Leadership at Work Do You

Leadership at Work

Do you believe that the greatest leaders are made, not born?

Over the decades, there has been the constant debate about, if the greatest leaders are made not born. Where, those individuals who had to endure life's challenges and work their way to the top are: the most likely to be the best leaders. This is because they learned at an early age, the various techniques to be able to adapt to their environment. As they were forced to deal with the different challenges that life would throw their way. This would form a core set of values that would help these people to see the world in a different light. Where, they no longer would settle for what others "believe" is possible. Instead, these people will often look at the situation and find a way to motivate themselves, along with those around them. Once this takes place, is when they have the ability to transform their lives and everyone who is following them. As what was once impossible, now is easily within their grasps, thanks in part to the vision and inspiration of this person.

Yet, when you look beyond this generality, it is clear that all leaders will have a moment of clarity in their lives. This is when a situation or event occurs, that will force the individual to begin to have clarity. Where, they will see the world in a different way that will define: who they are in the future and what they will become. For example, "Geezer" Sidney Rittenberg spent 16 years in Chinese prison, as a spy. During his time in solitary confinement, he would have a moment of clarity that would redefine his life. As he refused to accept the miserable conditions that he endured and vowed to change them (along with himself) for the better. Once he emerged from prison, he was not going to let anyone or anything stand in the way of him meeting his objectives. Where, he would start a consulting firm that would create and augment the way American businesses would interact with the Chinese. As his firm played a part, in helping to build the Chinese trading relationship, with the U.S. And the rest of the world. ("Leaders are Made Not Born," 2003) This is important, because it shows how great leaders are made, based upon the experiences that they have, as they shape who they will become in the future.

At the same time, the best leaders learn from their mistakes and never give up on their dreams. As Collin Powell once said, "Effective leaders are made, not born (they) learn from trial, error, and from experience. When something fails, a true leader learns from the experience and puts it behind him. You don't get reruns in life. Don't worry about what happened in the past." ("Great Leaders are Made," 2005) This is important, because too often the various adversities can become so extreme, that they could overwhelm most individuals. The key, is to learn from the different mistakes that you made in the past and do not dwell on them in the future. Instead, you must move forward, to achieve your goals. A good example of this can be seen with the actor and director Michael Landon. Before he became the confident man that was often seen on the television show Little House on the Prairie. He was a skinny, awkward youth that was from a broken household. Where, his parents would fight consistently and Michael's mother was known for being possessive as well emotionally unstable. When he would try to hang out with friends, she would follow him and jump out of her car, beating him with a hanger. In the tenth grade everything would change, as Michael began to discover that he was a talented javelin thrower. This would give him a sense of purpose to go beyond, his current issues and see what he truly could become. Over the next two years, Landon would focus on becoming one of the best javelin throwers in the country. This would catch the attention of the scouts, at the University of Southern California, who recruited him. In his freshman year, everything was different, as he no longer fit in and was seen as an outsider. Physically he was unpopular because of his long hair. During the 1950's (when he was at USC), this was considered to be uncouth, as several members on the team would hold Landon down and shave his head. After the event, he tried to move forward, but was constantly harassed and then he became injured. The situation became so difficult, that Landon was forced to drop our school. To support himself, he would work unloading freight at factory. One day at work, he was spotted by a Hollywood talent agent, who asked him to try out for the part of Little Jo Cartwright (on a new television show called Bonanza). Once he received the part, his life as an actor and director would take shape from there. (Robbins, 1991, pp. 2854-285) What this shows, is that great leaders learn from their experiences to help push them forward. As the different failures and setbacks, hold the seeds for future successes. The life of Michael Landon is an excellent example of learning from the past and never losing faith, no matter what happens.