Leadership is a Choice, not a Skill or Trait
I was recently asked if I believe some people are born to be leaders and the easy answer is no, and…
We should first unpack how we define leadership. If we think of leaders as charismatic, visionary, bold, decisive, [insert any other adjectives here], then sure, some people are born with some of those characteristics. Does that instantly equate to leadership? No. If we’re intertwining certain traits with leadership, then we’ve narrowed the definition down in a way that favors some and not others.
We should be cautious of ascribing certain characteristics to leadership because that exercise undoubtedly leaves other characteristics out. If you happen not to be charismatic, visionary, bold, decisive, [insert any other adjectives here], then the world runs the risk of counting you out when, in fact, you probably just lead differently and, very likely, in a way that is needed.
We should believe wholeheartedly that leadership can be learned. That anyone can be a leader and that it is not something that is assigned to you merely for the traits you’ve been born with.
We can learn to lead by uncovering aspects about ourselves and our own unique capacities and contributions we can offer the world, and then taking action.
We can learn to lead by staying attuned to those same aspects in others, supporting them to also bring out their unique capacities and contributions.
We can learn to lead by understanding the connections created across systemic relationships (e.g. in teams and organizations, in communities and society) and how one part impacts the whole.
We can learn to lead by consistently being committed to envisioning the world we want to experience and doing our part, in the smallest of ways, to live into that vision.
While leadership can be learned, that shouldn’t be confused with leadership being purely skill-based. There are surely skills we can all learn to be more effective as leaders, and we cover a lot of them in the Untapped Leaders Community, but leadership sits within the choice you make to lead with your true self toward a purpose that is likely bigger than you or your job.
A recent Untapped Leadership newsletter asked:
Do you identify as a leader? If so, what has informed your identity as a leader? If not, what is missing for you? What do you feel you need to experience, earn, or do before identifying as a leader?
As you’ve learned about leadership, how has your definition been informed by what you’ve read, seen in the media, or experienced in the workplace? What aspects of that definition resonate? What doesn’t?
As this Harvard Business Review article, Are You Afraid to Identify as a Leader? highlights, "Establishing a culture that celebrates leadership and makes it truly accessible, regardless of gender, race, age, or other identity, can help everyone feel more comfortable seeing themselves as — and acting as — a leader."
Our definitions of “leader” and “leadership” need to be more accessible. We have to move away from any notions of pre-set trait or skill requirements because that creates a distance between what we believe we’re capable of and what we are actually capable of. We sometimes don’t see ourselves as leaders because we don’t hold certain characteristics, we don’t yet have a certain title, we don’t yet manage a team, we don’t yet [fill in the blanks].
It undercuts the reality that leadership is a choice and we can choose to lead in our unique way from wherever we are in whatever moment we have towards. It also exposes the reality that even with big titles, big teams, and certain qualities that are interpreted as leadership, some don’t actually make the choice to truly lead.
What is your leadership choice for today?
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