An excerpt from the book by Gerard Seijts
Are leaders born or made? That never-ending debate is central to this paper. But the purpose here is not to take sides since the clear answer is “Both.”
There is no question that some remarkable people enter the world with the confidence it takes to make difficult decisions along with a desire to lead and the natural ability to attract followers. Other leaders are nurtured, including many that succeed despite being thrust, often reluctantly, into leadership roles. Leaders from both camps, however, have been known to excel and fail to live up to their potential. So, the question that really matters is: “How do good leaders learn to lead?”
As I discovered when studying the financial crisis of 2008, a great deal of leadership development stems from facing uncomfortable and difficult experiences. But good leaders are really the product of a never-ending process of skill and character development. Indeed, after spending the last year working on a book project called Good Leaders Learn, I am now more convinced than ever that good leaders develop through constant learning about their personalities, relationships and careers, not to mention the kind of leader they want to become. And although there are no silver bullets for becoming a good leader– because everyone takes a custom-made path — the journeys of the leaders I interviewed share several elements that can help management educators and organizations develop the world’s next generation of good leaders while assisting the existing supply to become even better at their jobs.
For Good Leaders Learn, I interviewed 30-plus leaders, at various stages of their careers, from different industries, sectors and countries.
Every leader I met was driven to produce results. They relished taking calculated risks and pushing beyond their comfort zones. Mistakes in this crowd are seen as opportunities to learn by people well aware of their strengths and weakness. The leaders I met value trust. They are prepared to adapt in “one size does not fit all” situations. In order to develop, they seek out mentors and constantly learn by observing others. They look at an entire organization, seeking to understand how the parts fit together as well as how the sum of all the parts fits in the world.
Simply put, the leaders I met were all passionate about excelling and dedicated to doing it through continual learning.
Leadership can be learned
The good news is that everyone I interviewed agrees that good leadership can be learned by anyone with basic smarts backed by an unwavering commitment to ongoing development and collaboration. “Leadership skills are innate to all of us,” notes Amit Chakma, Western University’s president and vice-chancellor, “but how much we develop those skills is in a large part determined by the opportunities we have to take on leadership roles, and how readily we embrace those opportunities.”
Antoni Cimolino, artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, insists:
“There is something to be learned every day, both by looking in the mirror at yourself and by looking at the people around you.”
If this article resonates with you, take a look at WAPPA’s ELEVATE Leadership Series
At WAPPA we are committed to assisting leaders and aspirant leaders to create their own journey by providing world-class offerings within a supported network. But if you want assistance with mapping your journey join an ELEVATE cohort today.
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