If you are a natural leader, that is to say, if you were born with core leadership qualities, people have noticed how “right” you are for leadership. Over the years, they have encouraged you to assume the role (and responsibilities) of leader. Your character lends itself to many of the behaviors expected of good leaders.
In her Harvard Business Review article, Asking Whether Leaders Are Born or Made Is The Wrong Question, Dr. Connson Chou Locke explains that inborn skills, which are mostly revealed in a leader’s personality, lend themselves to a leader’s emergence. These are the qualities that present a person as eligible for leadership and place their name in leadership discussions. On the other hand, developed skills are mostly revealed in a leader’s decisions, and facilitate their career’s effectiveness.
Would you agree?
Let’s consider four, typically innate leadership abilities:
Extraversion: People who are naturally outgoing draw followers. Boldness and assertiveness are greater qualities yet, sought for leadership because of the demands of the role.
Intelligence: People with high logical and creative intelligence have a distinct advantage in the complex, fast-paced business world. Having good social intelligence, or people skills, is an extra bonus, since many of the challenges in leadership require effectively dealing with people.
Handling stress: If you are naturally even keeled and have a high threshold for stress, your leadership will weather storms that other leaders can’t survive. This affords leaders high levels of trust from their people.
Decisiveness: Drawing sound conclusions from natural confidence and insight helps a leader be decisive. This is a natural quality vital for running an organization with timely and effective direction.
What do you think? Are you a natural leader? How have you been encouraged to lead? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
