5 Good Reasons Leaders Are Made Not Born

Are leaders born or made? You’ve likely heard the leaders are born not made debate.

While there are many great examples of born leaders. Not every great leader starts that way.

For you, leadership might be a journey. And that’s perfectly fine.

Let’s discuss why leaders are made not born. And things you can do to develop your leadership skills over time.

1. Leaders are made online

Today the internet has leveled the playing field. You can learn almost anything online.

And the more you learn, the more you can earn.

Education isn’t exclusive anymore, with information now available to anyone with wifi.

With so many free resources available online, you don’t even need to break the bank to develop your leadership skills.

2. Leaders are made through ongoing leadership opportunities

The more opportunities you have to lead others, the more your leadership skills will evolve.

Because leaders are made by developing their ability to lead others. Fortunately, you have more opportunities to lead today than ever before.

With the world becoming more connected, your chance to lead might not be local.

3. Leaders are made by earning the trust of others

The 21st annual Edelman Trust Barometer tells us that people are losing trust in leaders across every area of their lives.

This shows that no one is born with credibility. Leaders are made by earning the trust of others.

And the best leaders are proven to have higher levels of integrity.

4. Leaders are made regardless of gender

Being born a certain gender doesn’t make you more leadership material.

While women are still underrepresented in leadership roles, this has little to do with actual potential. Studies show gender is not related to leadership potential.

Some studies have shown that women are more effective as leaders because the bar for promoting them is much higher than for promoting men.

And brands with more women in leadership are 1.4 times more likely to have continued profitable growth.

5. Leaders are made through ongoing training and coaching

The final reason why leaders are made not born is because of training and coaching.

Many successful people have coaches that help develop their professional skills overtime.

Coaching can improve your leadership skills by about 20%–30%.

Proving that you can develop your leadership skills with the right trainings and resources.

Leaders are Made Not Born

Whether leaders are born or made depends on who you ask. The good news is there are steps you can take to improve your leadership skills. And we can help!

When you join our NetWerk® Community, you get instant access to our Free Career Center with tools and templates to support your leadership journey.