The Origins Of A Leader...

“But what then am I? A thing that thinks. What is that?
A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, is willing,
is unwilling, and also imagines and has sensory perceptions.”
- Rene Descartes

We all have ideas on what makes a Leader. We even have heard
of timeless arguments such as whether leaders are born or made.
So now, we go into probing on the origins of a Leader.

First, let’s be reminded that we are talking about humans here,
so leaders if for this reason alone, are born. However, generally
life does not end at one’s birth otherwise, nobody would be a leader.
At this stage then, leaders although born with qualities such as
intelligence, is more of raised. Thus, if a child Is raised in a
supportive and constructive environment, a leader would be born.

Yet again, life does not stop here.

As people gets older and are exposed to different situations, his
decision-making skills are honed… and other traits like confidence,
determination, humility, compassion, resourcefulness, and
resiliency come into fore. These traits which are developed through
time and intensity become the foundation of a Leader.

What do we have now?

As we have observed, Leaders are then in a way both born and
made. As in, although IQ is an in-born quality, if you do not acquire
knowledge in some way and learn to apply it, intelligence becomes
a non-factor. This is like having a supercomputer, if you do not put
any data or command for it to operate with, it’s useless. Still even
if you have a slower chip, if you know how to upgrade and program
your computer for a purpose then it would meet the requirements.

See, Leadership, like any high calling, is a continuous process.
It does not end at being CEO. It only starts to get even more
challenging and exciting… because now, you are not only the
primary factor in your organization, but you also have a greater
chance to influence your industry as well.

“Mr. Mandela has walked a long road and now stands at the top
of the hill. A traveller would sit down and admire the view. But a
man of destiny knows that beyond this hill lies another and another.
The journey is never complete.” - F.W. de Klerk

Think about this… what actually puts one in a leadership position is
who he knows… and also being at the right place at the right time.
Many may say it’s their experience or their education, training or
whatever; yet, nobody can really say that he is the best qualified
candidate as there’s just so many to choose from with only the
slightest of differences from each other… if only based for what
they believe they are qualified for.

“There is a commodity in human experience.
If it’s happened to one person, it has happened
to thousands of others.” - Oprah Winfrey

And of course, this speaks for those recruiting as well. See, many
may have the technical tools to assist in their search for talents,
but ultimately they unknowingly end up with the second best at
most.

Why?

Many are still traditional in their thinking, so the tools they develop
are traditional in effectiveness as well. They fail to look at the big
picture. All they see is experience which is actually just repetition
gained from exposure by the opportunity given to the individual.
They failed to understand the non-traditional means of Leadership
experience. They failed to realize one’s learning ability and how
one has evolved as an individual, as a Leader.

They simply overlooked the origins of a Leader.

Keep in mind, therefore, that the qualifications required in a Leader
are determined to a large extent by the demands of the situation in
which he is to function as a Leader. Everything can be learned,
hence, the determining factor is really one’s character more than
anything else.

“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” - Jeremiah 12:5

When you are brave enough to take that leap... to meet unpleasant
situations… to see beyond the surface… to adapt quickly to change…
to understand what makes the clock tick…to stand firm with goals
and right principles… to just keep going… this is when you are ready
to take on greater responsibilities.

“The one word that makes a good manager – decisiveness.” - Lee Iacocca

Remember… “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings;
he will not serve before obscure men.” - Proverbs 22:29