Just as some people possess natural athletic ability or artistic talent, so, too, some people have the self-confidence, intuition, energy and intelligence to become natural leaders. Extroverts who have the need to influence others may also be natural leaders. But just because a person does not naturally have those personality traits does not mean he cannot work to develop those qualities to become a leader. Everyone is influenced by their environment -- family, peers, religion, education and social culture all determining leadership potential. Regardless of innate abilities, leaders can be developed, Harold Resnick, a Florida-based organizational development consultant, wrote in a 2003 article for the Jacksonville Business Journal.
According to Erika Andersen, who wrote "Leading So People Will Follow," one way to examine people with leadership skills is to portray them with a bell curve distribution. Those who are considered born leaders are the small group on one end of the curve, while people lacking in leadership ability are on the other end. Since most people are found in the middle of the curve, it is from that section that leaders can be developed. Andersen suggests that people on the leadership side of the curve can become great leaders, even if they are not born into that role.
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At one extreme, about 10-15% of people , no matter how hard they try, aren’t ever going to be very good leaders. They just don’t have the necessary wiring. Shown as blue in the bell curve above, they embody high hopes with misplaced optimism.
At the other extreme, about 10-15% of people are natural born leaders. Andersen believes these individuals start out as good leaders and tend to get even better as they go along. They simply have a knack for taking the reins, sometimes characterized as a “force of nature” type personality. They’re shown in green.
Finally, there’s the big middle of the curve, where roughly 70% of people reside. This represents the pool of potential leaders, the ones who are not natural born leaders but can be made into leaders.
They usually start off by showing some evidence of having the “it” factor — at least a hint of raw leadership talent — but the “it” needs to be nurtured and guided before it can bloom. In some cases it will blossom, in others it won’t. When it does blossom, these individuals can become very good or even great leaders. This group is well-advised to carefully proceed — with humility, integrity, grace and persistence — and are shown in yellow.
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"There is a stereotype of great charismatic leaders, but there are actually lots of types leadership styles that work in different situations... Sometimes what you actually need is more of an anti-hero. For instance, entrepreneurs often have innovative ideas and charismatic personalities, but don't necessarily always combine that with the management skills to grow successful businesses."
To be a good leader, you don't always need to be a great orator like Churchill or Martin Luther King. Neither do you have to be as ruthless as Alan Sugar. In fact, being fairly ordinary could be to your advantage. There are lots of effective leaders who aren't necessarily the noisiest person in the room"
- Petra Wilton, Chartered Management Institute
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Source: Based on R.M. Stogdill, Handbook of Leadership: A Survey of the Literature
(New York: Free Press, 1974).
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15 Ways to Identify Bad Leaders
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1. Leaders who can't see it, probably won't find it: Leaders without vision will fail.
2. When leaders fail to lead themselves: A leader who lacks character or integrity will not endure the test of time.
3. Put-up or shut-up: Nothing smacks of poor leadership like a lack of performance. Nobody is perfect, but leaders who consistently fail are not leaders.
4. Beware the know-it-all: The best leaders are acutely aware of how much they don't know. They have no need to be the smartest person in the room, but have the unyielding desire to learn from others.
5. When there's a failure to communicate: When leaders are constantly flummoxed by those who don't seem to get it, there exists both a leadership and communications problem.
6. It's all about them: If a leader doesn’t understand the concept of “service above self” they will not engender the trust, confidence, and loyalty of those they lead.
7. Sing a little Kumbaya: Empathy, humility and kindness are signs of leadership strength - not weakness.
8. One size fits all leadership style: The best leaders are fluid and flexible in their approach. They understand the power of, and necessity for contextual leadership. “My way or the highway” leadership styles don’t play well in today’s world.
9. Lack of focus: Leadership is less about balance and more about priority. The best leaders are ruthless in their pursuit of focus.
10. Death by comfort zone: The best organizations beat their competition to the future, and the best leaders understand how to pull the future forward.
11. Not paying attention to the consumer: Leaders not attuned to the needs of the market will fail.
12. Get Invested: Leaders not fully committed to investing in those they lead will fail.
13. The "A" word: Real leaders are accountable. They don’t blame others, don’t claim credit for the success of their team, but always accept responsibility for failures that occur on their watch.
14. Culture matters: Forget this and all other efforts with regard to talent initiatives will be dysfunctional, if not altogether lost. Don’t allow your culture to evolve by default, create it by design.
15. Show some chutzpa: Not arrogance or bravado, but real courage. It takes courage to break from the norm, challenge the status quo, seek new opportunities, cut your losses, make the tough decision, listen rather than speak, admit your faults, forgive the faults of others, not allow failure to dampen your spirit, stand for those not capable of standing for themselves, and to remain true to your core values.
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Source: Matt Myatt, Chairman, N2Growth
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