In my opinion, leaders are made, not born. Leaders are developed not born. Anyone can become a leader, though obviously some people are born with particular advantages that make it easier for them to take on leadership positions. Consider it to be an unfair advantage. However, if we truly practise self-discovery and put in real effort on ourselves, the beauty is that each of us can find some unfair advantage. It’s possible that someone else is better at something than you are at something else; we all have unique abilities that make us unique in our own ways. However, my main point is that, with serious effort, anyone can develop leadership as a skill, a mindset, and a capability.
I went into great detail about the psychological underpinnings of leadership and the various leadership philosophies that individuals can adopt in order to become effective leaders in my book on the subject, high performance leadership. Teaching people specific behaviours and habits that will enable them to develop crucial leadership skills has been my model for leadership development. For instance, a serious manager or leader who exudes fear and cold vibes to subordinates can become approachable and likeable by displaying warmth, such as smiling and waving to coworkers. Small adjustments made consistently have a big impact. Additionally, if they learn to treat people with more respect, that manager will improve as a leader.
Of course, changing attitudes is the hard work. It starts with a change in values and a mindset, and then you add specific skill sets to achieve true leadership transformation. Once others notice these adjustments in the manager’s actions and routines, the grumpy manager transforms into a likeable leader.
In order to capture leadership moments at work and in life, I help people make small behavioural changes. This is the essence of what I teach about leadership. encouraging others to take initiative, set an example for others, serve others, and influence people for the better. You are acting like a leader by doing that.
Books, leadership training, workshop, podcasts, videos like these or other mediums of coaching can help you become a better leader, only if you practice them. Knowing is not the same as doing. ‘Knowledge must lead to action’ as Jim Rohn says.
I always believe that leadership is a capability, which is a skill and by practicing it anyone can develop it. Practice is the key. To learn leadership, you need to do leadership. That’s what I teach in high performance leadership. Because performance comes from action.
