argumentative essay on leaders are made not born

Great Leaders Are Made, Not Born

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Are leaders born or made?

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Leaders: Are They Born Or Made?

Categories: Leadership Nature Versus Nurture

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Published: Jan 31, 2024

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Definition and characteristics of leadership, discussion of the role of nature and nurture in leadership, counterarguments and refutation, arguments supporting the born theory, arguments supporting the made theory.

University of Illinois. "Genes Influence Leadership Roles and Leadership Success." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130123125241.htm
Center for Creative Leadership. "Impact of Leadership Development Programs." www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/making-an-impact-evaluating-leadership-development-programs/

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Leaders Are Born, Not Made Essay

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The trait theory

Traits do matter, is leadership necessary.

Leadership is among the most sought-after traits today. Increased competitiveness in political, social, and economic sectors has raised the need to have capable persons to lead others. Leadership can generally be defined as creating a way for a group of people to achieve something extraordinary (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). The main question, however, is whether leaders are born or made. Choosing any of the two options would bring obvious disagreements and contention from the society; on one hand, if leaders can only be born, then the world can only have a certain number of leaders at any one time, limited by the occurrence of leadership traits. On the other hand, if leaders are made, then in the proper environment, anybody can become a leader; and thus everyone has leadership potential within him/herself.

The debate regarding the origin of a leader has been long and controversial. The idea that great men are born is not new. This was a very popular opinion in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. In that era, bloodlines were very important; and the consensus was that certain families, usually from the upper class tended to produce leaders for various sectors ranging from political and business, to religious and academic (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991; Spillane et al, 2006). This line of thinking is the predecessor of the trait theory, the first academic theory on leadership.

This theory suggests that persons with certain traits tend to become leaders, based on their personality or psychological conformation. As such, key traits are identified as being key in allowing someone to ascend to a position of leadership; these include drive (a broadly meaning achievement, motivation, ambition, energy, tenacity, and initiative), leadership motivation (the desire to lead but not to seek power as an end in itself), honesty, integrity, self-confidence (which is associated with emotional stability), cognitive ability, and knowledge of the business. Other traits such as charisma, creativity, and flexibility were identified as being supported by little empirical evidence (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991).

The trait theory has moved away from the idea that great men (and women) generally tend to come from certain families. Indeed, leaders have been shown to emerge from the lowest of the social classes and go-ahead to change their situation and that of the world at the same time. As such, it would be safe only to assume that leadership traits are not hereditary; and the possessing of certain genes does not automatically confer leadership qualities to an individual. However, the general principle remains the same; that traits do matter.

It would be fallacious to suggest that people with a specific set of traits automatically become leaders; indeed, something else had to be added to these traits to transform a follower into a leader. Indeed, different traits are useful in different contexts of leadership. As such, a military leader may not perform as well in a corporate setup; and vise versa. As such, a person carrying the trait would have to make deliberate and specific actions towards achieving what s/he desires for him/herself and the groups s/he is in; such include setting goals and having a vision.

It is, however, prudent to acknowledge that given the same kind of situation and the same amount of resources, different people achieve different things. On one hand, some exhibit relative or complete failure while others excel even with limited resources. As such, it is safe to assume that leadership requires a trait prerequisite mindset or behavior pattern; but is not entirely dependent on it. For example, in the face of imminent failure, different people would react differently; some would tend to give up and retreat while others may decide to forge ahead and handle the fallout when the situation is over. The decision to give up would be determined by the person’s tenacity or determination; such are the traits that would designate a person as a leader (Vroom & Sternberg, 2002).

It therefore would be fairly difficult to ‘make’ a leader; since traits or personalities cannot be trained. In a social setup, people generally tend to sort themselves out into leaders and followers once a situation that requires this sorting arises. Indeed, as certain traits would predispose one to take a leadership role, there are those which would relegate another to be a follower (Dasborough, 2006).

Many are instances in world history where strong and charismatic leaders have led people down the wrong path; either into war, mass murder, or financial ruin. The concept of leadership has been attacked as belittling the ability of man as a thinking being to make individual decisions; and abrogating (his) responsibility to make intelligent decisions. By delineating a special class of people for possessing traits that allow them to grow into leaders, a man may be very well giving up (his) role as the intelligent being on the planet; and depend on social structures of leader-follower characteristic of species lower than (him).

Dasborough M.T. 2006. Cognitive asymmetry in employee emotional reactions to leadership behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly 17(2): 163-178.

Kirkpatrick S.A. and Locke E.A. 1991. Leadership: Do traits matter ? Academy of Management Executive 5 (2).

Kouzes, J., and Posner, B. 2007. The Leadership Challenge . CA: Jossey Bass.

Spillane, James P., Halverson R., Diamond, J. B. 2004. Towards a theory of leadership practice. Journal of Curriculum Studies 36 (1): 3-34.

Vroom V. and Sternberg R. J. 2002. Theoretical Letters: The person versus the situation in leadership. The Leadership Quarterly 13: 301-323.

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IvyPanda. (2021, November 7). Leaders Are Born, Not Made. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leaders-are-born-not-made/

"Leaders Are Born, Not Made." IvyPanda , 7 Nov. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/leaders-are-born-not-made/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Leaders Are Born, Not Made'. 7 November.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Leaders Are Born, Not Made." November 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leaders-are-born-not-made/.

1. IvyPanda . "Leaders Are Born, Not Made." November 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leaders-are-born-not-made/.

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IvyPanda . "Leaders Are Born, Not Made." November 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/leaders-are-born-not-made/.

Leaders Are Born, Not Made

Leadership is a process by which an individual influences others to accomplish set objectives by giving a sense of direction to achieve the goals. In the journey to achieve the common goal in a given group, leadership offers the appropriate direction and necessary steps to be followed in realising the dreams of the team. Leadership can be inborn, where a person is naturally oriented to undertake leadership roles without being informed on handling such issues. In such a case where an individual comes out as an outstanding individual, ready to take charge of roles, then that person is a born leader. Leadership qualities in a person who has not gone through coaching and mentorship to possess those qualities reveal that leaders are born. Therefore, leaders can go through mentorship in the right environment and get the right mentorship to help them advance their leadership skills and guide their teams well. A good number of theories exist that discuss the various types of leadership, with many thinkers and philosophers diving into this subject to help in the understanding of this diverse topic. This paper discusses the idea that leaders are born and not made, with examples to show the statement’s validity.

According to the Great Man Theory of leadership, leaders can be identified by looking at them and analysing their personality traits to determine what they are capable of (Hunt & Fedynich, 2019). These character traits are born, and these attributes show that one is a capable leader. These personal traits differentiate the leader from no leaders, and these traits can be physical or personality characteristics. Historically, leadership is seen as something of the chosen few, and this view strongly supports the idea that leaders are born and not made. Leadership is also seen as something hereditary, and these leaders are taken as heroes in their society as a result of possessing extraordinary skills and abilities, propelling them to the top of leadership. Such families gain respect, admiration and adoration. Leadership is then a special gift to these few individuals who do not have to undergo any training to gain leadership skills.

From a religious point of view, leadership is a God-given gift, and the Lord of Lords sends leaders as heroes to be in charge of the flock of God and teach righteousness to the nation of God (Penttilä, 2021). Thomas Carlyle, the founder of the trait leadership theory, also believes that leaders are born and have lived in times of crisis and discord during industrialisation. During that period, Carlyle found it difficult to believe that the church would offer enough strength, wisdom and the appropriate direction. However, God would do all He could to save the situation of humanity. In restoring order in his hometown, religious institutions or other organisations would not offer the right solution. However, the sent leaders or the born leaders would give a sense of direction and solution to the upheaval. The examples of such leaders are like Shakespeare in the world of fiction for possessing greatness in his attributes. Other remarkable leaders worth respecting are Martin Luther King and Olive Cromwell. Leaders with inborn leaders can inherit their leadership attributes to their children. Great leaders do not have to concentrate more on the background factors or environment to shape their organisational and leadership skills. Findings from research among the Swedish military show that the genetic makeup and family of individuals explain the exceptional leadership traits of leaders compared to the general population (Adams et al., 2018).

Leadership qualities are difficult to achieve with training compared to an individual already with leadership attributes (Penttilä, 2021). The attributes differentiate great leaders from other people. Vision is a great quality a leader should possess, whether in the political or the business field. Great leaders need to own the group’s vision passionately and with enthusiasm to drive it to completion. Such a quality is not taught in any school, nor can it be obtained from reading books; instead, it comes from the personal traits of an individual. The quality of vision is not one to rehearse or practice but one that proves that leaders are born and not made. Another critical quality of leadership is integrity. Leaders who possess the quality of integrity promote trust among their team members while demonstrating a commitment to moral and ethical behaviours. Like vision, integrity is hard to teach and achieve for an individual who does not know integrity or walk in an integral line. Great leaders are naturally integral and trustworthy in their dealings.

Transparency is a leadership quality that will indicate that one will be ready to lead the rest in the right direction. Leadership requires individuals with the ability to state things as they are and address issues most practically without hiding anything from their fellow leaders or their subjects. The transparency trait helps leaders to build trust with employees, and this helps them to give their feedback freely. Individuals who relate well with other people, especially their peers, portray a theory of transformational leadership in which they can easily relate well with people. In transformational leadership, leaders’ relationship with their followers is the most outstanding element. Such individuals showcase leadership traits and can lead others well due to the good human relations they possess. Character forms the core of one’s personality system. As such, the character of an individual is permanent and defines an individual from a young age, hence defining who one is. On the other part, traits are subject to amendment and changes. Therefore, the character can determine whether an individual is naturally a leader. For instance, if an individual is patient, trustworthy and naturally loyal, they will easily make great leaders as opposed to individuals who will learn the skills of management and problem-solving to take on leadership in a given institution or organisation.

Training and experience do not make one a great leader; it is a difficult thing to achieve since leaders are naturally born with the necessary leadership skills. Practising leadership qualities does not qualify an individual to become a leader; however, the personality of a leader is inborn, and this is what matters the most. Leadership demands a lot, like requiring an individual to be confident but humble, wise and bold, to take control yet be ready to accommodate other people’s views and personality traits (Iszatt-White & Saunders, 2017). Other scholars believe that even people who do not possess leadership qualities from birth can acquire them through training. According to these scholars and researchers, leaders can be created through learning and developing personal qualities and skills to reach the level of leadership desired in a given setting. Training among individuals with natural leadership attributes is an added advantage as they will strengthen their leadership qualities. Committing to personal development is a continuous life goal for naturally born leaders as they focus on building their hard and soft leadership skills as time passes, hence attaining even greater authority and respect from others. For instance, people who gain respect from a young age due to how they conduct themselves and engage with others indicate that they are great leaders naturally.

Many people and cultures believe that leaders are born and not made. For instance, according to the relative age effect (RAE) theory in China, individuals born in October and November are more likely to take up leadership in various parties than those born in June and July (Li & Hu, 2022). In addition, such a theory holds that parents who are officials in parties will have a positive impact on their children in choosing their career paths, and their possibility to become leaders is relatively high. Effective leadership is pivotal to the success of any organisation. With the evolution of the leadership sector and its understanding, the contribution of organisational management and human capital must be addressed. Regarding management, there is a need to differentiate between management and leadership. Management Is different from leadership in terms of visions and strategies as it concentrates on monitoring and controlling the organisation’s performance (Benmira & Agboola, 2021). However, leadership and management coexist despite having distinct roles. The two aspects complement each other, and thus, it is hard to separate the two. Every organisation needs leadership to set its vision and goals to be achieved and management to monitor the activities, maintain order and help the company or institution to remain stable at all times.

In conclusion, the discussion on whether leaders are born or made continues, and every side has its argument to validate which belief is true. As the debate goes on, there are indeed leaders who possess leadership qualities naturally, and they are leading well in their sectors. There are also many leaders today who have never had an experience of leadership in their family or community but have been trained to become great leaders. Such leaders have gone past their challenges and gone the extra mile to develop their leadership skills and have thus reached where they are. Leaders can be born, but it does not mean that they do not need nurturing and training. The training is meant to enhance their leadership qualities and help them perform better in their areas of leadership.

Adams, R., Keloharju, M., & Knüpfer, S. (2018). Are CEOs born leaders? Lessons from traits of a million individuals. Journal of Financial Economics , 130 (2), 392-408.

Benmira, S., & Agboola, M. (2021). Evolution of leadership theory. BMJ Leader , leader-2020.

Hunt, T., & Fedynich, L. (2019). Leadership: Past, present, and future: An evolution of an idea. Journal of Arts and Humanities , 8 (2), 22-26.

Iszatt-White, M., & Saunders, C. (2017). Leadership . Oxford University Press.

Li, Y., & Hu, X. (2022). Born leaders: China’s municipal party secretaries. Applied Economics Letters , 29 (7), 626–629.

Penttilä, S. (2021). Leadership: Are Leaders Born or Made?

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Are Leaders Born or Made: Exploring Both Sides of the Argument

Table of contents, the nature argument: born leaders, the nurture argument: made leaders, the interaction between nature and nurture.

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Are Leaders Born Or Made?

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Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." But what is it about human nature that destines some people, like Napoleon, for glory? Is the ability to lead, achieve, and even change the world something that people are born with? Or, is becoming a successful leader something that is acquired over time?

New research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology sheds new light on this age-old question. Researchers at the University of Houston, the University of Illinois, and the University of Tübingen in Germany compared personality test results of 1,795 individuals who first completed a personality test in 1960 (at age 16), and then again in 2010 (at age 66).

The scientists examined 10 facets of personality, one of which was leadership. The thought was this: if leaders are, in fact, born , participants' personality test results at age 16 and 66 should be relatively consistent. However, if leaders are made , participants should, theoretically, exhibit a sizable increase in self-reported leadership over the 50-year time horizon.

To assess the personality dimension of leadership, participants were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the following statements: (1) "I am the leader in my group," (2) "I am influential," (3) "I have held a lot of elected offices," (4) "People naturally follow my lead," and (5) "I like to make decisions."

Here's what they found. A large majority of participants, 79% to be exact, showed no difference in self-reported leadership across the 50-year time horizon. In other words, almost 80% of people held the same opinion of themselves as a leader at age 16 that they did at age 66. 17% of individuals reported an increase in leadership while 4% reported a decrease.

These numbers may not mean much by themselves, but they speak volumes about the nature of leadership when compared to the other nine personality dimensions tested. It turns out that, of the 10 personality dimensions tested, the leadership dimension was most likely to remain consistent across the lifespan. For instance, the personality traits of social sensitivity, tidiness, self-confidence, and calmness all show less than 55% similitude when comparing participants' 1960 and 2010 results (and an average increase of 42%). In relation to other personality traits, leadership, it appears, is strikingly resilient to change across the lifespan.

Returning to the question of whether leaders are born or made, this study suggests that the "nativist" argument — that leaders are born, not made — is more likely to be the case. Of course, that's not to say that there aren't multiple paths to becoming a great leader. Perhaps Shakespeare came closest to the truth when he said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

Are Leaders Born or Made?

“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.” These immortal words come from Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi. In this quote, the belief that true leadership comes through experience, determination, and passion surfaces. Others will contend, however, that many leaders are born with leadership characteristics. These “natural-born leaders,” as they’re sometimes called, rise to the occasion because that’s just who they are.

What Does Science Say About It?

Leadership traits and how to develop them, 1. accepting responsibility, how to accept responsibility, 2. constant learning.

Some of the world’s most prominent business leaders have a reputation for wanting to learn all the time. Jan Koum , the co-founder and former CEO of WhatsApp, lived in extreme poverty in Ukraine before moving to the U.S. where he faced even more difficulties. However, his desire to learn never faded. After only two years in the United States, Koum taught himself computer programming. He even joined a hacking group so he could learn all about cybersecurity, scalability, and networking. All of this hands-on learning would eventually pay off, and today, Koum has a net worth of almost $10 billion.

How to Keep Learning

3. motivating to action, how to motivate others, 4. adapting to changes.

No matter the industry, change always happens. Effective leaders can adapt to those changes. They see change as an opportunity to grow and learn. They never take the more pessimistic route and think of change as bad. If anything, they view it all as a challenge to overcome and help other people see it that way, as well.

How to Adapt

5. showing empathy.

Most people tend to think of great leaders as excellent public speakers and outgoing personalities. While it’s true charisma plays a role in developing followers, that doesn’t mean only extroverts make great leaders. Introverts can be leaders too because much of leadership boils down to how much emotional intelligence a person has.

How to Show Empathy

Leadership demands work.

While some may still argue that natural-born leaders exist, effective leadership still requires work. This indicates that leadership development is something you must do to gain the skills needed for your position. Thinking that true leadership comes from those born with it means only a select few would technically be ready to lead. As Warren G. Bennis notes, “The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born—that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.”

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Nurturing Leadership: The Notion that "A Leader is Made, Not Born"

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Great Leaders Are Made, Not Born

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