I have come across an interesting , in-depth article on Leadership.
It was very analytical.
However it made me think whether leadership is a quality that can be improved upon or inculcated by training.
I have posted my views on this and am reproducing this along with the original article.
‘Excellently written.
Don’t you think that all the great Leaders seem to have become one by an inner Drive and the peculiar circumstances they were placed in or they encountered?
It seems that they do not seem to have followed deliberately any specific rule to become a Leader.
They reacted or in many a case/ have been pro active to be a cause for change.
I am yet to come across a Leader who had become one by following text-book analysis and Tips as in the case of Actors and Musicians of repute who have been to courses/workshops,training academies.
I agree with you in that Leadership is an Art.
Leadership is a quality you are born with.
Story:
If asked what the most popular program request is at XLC, I would say it is developing leadership skills . . . hands down. I think this stands to reason.
Most of us who have worked in management recognize that knowing how to do something and teaching those skills are two completely separate things. The execution side is MUCH harder to teach since the number of variables we must contend with is astronomical. Most of us conclude that if we all had better influencing and leadership instincts, we might be better able to navigate these complexities.
While some may disagree with me, developing leadership skills is more art than science, and we hope we can equip people with some new ways of thinking that may increase the likelihood “that good things will happen.”
So what does it take to make leadership development work?
Two Types of Organizational Views
The organizations we work with seem to fall into one of two camps. One sees leadership development as an event . . . a seminar, 360 survey, workshop, retreat, or even a multi-session leadership program provided by someone like XLC. While all of these events have some value – it seems unrealistic to think that something like a 360, Strengths workshop, or Myers Briggs session alone will be transformative, any more than a blood pressure or cholesterol test are.
All of these programs are just a beginning. They may open a door for someone, assuming they occur at precisely the right time when the participant is actively seeking new solutions or directions in their leadership journey. But in the end, they are simply a catalyst–not the full experience.
The other camp tends to have a longer term focus, seeing instead leadership development as a continual process. The YouTube clip below is a tongue-in-cheek (and hilarious) illustration.
Related articles
- The Single Best Way To Develop Leadership Skills (fastcompany.com)
- What is Leadership Development? (milliondollarbuzz.wordpress.com)
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