Is leadership more about skills or about attributes?

The debates on whether leaders are born or made and nature vs. nurture have raged on for decades. Today's technological and scientific advances have offered new insights into the way we look at ourselves as human beings, our genetic makeup as well as our brain capacity. Leadership ability and whether it can be learned or whether it is simply just a gift bestowed upon a few very extraordinary people, will continue to be a very interesting and important topic of discussion for years to come.

This essay argues that leadership is certainly more about skills than about attributes. It first seeks to define leadership and illustrate why particular attributes and skills, both necessary in leadership, should be looked at as multi-layered pieces in the leadership puzzle. The second section of the essay illustrates the reasons for the main argument through personal opinion and anecdotes. The third section discusses leadership skills and their relation to the environment in which the leader operates, the importance of personal and situational analysis and circumstances under which the leader can thrive, all due to the mastery of skills.

The Layers of Leadership

There are a multitude of definitions for the term leadership just as there are a multitude of skills and attributes that contribute to what makes a great leader so significant and adored. Kouzes and Posner (2012),in almost poetic form, asserts that "the most significant contribution leaders make is not simply to today's bottom line; it is to the long-term development of people and institutions so they can adapt, change, prosper and grow." A pragmatic definition of leadership that seems to give a simple but satisfactory view on the subject comes from Forbes contributor Kevin Kruse who states that "leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal."

Leadership at its core, in this case, is about people and achievement and with this philosophy must come an array of natural characteristics and more importantly learned abilities in order to fully embrace all that is meant by the word. Human beings are not one-dimensional but rather a collection of several thoughts and emotions. My personal definition of a great leader is 'someone who can bundle up the hopes, dreams, insecurities, fears and ambitions of his or her people and transform them into inspiration, movement, tangible results; victory.'

Becoming a leader involves a multi-dimensional approach. One must have the attributes that are believed to be inherent to the person himself, what we will call in this essay as the foundational layer, as well as the right amount of skills necessary to lead effectively; the subsequent but fundamental layer. These two layers make up a leader in my opinion. This view admittedly is too simplistic to become it's own philosophy or theory however an

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excellent reference would be Scouller's 'Three Levels of Leadership Model' that discusses the technicalities and psychology of being a leader in three layers; 'Personal' where both the natural attributes and skills reside,' the 'Private' level concerned with the handling of other individuals on an one-to-one basis and the 'Public' level regarding the creation of a vision for a larger group or organization. For the purpose of this essay nonetheless the two basic dimensions of a leader will be used and referred to. Although the argument is that leadership is more about skills than attributes, this concept also posits that the two are equally necessary, with the fundamental layer having a greater role to play in successful leadership than the other, as opposed to looking at the two as one having dominance over the other.

What makes a valuable leader? Some key qualities repeatedly credited to great leaders include honesty, integrity, confidence, inspiration, forward-looking, empathy and optimism. Leaders who embody these attributes are most likely to be successful in their careers and personal lives and are also respected by persons around them according to the various literature on the subject. Some of these traits are however more difficult to acquire and so the list above is limited in its scope for contributing to great leadership presence; a concept now viewed as an integral component in the Integrated Physiological theory.

In other more contemporary theories it is agreed that natural characteristics are simply not enough to mobilize masses of people, achieve innovation and inspire change. If leadership is more about skills than those attributes, what are those indispensable proficiencies that make the other dimension; the fundamental layer of a great leader? Good leadership comprises of the ability to constantly motivate others, strategic planning, change management, effective problem solving, excellent communication skills, people development and now self-mastery.

These competencies take time, an increasing effort and devotion to be fully understood, developed and successfully implemented. They are what activate the leader to achieve the change and results necessary whether it involves the successful implementation of a new public policy or the reorganization of a private company. These skills found at the second layer of the leader, are the columns that provide added stability to the structure, and a greater sense of accomplishment.

The development of these skills, and in particular self-mastery, involves a level of dedication not easily accomplished by most aspiring leaders and perhaps this is why the debate on leadership continues on. Each theory builds upon the next in the hopes of becoming closer to fully grasping this phenomenon. What is certain however is that in current times the mission to become a great leader has been made almost effortless through books, videos, seminars and workshops. I can personally attest to the formulas presented by many authors and the successes of those formulas in my own personal journey to leadership. Only recently however has the realization dawn on me that only the surface has been scraped in regards to my knowledge of leadership. The possibilities of subject are itself limitless.

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A Personal Journey

Leadership, the necessary skills and attributes to become a leader, layers and theories, can not be discussed in this essay, in any further detail, without an illustration of my own personal leadership development and experience. It has been many years since I embarked on my own journey to becoming a leader and the lessons I have learned and continue to learn are essential to the argument presented in this essay.

I do believe I was born with many of the characteristics mentioned, maintained to be essential in good leadership. I have always been overly optimistic and imaginative. Some of my most esteemed values include honesty, integrity, honor and humility. In general most people like me after getting to know me. My foundational layer then seems to have always been in place. What was certain to me, at the beginning of my journey, was that that essential set of leadership skills was lacking and the process to attain them would be a long and arduous one.

"We have today, at best, only faint clues of what the future may hold, but we are confident that without leadership the possibilities will neither be envisioned nor attained." (Kouzes and Posner 2011)

It was either the summer or fall of 2007 when I wrote my own personal strategic plan, deciding firmly that by the time I completed my Bachelor's degree I would be en route to becoming a great leader. All I had to do was work on obtaining those skills. A few I already had a decent grip on.

Up until my third year in college I was extremely shy with a massive fear of public speaking. I barely took initiative as it pertained to project management or group assignments and I seemed to be unaware of my own strengths and weaknesses. I did however yearn to become someone of value, one who could make a difference in the world; a leader. This is when I discovered a number of paths to leadership and I began working on my self-development.

Malcolm Gladwell in his is 2008 bestseller 'Outliers' popularized the '10,000 hour rule' which claims that any success is achievable once deliberate practice is fulfilled for at least 10, 000 hours of time. I have not logged that number of hours as yet I do not believe but I engaged in leadership research and development every day since starting my journey.

Looking at myself in layers, the foundational seemed intact and sufficient but nothing is ever what it seems. Although some of the core attributes were present in myself my emotional intelligence needed attention as well. Learning then is all-encompassing and a good leader knows that even when the abilities are well developed, mastery is the final stage.

My leadership competencies needed to be developed rapidly as graduation came about and so the first step in my strategic plan involved eliminating my fear of public speaking by

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joining the university's debate team. It opened up an entire new world of communication, argumentative reasoning and knowledge. It also helped me to realize my passion for politics and a yearning to go into the public sector after graduation. In particular I stayed abreast with Caribbean and Latin American politics and public policies allowing my focus on marketing, which was my major, to shift to government and political science. I also became obsessed with leaders like JFK and Malcolm X. What could I learn from these almost mythical and legendary men, who impacted not only their countries but others? What historical lessons could mean something for my own personal leadership development? I downloaded audio books by Brian Tracy and John Maxwell on time management and coaching, change management and in particular leadership for women. These books taught me yes, up to an extent, about honesty, integrity and empathy however what I was educated in involved the steps to creating a collective vision, challenging the status quo, becoming a vessel for change, thinking strategically and critically before acting and embracing who I was in order to lead successfully.

Over the last seven years I have engulfed myself with leadership training and development and have excelled in my career for it. My learning curves have allowed me to become a candidate for Department Head, a new goal in my current career plan, nevertheless I am certain that as I develop so will, not only my leadership skills, but the quality of my character. This I expect then to help me to become a candidate for Prime Minister in the future.

One thing is certain, that the expertise and personality traits necessary to becoming a great leader will evolve and change as time goes on. I understand also now that I will have to tailor my development to my goals and environment and this concept reiterates the importance of the skills of a leader, above all other elements.

Leadership, Skills and the Environment

Because of the expansive nature of leadership, it is imperative to understand the type of leader one needs to become in order to thrive in a particular environment. For theories like Situational and Functional, where the leader must and has the ability to change their behaviour in order to adapt to the particular circumstances in question, much attention is placed on those underlying and sometimes unknown habits and traits that are beyond the leader's control. For the purpose of this argument we refer again to the Integrated Psychology theory and Scouller's idea that the greatest leaders typically possess something special beyond their behaviour – that garners the attention and trust of those they must lead while allowing them to be successful; a sort of leadership presence.

At any junction in leadership it is clear that the skills involved are more central and relevant when seen in comparison to those natural attributes a leader already possesses. Cognitive development is introduced at this stage because of the significance in the fact that leaders need to understand how to navigate through uncertain internal and external environmental

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factors while maintaining the confidence, ability and power to achieve results. Certainly both the foundational and fundamental layers are intact as the leader dives deeper into their mental capacity in order to ultimately, direct people and achieve goals.

When we look at leadership and how it changes in different environments or circumstances, we have to wonder whether a great leader would perform highly anywhere? How does a leader adapt to a circumstance when he has already been trained and prepared for another? Why is it important to continuously work toward the development of new skills?

Innovation, inspiration and the ability to mobilize persons translate into any situation. These are competencies that all great leaders will possess. Another element of leadership is passion and the ability to articulate one's leadership philosophy into a way of life. Leaders are also bold and daring and confident. Mastering these components will allow the leader to thrive in any environment once they continue to work as hard as they did when first becoming a leader. And so this means that a continuous effort must be placed on development of skills and understanding as it regards people, success, the world and life in general.

A first step however for the leader transitioning from one environment to the next is self- evaluation and critique in comparison with the goals and change needed in the new setting. Leaders must also be able to evaluate their current abilities, strengths, weaknesses and possibilities for growth and improvement.

In studying leadership and situations one cannot deny the importance of gender as well. The psychology behind leadership training for women differs greatly for that of men as it concerns centuries of particular views and behaviours. The skill set necessary for the successful female leader will be a slightly different to that of her male counterpart. This idea of differences in approach based on gender is an excellent topic to be developed further. It has become also very popular in the mainstream media as more women continue to break the barriers to entry to a number of industries.

What about public sector vs. private sector leadership? Due to the complexity of politics and bureaucracy it is hard not to believe that the political leader must be more adept at diverse particulars within change management and people development and strategic planning as opposed to a leader in a private company. Here it is clear that the attributes will assist greatly yes in the leader garnering respect and inspiration perhaps from the followers however the necessary expertise will make the difference in succeeding or failing at whatever the mission or task.

The scopes of the environment and required transformation are considerably different whether due to financial or national implications. This is why the adaption of the leader and his or her skills are so important. The followers themselves have different make-ups, aspirations and motivations but any good leader will have the ability to navigate through a

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specific environment and if necessary develop any additional skills needed in order to succeed.

Conclusion

Have we seen all the leadership theories that can be developed in the information age? The answer to this question is like leadership itself; the future is unknown however the possibilities exist and are knocking.

This essay has attempted to argue the position that leadership is more about skills than attributes. Through a multi-layered approach and highlighting a personal journey the reasoning presented reinforces that competencies and pursuit of such are essential in leadership development however that the existence of the two elements is important.

Leaders will continue to grow and adapt and change with the times but what is certain is that they will continue to possess some of the time-honoured values and traits mentioned in this essay and will require a myriad of skills, in addition to what they already possess, in order to achieve the lofty goals they usually set out for themselves.

Abilities like strategic planning, self-mastery and time management will continue to be the subjects of literature, seminars and workshops throughout the world as millions of people decipher for themselves, the question on how to become a leader in their own right and ponder the numerous steps needed to get there.

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References

Kruse, K. (2013) What Is Leadership? Forbes Magazine (online) http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/04/09/what-is-leadership/

Kouzes, J. and Posner B. (2012) The Leadership Challenge. Jossey-Bass.

Scouller, J. (2011) The Three Levels of Leadership: How to Develop Your Leadership Presence, Knowhow and Skill. Management Books 2000.

Gladwell, M. (2011) Outliers: The Story of Success. Back Bay Books.

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