IS ONE BORN OR DOES ONE BECOME A LEADER?
How did the leader and the concept of leadership come about? How many types of leadership are there? There are many questions revolving around this role; it is often a source of ambiguity and many have wondered to give us a definition.
Throughout history we have seen an evolution: one of the aspects that has been emphasized from the beginning is the moral virtue of leadership. On this subject the greatest minds in history expressed themselves. Confucius argued that those who wield power must lead by example. The conduct of a leader plays an important role that cannot be underestimated.
While for the ancient Greeks the figure of the perfect leader was embodied by the hero of mythology -as in Homer’s Odyssey- within the myth there were personified representations of justice, wisdom and valor. Aristotle supposed that the person who aspires to lead should be educated in morality and ethics from a young age.
Among modern thinkers, until the beginning of the last century, the role of leaders was seen as fundamental and necessary. Contrary to the past, today it is believed that a good leader makes a difference, but also takes into account the circumstances and who follows him/her: a leader without followers is not able to act. However, it must be recognized that good leadership is one of the factors that most influences the performance of a group.
In the world of work, the leader of a team is able to make business goals be achieved effectively and is able to motivate employees. Leadership is considered by many to be an indispensable tool for entrepreneurship. There is no agreement that it is an innate, rather than a learned, trait, but there are training courses that promise to foster the leader in each of us.
So, are leaders born?
The concept of modern leadership originated with philosopher Thomas Carlyle. According to which “the history of the world is the history of great men”. This vision considers that they are innate aptitudes to make leaders. Carlyle’s thought has found fertile ground in psychology, specifically in the theory of traits (personality). A trait can be -for example- extroversion, whose opposite is introversion. The world therefore for years has given importance to the personality of people.
Nowadays it is thought that it is the actions and skills of a person that give him leadership ability. Essentially it is a creative, non-adaptive activity that is performed in four basic functions: mission definition, purpose incorporation, defending institutional integrity, and breaking down internal conflicts. Obviously these can be learned and developed.
There are also some personality-related aspects that help, but those are not what make the difference, as Nietzsche said “Doing great things is difficult, but commanding great things is even more difficult.”
