Leaders are Made, not Born PDF Print E-mail




Jim Clemmer

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"You think me the child of circumstances; I make my circumstances." — Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century American philosopher, essayist, and poet

Imagine picking up your newspaper and finding these announcements in the "Births" section:

BIRTHS

Mr. and Mrs. Blue Collar proudly announce the birth of Jack, a construction foreman. At 13 lbs., 12 oz., he arrived with a bellowing cry and tattoos, and whistling rudely at the nurses.

Wilma and Sam Klutz are sad to announce the arrival of an underachiever. Mia Klutz came complete with slumped shoulders, listless eyes and a whiny cry. Birth was by caesarian section.

Mr. and Mrs. Weir Skilled happily announce the birth of their daughter Heidi, a highly effective leader. Heidi Skilled arrived full of confidence and energy. Her vibrant vision and well-grounded values inspired and energized everyone in the delivery room. She immediately put her natural leadership skills into action by pulling the team together to map out processes for ongoing personal, group, and organization improvements.

Tomorrow the maternity pool has bets on the arrival of a genetic scientist, a space station entrepreneur, an intergalactic pilot, a break-and-enter artist, and a Secretary for Tax Complication and Deficit Financing.

These "births" are clearly ridiculous fiction. You'll never see anything like them in your newspaper. Yet they reflect an equally ridiculous view a lot of people have about leadership development. Many people believe that they just weren't born leaders (speakers, writers, negotiators, strategists, facilitators, etc.) and there's not much they can do about it. They feel that the leadership skills, attributions, and characteristics they now have are pretty much what they're stuck (or blessed) with.

If I am not working hard to continually improve my leadership skills because I wasn’t "born with natural talent" then I am either copping out, misinformed, or both. I am unknowingly or knowingly choosing to be a "reasonable" thermometer manager that follows the crowd rather than an "unreasonable" thermostat leader blazing my own trail. I have decided to let my luck run amuck (in the words of that noxious song, "whatever will be will be"). I am choosing not to control my own destiny, so somebody else probably will.

I have decided not to immunize myself against the deadly Victimitis Virus. I am choosing to raise my levels of pessimism and helplessness. And I have decided to leave my team or organization's improvement levels as low as my personal improvement standards are. As Zig Ziglar, the personal effectiveness speaker and author who had an impact on me early in my career, puts it, "All of life is a series of choices, and what you choose to give life today will determine what life will give you tomorrow."

While my fictional "birth announcements" were ridiculous and far fetched, here's a fictional "death notice" of a manager who succumbed to the Victimitis Virus that could be closer to the truth:

He died a penniless man. His bankrupt business he blamed on high taxes, low tariff protection, a non-supportive wife, unfair competition, militant unions, lazy dishonest workers, a weak economy, unlucky timing, high interest rates, conservative bankers, bureaucratic regulators, weak managers, poor consulting advice, and general bad luck. He died of malnutrition buying lottery tickets, four leaf clovers, and rabbit's feet.


 

Jim Clemmer’s practical leadership books, keynote presentations, workshops, and team retreats have helped hundreds of thousands of people worldwide improve personal, team, and organizational leadership. Visit his web site, http://jimclemmer.com/, for a huge selection of free practical resources including nearly 300 articles, dozens of video clips,  team assessments, leadership newsletter, Improvement Points service, and popular leadership blog. Jim's five international bestselling books include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders, Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, and The Leader's Digest. His latest book is Moose on the Table: A Novel Approach to Communications @ Work.
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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."
 

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  • "... writes persuasively about the need for better balance in our lives...urges readers to consider their legacy...offering the chance to relax, reflect and regroup...interweaves anecdotes, quotes, fictional stories and his own musings in a leisurely style..."

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  • Simultaneously practical and inspirational, Jim Clemmer takes a refreshing approach to leadership and personal growth. Growing the Distance is full of wisdom, anecdotes and pithy advice in an informal, easy-to-read digest format. Great reading for all walks of life."

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