Leaders Are Born, Not Made - Essay Example

The leadership skills of an individual are demonstrated by the way they drive organizations in which they have been entrusted. That is why corporations seek those individuals with leadership ability because they believe they bring special contributions to their organizations and, thus, improve the performance of the corporation. In this paper, a discussion will be made on the characteristics of leadership desired by corporations based on Drucker’s argument that leaders are born not made; additionally, the discussion will be based on John Adair’s theories of leadership (Adair 2011, p.1).

Traits of a Leader
A successful leader has to be motivated so that he can motivate those under him or her. It is difficult to have a leader who does not motivate others, even though leadership embraces more than motivation. This is in line with the theory of group personality and group needs. A good leader should embrace teamwork for the wholesome growth of a corporation. Such a leader will share their views with the whole team. They express their need to accomplish the common tasks and the need to maintain an organization as a cohesive social unity. In line with theory, a good leader will bring to the corporate aspects such as physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual. The physical needs will draw members of the corporate together in working groups. The social aspect will bind people within the organization together. Coupled with intellect, an inborn trait, the leader will always find ways out of particular problems; the members of staff within the organization will have confidence and trust in their leader. The ultimate benefit of these aspects will be the success of the corporation (Adair 2009, p.114).

Improving leadership skills
Once leadership skills have been identified in an individual, the skills can be improved through training and exposing the individual to an environment where he or she can exercise the skills. Such a person can be tasked with managing a small group of people. After successful management of a small group, the number of persons under him to be added can manage a large group of persons within the organization. The leader will be successful if he has acquired confidence from the previous dealings with small groups. Confidence is essential, and its development is the preliminary to becoming a successful leader. It is through working hard at leadership skills such as confidence and integrity that an individual’s skills become more habitual or unconscious. At this point, people start referring to such a person as a natural leader, in agreement with Drucker’s hypothesis that leaders are born not made (Adair 2009, p.114). Read More