you have what it takes to be a good leader? Of course you do!

Are you willing to do what it takes to get there? Now, that’s the key question.

CONCLUSION

While some among us are unusually fortunate when it comes to God-given skills and assets, by and large, the best leaders are made and molded, not gifted and given.

Cheers,

P.S. As always, I’d love to hear what you think. What (and who) defines a good leader? Weigh in, friends!

Photo credit: Boris Stroujko / Shutterstock.com