For a long time, many people believed that leaders are born, and even presently, the debate has not come to a conclusion. For instance, the Great Man Theory, which was very popular in the 1840s, suggested that leadership qualities are intrinsic, reinforcing the idea that leaders are born (Di Giulio, 2014). In line with this theory, the interpretation is that some individuals automatically possess qualities such as moral vision, deep honesty, as well as compassion and care. However, most organizations presently are investing a lot of time and money to train leaders, demonstrating that leaders are made rather than born.
The assertion that leaders are born has been made inaccurately by analyzing past leaders and rulers. In the most recent times, some of the leaders that have been referenced include Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. However, these leaders represented different societies, and for instance, it would have been difficult for Nelson Mandela to be accepted by Mahatma Gandhi’s society and vice-versa. That implies that a leader needs to grow in a particular society and learn about the needs and interests of the people before they are accepted (Boerma et al., 2017). Therefore, in a significant way, the society prepares them.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Presently, most leaders are trained. For example, people have to go to school, enroll in leadership courses, or even get more training at their places of work. In the past, rulers inherited leadership positions. A king would mold his son to take over after him, and part of the training mostly involved enlisting the son into the army to fight in battles. A practical example was Alexander the Great, who was taught by Aristotle and is documented as one of the great conquerors. Therefore, looking at all factors, it is more likely that leaders are made than born.
References
Boerma, M., Coyle, E. A., Dietrich, M. A., Dintzner, M. R., Drayton, S. J., Early, J. L., ... & Rager, M. L. (2017). Point/counterpoint: Are outstanding leaders born or made?. American journal of pharmaceutical education , 81 (3), 58.
Di Giulio. (2014). Are leaders born or made? https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270684591_Are_leaders_born_or_made
