Leaders Are Not Born, They Are Developed

One of my favorite quotes is from a famous American football coach, Vince Lombardi. He lived between 1913 and 1970 and produced many great quotes that are now classics. Most of them are related to Teamwork.

The quote I am talking about is one really famous. You can see it all over the Internet, and it has become a motto for many online professionals. The quote is: “Leaders are not born, they are developed”.

If you think about it for a while, you might disagree. We have all seen those charismatic persons that everyone likes and people follows like sheep. But is that equal to a great leader? Well, in my opinion it is not. It of course has to do with our own definition of a leader, and in my definition a leader is a person that can inspire others to become a better person. My leader also has the skill to teach the skills he or she masters to help others reach a new level of living no matter what area we are thinking about. Remember that Mr Lombardi was a football coach, but the definition can be applied in most business areas as well. But what about the charismatic hero we thought of earlier? Isn’t that a borne leader? Well, as we can agree, it is easy to follow a person like that, but in many cases you will find that his or hers talent is limited to just being that charismatic person because it did not take much effort to get there for them.

So what is my point? It is really the fact that anyone can become a recognized leader no matter your background. Leaders are developed! It has to do with learning from those already successful, and pick up every new skill and develop your own methods and techniques and from that platform teach and develop others to become as successful. You have to earn your leadership and be humble to your audience to become a lifetime leader. And remember; leaders are not born, they are developed! What level are you at?