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Can anyone lead?

Does leadership only apply to those that manage teams, the sole preserve? Or can anyone lead or does everyone lead at some stage?

Noun: ‘Leadership’
The action of leading a group of people or an organisation, or the ability to do this. ‘Different styles of leadership’… Guidance, Direction, Authority/ Control

Using the above definitions, a Leader may just be someone that gives guidance, while in another context someone that shows authority. Using the first analogy, a parent may be a leader in a similar way to a ‘Mentor’. In the second, a captain on a sports field can be a leader. The manager can only do so much: On the pitch, the captain has to be able to shout instructions and lift the spirit when there is a feel that the mood is dropping. In some sports, Leadership can be ever more technical based on the ebbs and flow of the sport… Cricket. While in golf, The Ryder Cup springs to mind!

On occasions, leaders can just appear, situations where there is a sudden need for someone to step up to the plate! It could be as simple as a group of friends lost in a strange city centre- it can happen! Standing on a street corner,huddled around a map, disagreeing- suddenly one person takes control and makes a decision and then the rest simply fall into line!

So the question then becomes, are Leaders born, created or morphed from any one situation? He/she is a natural leader is a common quote- so perhaps the former is true. Experience helps… been there, worn the t-shirt comes to mind!

Psychology today, states…
This is the most basic and most often-asked question about leadership. To cut to the chase, the answer is ‘mostly made’. The best estimates offered by research is that leadership is about one-third born and two-thirds made. The job of leading an organisation, a military unit, or a nation, and doing so effectively, is fantastically complex. To expect that a person would be born with all of the tools needed to lead just doesn’t make sense based on what we know about the complexity of social groups and processes.

Using this thinking, the question then becomes, what are you doing to improve your leadership skills?

‘I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.’ Jimmy Dean