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Transcript of Leaders Are Born or Made
Organizational Behavior
“Leaders are Born or Made”
Submitted By:
Asia Samreen Rabia Atique
Table of ContentsSUMMARY..................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................4
Organizational Behavior
LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................................................5
What is Leadership?.................................................................................................................5
What is a leader?.......................................................................................................................5
What is a supervisor?................................................................................................................6
What is a manager?...................................................................................................................6
Behavioral Theories..................................................................................................................7
Trait Theories............................................................................................................................7
RELEVANT RESEARCHES.......................................................................................................8
Leaders are Sort of Born...........................................................................................................8
Leaders are Always Made........................................................................................................8
A Leader's Growth is Never Done............................................................................................9
Being A Born Leader Means Nothing Unless You Are.........................................................10
A Growing Leader..................................................................................................................10
Duties of Leaders....................................................................................................................11
Are Leaders Born or Made?...................................................................................................12
By David Garic.......................................................................................................................12
Leadership: do traits matter?..................................................................................................13
Shelley A. Kirkpatrick & Edwin A. Locke, University of Maryland................................13
Great Leaders are Made, Not Born.........................................................................................14
Bryant Nielson made a research in 2008................................................................................15
Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. Chief Enlightenment Officer The Leadership Success Institute...................................................................................................................................16
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................17
References...................................................................................................................................18
Organizational Behavior 2
Organizational Behavior
SUMMARY
Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a
common goal. The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service
to your organization. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve
high goals, rather than simply bossing people around.
For centuries people have debated whether leaders are born or made. Several decades
ago researchers started trying to answer the question. The debate goes on, even though
we know the answer.
The born leaders have inbuilt leadership qualities, where as, the made leaders acquire
the leadership skills after having been put through the situation in which they have to
lead the masses and the skills of leadership can only be learned through experience.
In today's industry, we have many managers and supervisors, but few of them are
leaders. A leader is someone others are willing to follow, almost without question.
Leaders are recognized not chosen. Leaders have something within that the others just
don't have. It is an intangible characteristic that can't be explained, but when you see it,
you will recognize it.
“Not every leader is born and not every person can be
groomed to be a leader”
Organizational Behavior 3
Organizational Behavior
INTRODUCTION
Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a
common goal. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to
accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more
cohesive and coherent.
Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs,
values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Although your position as a manager,
supervisor, lead, etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives
in the organization, this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the
boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals, rather
than simply bossing people around.
The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your
organization. For centuries people have debated whether leaders are born or made.
Several decades ago researchers started trying to answer the question. The debate goes
on, even though we know the answer. The born leaders have inbuilt leadership
qualities, where as, the made leaders acquire the leadership skills after having been put
through the situation in which they have to lead the masses and the skills of leadership
can only be learned through experience.
The objective of the study is whether the Leaders are Born or Made.
Organizational Behavior 4
Organizational Behavior
LITERATURE REVIEW
In today's industry, we have many managers and supervisors, but few of them are
leaders. In addition, it is also true that not every leader is a good manager, or
supervisor, but every leader can be taught to be a good one.
What is Leadership?
According to John Maxwell “Leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing else”
then we are all leaders. After all, everyone has some level of influence along the line.
Couple that with the fact that being a leader means we have at least one follower – then
again ‘yes’ we are all leaders – even if it’s self leadership.
“To a degree we are all leaders”
What is a leader?
By definition, a leader is a person who rules or guides or inspires others.
A leader is someone others are willing to follow, almost without question. They may
not always make the right decision, but they are confident in the decisions that they
make. They are not afraid to admit when they are wrong, and they know when to
change direction when an inappropriate choice has been made. For, even after a few
mistakes, a true leader will not lose the confidence of his/her followers.
“Leaders are recognized, not chosen”
In short, leaders have something within that the others just don't have. It is an
intangible characteristic that can't be explained, but when you see it, you will recognize
it.
Organizational Behavior 5
Organizational Behavior
What is a supervisor?
By definition, a supervisor is 'a person who exercises major administrative functions
over another employee, or employees. These functions are hiring, evaluating, assigning
work, disciplining, and dismissing. In most cases, one step below a manager, a
supervisor is just that, a person who supervises. Creativity is welcomed, but in most
cases, the direction is provided by the manager, and the immediate overseeing is done
by the supervisor.
What is a manager?
By definition, a manager is 'an individual charged with the responsibility for overseeing
resources and processes.' Managers are more creative than supervisors. Their sole duty
is to manage budgets, people, major tasks and projects, and time.
Managers administer, leaders innovate
Managers ask how and when, leaders ask what and why
Managers do things right, leaders do the right things
Managers maintain, leaders develop
Managers copy, leaders show originality
Managers have a short-term perspective, leaders have a longer-term perspective
“Warren Bennis”
Organizational Behavior 6
Organizational Behavior
Behavioral Theories
According to this theory there are specific behaviors that identify leaders so we could teach
leadership by designing programs that implant these behavioral patterns in individuals who
desire to be effective leaders. If training work we could have an infinite supply of effective
leaders.
“We could train people to be leaders”.
(Robbins.et.al.,2008)
Trait Theories
Trait theories of leadership differentiate leaders from non -leaders by focusing on personal
qualities and characteristics. It considers personality, social, physical or intellectual attributes
that would describe leaders and differentiate them from non- leaders.
“Leaders are born rather than made”.
(Robbins.et.al.,2008)
Organizational Behavior 7
Organizational Behavior
RELEVANT RESEARCHES
Leaders are Sort of Born
It seems like there's only one thing that a person needs to actually be born with in order
to be a leader later in life. That's intelligence.
A leader needs to be smart enough. Effective leaders aren't necessarily the smartest
people in the room or the company or even on the team. But they have to be smart
enough to do the job they're assigned.
What's more important is what kind of person the potential leader is when he or she
becomes an adult. The person who emerges from adolescence into young adulthood has
the psychological and character traits they'll demonstrate for the rest of their life. Some
of those matter for leadership. “Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas”
Leaders are Always Made
According to “Geeks and Geezers” Leadership can be learned by anyone with the
basics. Leaders learn about 80 percent of their craft on the job. They learn from
watching other leaders and emulating their behavior. They choose role models and seek
out mentors. They ask other leaders about how to handle situations.
“Everybody has to learn the job, that’s why leaders
are always made”
Effective leaders look for training programs that will help them develop specific skills
that they can use on the job.
Leaders improve by getting feedback and using it. The best leaders seek feedback from
their boss, their peers and their subordinates. Then they modify their behavior so that
they get better results.
Organizational Behavior 8
Organizational Behavior
“Marshall Goldsmith and Howard Morgan” studied the progress of 88,000
managers who had been to leadership development training. The people who returned
from the training, talked about it, and did deliberate work to apply their learning were
judged as becoming more effective leaders. The ones who didn't showed no
improvement.
A Leader's Growth is Never Done
Leadership learning is a lifetime activity. You're never done because there's always
more to learn. There are always skills you need to improve.
Effective leaders seek out development opportunities that will help them learn new
skills. Those might be project assignments or job changes. What they have in common
is that the leader develops knowledge and skills that can be used elsewhere.
There's no magic formula for developing quality leaders in your company. But if you
select potential leaders with the essential traits, then support them with training,
feedback, on-the-job learning and development experiences and hold them accountable
for results, you'll have the leaders you need to shape your company's future.
“Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas”
Organizational Behavior 9
Organizational Behavior
Being A Born Leader Means Nothing Unless You Are
A Growing Leader
A growing leader inspires so much more. I would rather follow a growing leader than a
born leader. For me leadership is organic; it is a continual process of development and
change. It’s not an exact science – it’s a response to people and purpose. It demands
consistent input, shaping.
“Being a born leader is not the same as being a growing leader”
In my experience, people who describe themselves as born leaders tend to assume a
right to lead, either because of job title or past success. As we know, leadership is not a
right to assume, but an honor to earn.
“http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Holloway”
“Leadership involves power by influence”
&
“Management involves power by position”
“Abraham Zaleznik”
Organizational Behavior 10
Organizational Behavior
Duties of Leaders
Individuals are born with specific traits. These traits include physical characteristics,
intellectual ability and personality. It has been shown via research that some of these traits
are associated with research. These traits include:
Intelligence
Energy
Self-confidence
Dominance
Motivation to lead
Emotional stability
Honesty and integrity
Need for achievement
Organizational Behavior 11
“Abraham
Zaleznik”
Organizational Behavior
Organizational Behavior 12
Organizational Behavior
Are Leaders Born or Made?
By David Garic
The age-old question continues to raise its ugly head: Are leaders born to lead, or are they
made? Does Leadership DNA exist?
Fear not, there is hope for the rest of us because here is some very good news: Leadership
DNA is a myth. There is no such thing as a natural ability to lead that exists within some of us
while remaining absent in others. A closer examination of those leaders we often hold in high
regard, those we refer to as role models, will reveal one common characteristic among all of
them. They all have a burning desire to lead, to be influential, motivational, and take
responsibility for themselves and others. What makes these leaders effective is not a natural
ability; it is their desire to lead people, combined with a set of learned skills that they apply as
leaders. The only real ingredient in the leadership recipe that they possessed when they began
leading was desire. They learned the rest of it. The desire to lead was the motivational
ingredient that drove them to lead; the skills they learned along the way are what allowed them
to lead people.
Leaders are developed. Leadership is nothing more than a collection of skills, that when
employed, produce results.
Leaders create the motivational environment for their followers that cause them to want
to achieve.
They are able to easily identify the needs of their followers and direct them on the
pathway to success.
Leaders can skillfully strike the balance between attending to the needs of their
followers while accomplishing the tasks required of them.
Leaders can learn leadership skills in a variety of ways (training, self-study, observing
other leaders) but unless these skills are practiced in realistic and meaningful
experiences they are forgotten.
Organizational Behavior 13
Organizational Behavior
Some day soon, the argument will end. Until then, for those of us who may be wondering, “Do
I have it or don’t I,” not to fear. It can be done. Start with desire. We can learn the rest.
http://www.myarticlearchive.com/articles/6/211.htm
Leadership: do traits matter?
Shelley A. Kirkpatrick & Edwin A. Locke, University of Maryland
The study of leader traits has a long and controversial history. While research shows that the
possession of certain traits alone does not guarantee leadership success, there is evidence that
effective leaders are different from other people in certain key respects.
Key leader traits include: drive (a broad term which includes achievement, motivation,
ambition, energy, tenacity, and initiative); leadership motivation (the desire to lead but not to
seek power as an end in itself); honesty and integrity; self-confidence (which is associated with
emotional stability); cognitive ability; and knowledge of the business.
There is less clear evidence for traits such as charisma, creativity and flexibility. We believe
that the key leader traits help the leader acquire necessary skills; formulate an organizational
vision and an effective plan for pursuing it; and take the necessary steps to implement the
vision in reality.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/4165007
Organizational Behavior 14
Organizational Behavior
Great Leaders are Made, Not Born
ã 1998 by William A. Cohen
This research appeared first in Network World, December 21, 1998 and an abbreviated version
in The Journal of Accountancy June, 1999
There are many well-educated and motivated people who lack the knowledge of how to lead
others. So they don’t assume leadership positions, or if they do, they don’t do very well in
them. They and others too, assume that these individuals just weren’t born to be leaders.
This research shows conclusively that effectiveness as a leader depends less on some innate
trait you are born with, and much more on specific principles that anyone can follow.
Conclusion
You may not be able to control or change your boss, or other leaders in your company. So, do
what is right, anyway. Others will soon recognize another "born" leader. If you keep at it, they
may even say you are a great leader. You. However, will know the truth. You may or may not
be a great leader, but you were most definitely made, and not born as one.
http://www.stuffofheroes.com/Great%20Leaders%20are%20Made,%20Not%20Born.htm
Organizational Behavior 15
Organizational Behavior
Bryant Nielson made a research in 2008
All of us are born with one trait in common: potential. Of course there are many potentials, but
the key in dealing with potential is the stimulus and environment that brings it out.
We're all born with potential - and we can all develop the traits of leadership. That's where you
come in.
Leaders can be made through training and provide proper environment. There are many ways
to encourage a leader-based and entrepreneurial environment. First, you must constantly
encourage people to take action. Remember that speaking out is a leadership characteristic -
your encouragement will allow people to challenge the status quo, innovate old ways of doing
things, and to persuade you and others to follow them. In the same vein, you must persist with
ideas that come to you. Finally, you can provide an environment that promotes informality,
both physically and emotionally.
Conclusion
Leaders are definitely made - not born. But the environment will determine whether potential
leaders can develop their talents - and it's your responsibility to provide it.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Leaders-Are-Made,-Not-Born&id=1054257
Organizational Behavior 16
Organizational Behavior
Research By:
Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D.Chief Enlightenment OfficerThe Leadership Success Institute
The great debate for the last century has been over whether "leaders are born, or leaders are
made." There have been are biographies, books and articles, and more recently movies and
television coverage about good and bad leadership. A combination of externice senior
leadership experience and strong business background all led Howard Edward Haller to write
this article on the topic, are Leaders Made or Born?
The leadership research specifically focused defining leadership and on the way certain events,
obstacles, or adversity affected and shaped prominent leaders.
The research interview questions were designed to draw out the participants' experiences on a
range of interests. I encouraged the sixteen prominent leaders that I personally interviewed to
identify the most important events in their lives. I asked them specifically to share the effects
of the events, obstacle, or adversity in their youth and adult lives that shaped them. They were
called upon reveal the resources within themselves that they drew upon to overcome obstacles.
Finally, I questioned them as to whether their experiences with overcoming adversity in any
way impacted their development, specifically their development as a leader.
The information from major leadership scholars and best selling author for the interested reader
that seems to back my position and conclusion: Leader are made, not born.
Conclusion: Leaders are Made, not born!
http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-and-Adversity---Are-Leaders-Made-Or-Are-Leaders-
Born?-A-Definitive-Answer-to-the-Question&id=2815934
Organizational Behavior 17
Organizational Behavior
Conclusion
According to most of the researches mentioned above it is proved that leaders seem to be
not always born, but also made through training. The made leaders acquire the leadership
skills after having been put through the situation in which they have to lead the masses and
the skills of leadership can only be learned through training and experience.
It is also concluded that not always a born leader seem to be more successful as compared
to the developed leader under circumstances.
“Everybody has to learn the job, that’s why leaders are always made”
Organizational Behavior 18
Organizational Behavior
References Are Leaders Born or Made, http://www.myarticlearchive.com/articles/6/211.htm,
(Accessed January 21, 2011)
Being A Born Leader Means Nothing Unless You Are, http://EzineArticles.com/?
expert=Steve_Holloway , (Accessed January 23, 2011)
Bryant Nielson , http://ezinearticles.com/?Leaders-Are-Made,-Not-Born&id=1054257,
(Accessed January 22, 2011)
Great Leaders are Made, Not Born, http://www.stuffofheroes.com/Great%20Leaders
%20are%20Made,%20Not%20Born.html, (Accessed January 22, 2011)
Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D., http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-and-Adversity---Are-
Leaders-Made-Or-Are-Leaders-Born?-A-Definitive-Answer-to-the-Question&id=2815934,
(Accessed January 23, 2011)
Judge,Timthy& Robbins,Stephen & Sanghi,Seema. (2008) Organizational
Behavior, pp. 420-423.
Leadership: do traits matter, http://www.jstor.org/pss/4165007, (Accessed January
21, 2011)
Organizational Behavior 19