It turns out that both camps are right. Researchers have found
that leaders come by their talents partly through genetics but mostly
through hard work and persistence. In fact, one study from The
Leadership Quarterly1 on heritability (that is, the innate skills you
bring to the table) and human development (what you learn along the
way) estimated that leadership is 24 percent genetic and 76 percent
learned.
Great Man theory and Trait theories believe that people inherit
certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership.
At birth, we are all born with genetic baggage, for a select few
the genetic predispositions for the leadership qualities are more
favourable toward leadership qualities. For the majority, these genetic
predispositions are not as prominent within their genetic baggage, but
nonetheless, these qualities are there. Perhaps, for the others that
don't have any predisposition being a leader will never be part of their
being!
After we are born for the first few years of our lives we are in constant
interaction with others, some to which we attach real and sustained
admiration and others where this admiration is punctual. From those
interactions we refine our values and our natural behaviours are
reinforced positively, which would increase the frequency of the
behaviours or negatively which would diminish the
frequency of the behaviours. I'm sure that we can appreciate that
these interactions and the possibilities of their outcomes are so
complex that this topic would require it own book. But for the purpose
of this article we will let your objective imagination run wild and juggle
with the different scenarios.