Are leaders born or made?

Wow!Star Wars.It takes me back to when I was a kid, I was a big fan before it blew up.

Are leaders born or made?What does the word leader mean? Today, the word leader is often used in a way that is often synonymous for management or responsbility.

In this case, then, you can become, so to speak, managers, but if we use the word leader in the sense of a genuine interest in people to guide them, support them, and help them develop any kind of project, I don't think that's something you can really learn.

In short, measures can be put in place, you can improve, but in fact we rely on personal values and attitudes that,in my opinion, they cannot be learned; they can arise during one's lifetime.

But in fact, a leader is not a professional; a leader is ...

A leader in every area, you know, in their life.Whether that's playing soccer, or organizing a group trip to the mountains you see their leadership skills, regardless of the context,the relationship, or the goals.

And then, of course, you can build on that. Similarly, those who are not leaders you don't see it in these situations, even if they don't have the title.

So, let's say, yes, it's a mix. A lot of things can be learned, but it's the fundamentals of leadership, like attentiveness, listening, respect,honesty, and responsibility must be part of who you are as a person.

Otherwise, I don't know how you can learn to be honest, how you can can learn to be authentic.

I don't think that's possible.You get to a certain point. In difficult moments, that's where the difference lies.

When everything is going well, you can be as authentic as you want.

When you have information that could seriously impact someone else's life,another person, or your team or company, what do you do with this information?

And there you discover what it means to be authentic in times of difficulty and not when everything is calm and easy.

In Italy, in particular, we tend to consider a good performer suitable for managerial positions and then,moving up the ladder, for a leadership position.

But that doesn't predict anything.I can be... Let's take the simple example of sports.

For example,I can be the best player on a soccer team, from a technical point of view because I score more goals, but I may not be captain, because I'm not a role model.

I'm not the one who spits blood during training, nor the one who my teammates look to in tough times.

Even if I score, I'm a good professional, but still that doesn't predict anything about what I can be in terms of supporting or leading people.

Unfortunately, that's also the reality within companies.

Obviously, results matter and there is a focus to retain those who deliver results. The main mistake often comes from bending organizational needs to meet this goal of retention.

So basically you take a top performer and say, "You know what, I can't pay a thousand million euros for them to stay in that role, but I can help them advance their career, so I can justify the pay raise." And maybe it won't work.

And maybe the person who sells less or produces less has more of a leadership mindset, because technical skill doesn't predict anything about your managerial or leadership skills that you can have.

However, first and foremost, those skills that are part of managerial competence aren't measured within the company. So the result may or may not reflect the presence of these skills,and it also depends on the context.

So, the only form of measurement becomes performance.

And at this point, good performers have better opportunities.

However, I don't think it's good for these good performers either.

To go in a direction that is not in their nature.It is certainly not good for organizations, and if we choose this path, we should at least be aware of how much support we need to give these people and not assume that they have a switch that says,"I've sold a lot so I'm a leader. I've sold a lot so I'm a manager." Because in my experience, it is not predictive at all. It creates a a mindset where you think you're number one, and that doesn't help someone become a leader.