Dive Brief:
- Natural leaders are not born, says Bruce Tulgan for Training Magazine. And while leaders make good managers, the idea that some people are naturally good at leadership may be a myth.
- While he agrees that some people are born visionaries, anyone can become a leader. Tulgan explains that the reality of leadership is that people can learn proven techniques for management until they are perfected. The more practice that takes place, the more leadership becomes habit.
- Understanding how to manage others comes down to embracing leadership skills, providing guidance to others, holding others accountable and developing employees to help them each find success. These traits can be trained.
Dive Insight:
Leadership is not for the faint of heart. It takes hard work and patience, which may be where the myth of the natural born leader may originate. Companies that invest in management training programs do so because they understand that this is the key to building strong teams. The best leaders build others up and see the value in employees, matching their skills and abilities to the right projects.
The idea that anyone can become a leader with some effort and learning may be directly correlated to the growing talent gaps in a variety of industries that aren't seeing enough employees move to leadership level. Investment in leadership training is increasing, but it needs to remain open to employees of all backgrounds to remain truly effective.
