What is leadership? LO22291

Eugene Taurman (ilx@execpc.com)
Tue, 20 Jul 1999 10:25:37 -0500

Replying to LO22272 --

>>Whoa!! Let's unpack that, soldier (reference to your .mil domain). Are
>>you actually saying that there are people for whom leadership is not
>>possible? Could you describe the characteristics of such people? This
>>might be one of the more interesting answers to what leadership is if you
>>do.

Are engineers made or born? Are chemists, actors, or artists made or born?
Aren't they a blend of native abilities and training? They had an aptitude
and some skills and they learned the trade.

Anyone can be better than they used to be at these skills than they were
if they learn the methods and processes that are used but not everyone can
be really good at it. Isn't leading the same issue only simpler. Anyone
can be taught the methods and processes required to lead a meeting or a
department or a country. Some will be better because they want to, some
because they are natural, some because they must but all who want to can
learn to be better.

et

At 11:11 AM 7/19/99 -0400, you wrote:

>My assumption: learning organizations are able to gather information from
>the good and not so good about life and ideas about life. Or words to that
>effect.
>
>There has been for sometime debates over questions like: "Are leaders born
>or made?" Following that type discussion, regardless of a personal
>opinion, can lead to an interesting perspective. Some people, without
>overt intervention, seem to exhibit traits of leadership (course you see
>what you understand in observations). These people may or may not go on to
>be leaders. There are some that don't seem to have a clue about leadership
>and yet later in life they "come out of their shell" and bingo, a leader.
>There are some that have been provided all kinds of opportunity to lead,
>have been given the training to lead, have been given the technical skills
>to perform the tasks the followers must perform, etc. And yet, they can
>not lead themselves out of the old "wet paper bag." I read in earlier
>messages, to include the one that begged me to respond with "Not anyone
>can be a leader," a set of assumptions that leadership is a technical
>demonstration of skills, knowledge and ability. Yes, there are some that
>will not ever be leaders. They will be the consummate follower in life,
>vocation, or hobby. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, I don't
>think. It is mostly a matter of choice, which gets to a key
>characteristics of a leader: the willingness to lead.

Eugene Taurman
interLinx Consulting
414-242-3345 e-mail ilx@execpc.com
fax 781-459-825
http://www.execpc.com/~ilx

IF YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE NOT PULLING TOGETHER

FOR GOD'S SAKE DON'T MOTIVATE THEM.

-- 

Eugene Taurman <ilx@execpc.com>

Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>