This has always been the $64.00 question. Is a leader born or developed? I have been asked countless times this question and I don’t feel with absolute certainty than anyone is emphatically qualified to answer beyond a shadow of a doubt. I will offer my thoughts and opinion on the topic though.
I have been an entrepreneur my entire adult life. I have not received a paycheck for almost 4 decades. If I did not go out and drag something home, we did not eat.
I personally think it takes leadership to do that. If I sat in the wings and waited, I may have starved. Has it been easy? Absolutely not.
I ask myself what gave me the courage to go against all odds as an 18-year-old businessman to step into a leadership row?
A couple defining moments for me were the following: I watched my dad work really hard manually in the field of construction and I learned pretty quickly what I didn’t want to do. The second inspiration for me as a leader was a little saying my mom always instilled in me “Can’t Couldn’t Do It And Could Did It All”.
“Can’t Couldn’t Do It
And Could Did It All”
We were not allowed to say “can’t” at my house as a child. We ultimately may not have been able to do the task, but it was not going to be for the lack of effort.
I without question believed this instilled a great amount of self-esteem into me. Is this a quality of a leader, I think so? I’m pretty confident that parents have more of an impact on the personality and esteem of their children than they realize. It’s somewhat of a warning shot to me as I’m around my 4 grandchildren.
I missed the boat a little with my children in some areas simply because I was unaware, not because I did not care. Leadership in my honest opinion is a mixture of genetics and education.
I feel that the fundamental understanding of leadership are:
1. It's something that starts at birth.
2. It’s demonstrated to us by our parents, peers and our surroundings.
3. It's not taught as much as it’s caught.
4. I do think we hone our skills as we go and perfect certain leadership skills.
There is no question about it that I’m a much better leader today than I was even ten years ago. You watch what works, you grow in maturity and wisdom and you just simply know what to repeat. What about you? Did you miss the early instruction of your parents or peers?
Well, all I can say is if I were you I would not give up on leadership, I would just have to work a little harder. With intentional focus there is nothing we can’t accomplish. If you really want to be a leader, it’s possible. I have dozens of leadership books I can suggest.
I even have them listed in a document that I would love to send to you if you just ask. Email me at aaron@viewfromthetop.com and I will shoot it straight to you.
Remember: “Can’t Couldn’t Do It And Could Did It All”.
