Rich Kid's Campus|A Community for High School and College Entrepreneurs

This question may withstand the test of time. Then again, maybe not. With the way technology is advancing and humans are evolving this issue may be addressed sooner rather than later. One thing that we do know is what some of the top characteristics are of the greatest leaders we have seen. Integrity, dedication, hard work, trust, charisma, and the ability to effectively communicate their vision while also inspiring people, are just a handful of those characteristics. So, are these characteristics learned or are we born with them?

There are pretty good arguments for each perspective. There is a theory in consumer behavior that people’s memories can be unlocked using a “key”. That key can be a taste, smell, picture, video, etc. Anything that makes you think about the memory that you have “forgotten”. Have you ever heard a song on the radio and it made you think of someone that was once in your life? Well, that’s a “key”.

With this knowledge, is it possible that people are born with certain characteristics and traits but they are not actually “unlocked” or utilized until they get some training, knowledge and experience?

Let it be known that the U.S. Government spends massive amounts of money training leaders. Schools and Colleges also offer leadership courses that focus on making you a leader, or at least teaching you how to be one. For instance, Cornell has a leadership initiative program for students that is a huge success.

So, what can a leadership program teach you?

Many teach that you are actually born with the potential to lead. However, bringing out those leadership quality’s requires effort, and experience is needed in order for you to develop your leadership skills. Just as important, is figuring out what type of a leader you are. These types of programs often give you the confidence you need to engage with your peers at a high level and even surpass them.

Usually these types of programs focus on case study’s. They go through loads and loads of case study’s that focus on facing and figuring out tough business challenge’s, learning to embrace change, learning to build teams and get the most out of your team and most importantly learning how to lead under pressure. These case study’s are real world experiences. They are designed to assess your leadership style and help you improve on them.

Are you the type of person that likes to always do things yourself? In general, I am. However, I know how to identify what my peers can and cannot do. Most importantly I know how to get the most out of them through delegation and collaboration. You really do need a diverse team around you who’s styles complement your own, or you and your team will not reach it’s full potential.