Page 238 - The extraordinary leader

What Individuals Do to Become Great Leaders • 215

their careers turn out to be strong leaders. That could be said of both
Abraham Lincoln and Harry S. Truman.
It is also clear that with such wide variation in organization cultures, if the
right match is created, many more people could succeed in leadership. The
“dot-com” craze enabled many to succeed temporarily who would never have
succeeded in traditional organizations.
In longitudinal studies of leadership, more than a third of the college grad-
uates who were predicted not to move into higher ranks of the firm actually
did so, thus proving that hard work, perseverance, and tenacity (and possibly
luck) enabled these people to succeed.

Our Conclusion on This Debate
We share the conclusion with others that the right answer is between these
two extremes. James Kouzes and Barry Posner wrote, “We would be intellec-
tually dishonest if we did not say that some individuals clearly have a higher
probability of succeeding at leadership than others. But this does not mean
that ordinary managers cannot become extraordinary leaders.” 2
“A good executive is born when someone with some natural endowments
(intelligence, vigor, and some capacity for interacting with his fellow men)
by dint of practice, learning, and experience, develops that endowment into
a mature skill.” 3
Our view mirrors those above. There is no question that some people come
into the world endowed with self-confidence and a keen intellect. That is
clearly an advantage. But of that group, only a small number move on to
remarkable achievements as leaders. The difference appears to be hard work,
thoughtful and tenacious effort, zeal for learning, and a willingness to extend
beyond one’s normal comfort zone.
So a great deal of what we see great leaders doing is a result of personal
effort. If you subscribe to the belief that leadership is not a person, but a series
of behaviors that are displayed by a great many in an organization, then it
becomes easy to argue that everyone can get better at leadership. So our
slightly compromising statements on this subject are

● Some people start with clear advantages; but
● Nearly all people are made better leaders from specific developmental
activities.
● Leaders are a lot more “made” than they are “born.”