Everyone is a leader in one way or the other, even in their homes. However, one must possess leadership skills and traits to become a good leader. Some people are born with leadership qualities, while others have to acquire leadership skills. In this series of interviews, we ask experienced leaders to share their thoughts on whether leadership skills and traits can be learned and which ones cannot be learned.
Here’s what they had to say:
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Eden Cheng
Title: Co-founder
Company: PeopleFinderFree
Linkedin: N/A
It is true that many successful leaders often end up utilizing natural, inherent traits that they may possess naturally or have developed via environments they were raised in. For instance, there are some inborn personality traits like empathy, integrity, selflessness and humility that are essential for any good leader and cannot be taught. However, most of the skills that make leaders successful can often be acquired through training, mentorship or hands-on experience because certain core aspects like business intelligence, communication and acumen are often developed as a result of social, environmental and psychological factors.
For instance, if we paid attention to the idea that leaders are not made but born, this would inadvertently mean that introverts cannot make for good leaders, yet time and time again, we have seen people like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffet who have introverted traits still going on to become world-renown leaders. And if you ask many of them to talk about how they achieved their positions, they will often focus on their personal stories of formation and development, the work they’ve done, as well as the challenges they overcame to get there.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Smita Das Jain
Title: Founder and CEO, Empower Yourself
Company: Empower Yourself
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smitadasjain/
While some people are natural leaders, not all aspects of leadership are built around inborn personality traits. Certain skills can be learned and acquired through practice.
Some of the leadership traits that can be developed over time include communication, team working abilities, problem-solving, critical thinking and emotional intelligence.
What can’t be taught is the willingness to adapt and develop your skills. In a dynamic, VUCA world, what got you here won’t keep you there, and leaders need to invest the time and effort to reinvent themselves; this is absolutely necessary if you want to turn yourself into great leader. Self-development is a continuous journey, not a one-off activity, and interest in personal development cannot be taught but needs to come from within.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Vartika Kashyap
Title: CMO aT ProofHub
Company: ProofHub
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vartika-kashyap-30653245/
No one is born with leadership skills and traits; you need to master them and constantly keep updating and expanding your knowledge. The more you experience, the more you know; this means even the most difficult challenges have lessons to learn for whatever comes next.
Of course, leadership skills can be learned. Here most leaders wonder, “How can I get there faster, quicker, and in a shorter time?” But leaders who are serious about growth keep their bar raised high for themselves, not for others. Many leaders believe that leadership is about knowing everything, but that’s just simply wrong. True leadership is about being curious; when you stop asking questions, you stop growing.
The one leadership trait that I think can not be learned is empathy. I think empathy is mostly an innate ability and can only be learned to a limited amount. However, I also think that everyone has the capacity to exhibit and exercise empathy; it is simply a matter of preference.
Thus, the best way to grow as a leader is by knowing your strengths and weaknesses and learning to leverage them. All of us fall at some point in our lives, but it is about getting up again that counts. Finally, my message would be, “To lead externally, you first must learn to lead from within.”
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Lorwai Tan
Title: Owner
Company: LorwaiTanPhD.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorwai-tan-a7269220/
The answer to this question is both yes and no. It is true that some leadership skills and traits can be learned with enough practice and effort. After all, leadership is a skill that can be developed with practice and education. There are many programs and courses available that can help you hone your leadership skills.
However, there are also certain traits that are innate, and cannot be taught. It is often said that leaders are born, not made. This means that some people are simply born with the qualities and characteristics that make them good leaders, such as charisma, communication skills, and the ability to motivate and inspire people around them.
Others may have a strong sense of vision and purpose that helps them lead others in the right direction. These traits may not be learned, but rather they are inherent qualities and are simply part of someone’s personality.
Conversely, there are certain skills that can be learned with effort. For example, a leader might need to learn how to delegate tasks effectively, or how to give constructive feedback. These skills can be learned through training or experience.
Also, being able to effectively communicate and motivate a team is a skill that can be learned. But being able to think strategically and objectively is a trait that may be more difficult to teach.
That said, there are some who believe that no matter how much you learn or what tools you have at your disposal, some traits are simply non-negotiable. For instance, some people argue that you cannot teach someone how to be decisive or to have integrity.
So, can leadership skills and traits be learned or are they something that you’re born with?
In truth, the answer is probably a little bit of both.
While some skills and traits may be more innate than others, everyone can learn and grow in their role as a leader. With the right tools and resources, anyone can improve their ability to lead effectively.
Bottom line-while some traits may be innate, others can be learned with effort. It ultimately depends on the individual and their willingness to learn and grow as a leader.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Kristi Smith
Title: Editor-in-chief & Operational Manager
Company: Honest Brand Reviews
Linkedin: /
Yes, you can learn any leadership skills and traits. They just require practice. These skills are not inherited or built around inborn personality traits. For example, relationship building can be learned by organizing team-building activities. Similarly, you can become an effective decision-maker by studying your personal and organizational values. It will help you to align your values with your organization’s, leading to better work-life balance, and making it easier for you to make critical decisions.
All leadership skills and traits can be learned but cannot be taught. The leader must have an appetite for learning and act in accordance with the fundamentals of leadership. This way, no leadership trait is impossible to learn.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Andrew Tsionas
Title: Co-founder
Company: Kaizenzo Inc.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewtsionas
Leadership is a skill that is learned by experience, observation, and practice. You can learn how to be a leader by observing others who are leaders and learning from them, or you can learn how to be a leader through your own experiences. Leadership is a skill that must be practiced over time for it to become more natural for you.
However, certain leadership skills and traits cannot be learned. For example, if you’re not naturally charismatic or have the inherent ability to motivate others, these traits will likely elude you no matter how hard you try. You can still be a leader without these traits, but it will be much more difficult for you to earn trust and respect if you do not possess them naturally.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Christopher Liew
Title: Founder of Wealthawesome.com
Company: Wealthawesome.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-liew
Leaders are not born, they are made. The ability to lead and empathize with people is an acquired skill that can be learned through experience. However, being a great leader comes with great responsibility.
Leadership Qualities That Require Practice
1. Communication Skills
The first step to becoming a great leader is strategizing your plans for your organization. But, to turn your vision into reality, you must get the right message across concisely. It takes practice to become proficient and fluent in being an effective leader and communicator.
2. Empathy
Another great quality that a leader should possess is being capable of understanding the people’s wants and needs. An empathetic leader should always make an effort to go out of his or her way to help and show support to everyone on the team.
3. Courage and Integrity
Integrity is having the courage to speak for the truth, no matter how tough the situation gets. A great leader should always be accountable for his actions and is brave enough to admit to his or her own mistakes and shortcomings.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Kris Harris
Title: Owner
Company: Nootka Saunas
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-harris-4b5b164a/
Learning from mistakes teaches you a lot
Learning from mistakes often makes far more efficient leaders. Those who can dig into mistakes and errors in judgment and derive lessons from them have plenty to learn pretty much everywhere they look. In our own lives and the lives of others, mistakes and shortcomings are commonplace. But these seemingly futile episodes hold plenty of valuable lessons, and identifying them is an art in itself.
The one who can identify these lessons is also the one who can visualize ways to avoid them. And as we all know, the one who thinks differently is often the one who can lead efficiently too. Of course, those who do more often make the most mistakes too, which means these leaders have gathered more experience too. These leaders are not only resourceful and careful but can also avoid pitfalls that other leaders may never notice.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Deepa Tailor
Title: Owner/Managing Director
Company: Tailor Law
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepatailor/
I think a very important component of leadership is rising through failures. It definitely can be learnt because there are a very few minority who succeed in the first time, the majority takes a turmoil to reach their end goal. In this journey, reaching a level of self – awareness through constant feedbacks helps a lot. Someone who is always looking to improve inputs will be an effective leader. It’s not difficult to implement, just be receptive and utilize the viable feedback so people come to you with their ideas. Through this, people will start looking up to you as a leader.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Jensen Lee
Title: Founder and Managing Member
Company: bidetsPLUS
Linkedin:
Leadership is a skill that is difficult to teach, but it can be learned. Some people are born with leadership skills and traits. However, some of us can learn to develop these skills and traits, which would help us become better leaders in the future. There are many ways in which we can develop our leadership skills and traits. We can take advice from mentors who have achieved success in their fields or read books on leadership development. We also have the option of attending leadership training courses or joining a company where we will be given coaching on how to improve our leadership skills and traits.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Maciej Dziergwa
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: STX Next
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maciejdziergwa/
“Can you learn certain leadership skills and traits?”. To answer the question shortly: Yes. You may practice and improve your leadership skills over time. Leadership involves a variety of skills that can be developed with practice. Not everything is based on inherited personality traits. Even the most successful leaders you can imagine didn’t start out with these polished abilities. To establish a method of collaborating with their teams that has enabled them to achieve their success, they had to fail repeatedly.
Leadership requires attention, planning and care, good practices and careful decision-making. From my perspective leadership is all about changes, transformation, innovation and taking a risk as part of the indispensable ingredients to observe an entrepreneurship as a competitive business. The traits I believe are essential to any leader are: good communication, transparency, teamwork and creativity – all of those go hand in hand with leadership. By fostering continuous improvement, adopting new technologies and expanding our competencies we are able to deliver the best value as a leader.
When I founded STX Next 17 years ago, I had no idea that we would become one of the world’s largest Python software houses. In a few years, I made my way from a start-up of a few people to one of the largest and fastest-growing businesses in Europe, whose specialty is the Python programming language. Looking back to 2005 when STX Next was born, I have come a long way as a leader and gained a great deal of knowledge while improving my leadership skills as well. Working closely with clients and colleagues brought not only new resources, but also allowed me to tap into an essential source of knowledge and know-how from the best of the best on the market.
While there are many qualities of outstanding leadership that can be learned, the ability to adapt and grow as a leader cannot be taught. If you want to develop yourself into a great leader, this is a must-do. You can become an unstoppable leader if you possess a natural desire to study and surround yourself with the right teachings and wisdom. This is hard work that cannot be replaced.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Gary Hunter
Title: Director
Company: CompareGolfPrices
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-hunter-b6451918/
Courage and self.
I believe that the most important lesson for leaders to learn is that being a leader is absolutely not about oneself. The main responsibilities of the position involve adhering to an organizational goal and assisting others in realizing it. Your success as a leader depends on the performance of your team and the organization as a whole. Great leaders have repeatedly put the needs of their team members and customers ahead of their own, whether it be through drastic pay cuts, forfeiting precious family time, or standing up for them in difficult situations. Again, in my opinion, displaying selflessness does not occur suddenly the day you are given a leadership position. It is something that comes naturally and can only be developed.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Dean Lee
Title: Head of Marketing
Company: Sealions
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanleeseo/
Compassion and sympathy.
I believe that empathy is the capacity to recognize, comprehend, and contextualize another person’s circumstances, emotions, and actions. Simply putting oneself in the shoes of another person, whether a consumer, stakeholder, or employee, in an organizational context is empathy. Being able to see things through the perspectives of both consumers and staff becomes the essential differentiation in the language of leadership. Empathy, in my opinion, makes it possible for people to have fruitful two-way discussions, puts them on an equal footing, and improves their interpersonal connections. Additionally, it aids in the development and spread of an inclusive, collaborative, and people-centered culture. I think empathy is mostly an innate ability and can only be taught to a limited amount. However, I also think that everyone has the capacity to exhibit and exercise empathy; it is simply a matter of preference.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Shad Elia
Title: CEO
Company: New England Home Buyers
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/we-buy-houses-here
Empathy:
Technically speaking, empathy is the capacity to recognize, comprehend, and contextualize the circumstances, emotions, and actions of another. Simply putting oneself in the shoes of another person, whether a consumer, stakeholder, or employee, in an organizational context is empathy. In fact, Design Thinking, which is gaining traction in a variety of organizational disciplines, heavily relies on empathy to create experiences that are centered on stakeholders. Being able to see things through the perspectives of both consumers and staff becomes the essential differentiation in the language of leadership. Empathy makes it possible for people to have fruitful two-way discussions, puts them on an equal footing, and enhances their interpersonal connections. Additionally, it aids in the development and spread of an inclusive, collaborative, and people-centered culture. I think empathy is mostly an innate ability and can only be taught to a limited amount. However, I also think that everyone has the capacity to exhibit and exercise empathy; it is simply a matter of preference.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Ian Wright
Title: Managing Director
Company: businessfinancing.co.uk
Linkedin: I’m not on LinkedIn
It is often said that leaders are born, not made. This may be true to some extent, but it does not mean that leadership skills and traits cannot be learned. In fact, many of the most successful leaders have honed their skills and abilities through experience and learning.
There are certain leadership skills and traits that may be more difficult to learn than others. For example, a natural ability to inspire and motivate others may be something that some people are born with. However, there are many other leadership skills that can be learned and developed over time. These include communication, problem-solving, decision-making, and strategic thinking.
Of course, not everyone has the same potential to learn and develop leadership skills. Some people may have a more difficult time than others. However, with effort and dedication, anyone can become a better leader.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Peter Lucas
Title: CEO
Company: Relocate To Andorra
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-lucas-andorra/
Leadership is constantly evolving, you must stay up to date
Whether leadership is innate or learned, the skills and traits required for effective leadership are always changing. In order to stay ahead of the curve, leaders must continuously learn and develop new skills. They must also be willing to adapt their style to fit the needs of their team and organization. Leaders who are stuck in their ways will quickly become outdated and ineffective. Motivation strategies have, for example, changed a lot over the years as we’ve learned more about how people tick. The same goes for communication and public speaking. What worked ten years ago might not work today, and what works today might not work ten years from now. So, whether you’re born with leadership skills or you’re constantly learning new ones, remember to always stay up-to-date on the latest leadership trends.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Marc De Diego Ferrer
Title: CEO
Company: MCA Andorra
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-de-diego-ferrer/
In order to become an effective leader, you must first learn how to lead
The most important trait of a leader is the ability to lead; even with all the other traits, if you cannot lead, you will not be an effective leader. The ability to lead is developed at a young age through experience and observation. It is continuously developed as we grow older and take on more responsibilities. From our first job to our family and eventually our own business, we are constantly learning how to lead. And the more when are exposed to the other traits of leadership, the more we can develop our own leadership skills and style. The skills you learn along the way include problem-solving, public speaking, strategic thinking, and conflict resolution, while the innate traits that you develop might be charisma and decisiveness.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Freya Green
Title: Co-founder
Company: OmbreProm.co.uk
Linkedin: n/a
In this innovative era, everything can be acquired and learned at the tip of your hand. For me, leadership skill is a combination of art and science. Genetics plays a part in how we turn out as adults, including personalities; however, environmental factors also contribute. I believe that learning leadership skills is possible, you might not have them at the start, but you’ll be able to acquire them as you progress in your career with the right setting and resources. You may develop leadership skills by identifying areas for improvement and creating a realistic action plan.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Richard Mews
Title: CEO/Founder
Company: Sell With Richard
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardmews
Yes, you can learn to be a leader!
You may practice and improve your leadership skills over time. Leadership involves a variety of skills that can be developed with practice. Not everything is based on inherited personality traits. Even the most successful leaders didn’t start with these polished abilities. They had to try and fail repeatedly.
In my opinion, there are no leadership skills or traits that cannot be learned. Creativity and innovation are skills that everyone can learn; they only need to be practiced, like every other skill. A combination of an inner desire to learn and surrounding yourself with the right knowledge and wisdom can make you an unstoppable force in leadership.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Werner Jorgensen
Title: Marketing Manager
Company: Heatxperts
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/heatxperts/
You can’t be a good leader if you lack self-confidence. If you aren’t confident in your abilities, there’s nothing one can do about this. If you lack this trait, you can’t convince others to buy your services or products. An individual learns this skill during their early childhood years. Over the years, itl gets polished. Self-confidence is key to building trust, especially when starting your entrepreneurial journey. This skill simply can’t be taught; rather, it comes from within. It takes years to harness and make you the leader you were always destined to become. A leader can’t be taught to be confident but rather given tools to help become one.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Marc Arbones-Areste
Title: Founder & Editor @ altcoinsmastery.com
Company: Altcoins Mastery
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marbonesareste/
Hi Joe,
Marc here. I’m an Economist, Systems thinker, Crypto investor (since 2017), and peak performance consultant for entrepreneurs. I’m the Editor and Founder of Altcoins Mastery – we simplify the complex world of cryptocurrency and web 3.0 to make it accessible to everyone. Previously, I was the Co-Founder and CEO of the Behavioural Economics Lab. Altcoins Mastery has been featured on Benzinga, Yahoo, The Stock Dork, CNation, etc.
Leadership skills can definitely be learned with a clear plan and deliberate practice under the supervision of an experienced leader.
I’ve been an entrepreneur since 2014. One of the skills I needed to actively develop was the ability to inspire people, create positive feelings, and bring out the best in others to achieve a common vision. Leadership abilities did not come naturally to me, but I knew that with purposeful work, I could develop a leadership style that suited my personality.
Can you learn certain leadership skills and traits?
According to my experience, Leadership skills can be learned. True, some people are born with a natural ability to lead or play an instrument, but mastering the skill requires deliberate practice and the guidance of a strong mentor or mentors. Nature cannot thrive in the absence of nurture.
According to best-selling author Daniel Goleman, there are four fundamental skills or building blocks that make an effective leader. These are:
– Self-Awareness: Everything begins with self-awareness. Before you can inspire or manage others, you must first “know thyself.” You need to be able to conduct accurate self-assessments, identify bottlenecks and understand your emotions.
– Self-management (Self-Mastery): As a peak performance consultant, I define self-management as the ability to manage four areas of performance: spiritual (Self-Awareness), mental (Focus & Flow), emotional (Emotional Self-control), and Physical Performance (Energy). My definition expands on Daniel Goleman’s.
– Social Awareness (Empathy): The capacity to accurately notice the emotions of people and “read” circumstances effectively is referred to as social awareness. It is about perceiving what other people are thinking and feeling in order to take their point of view using your empathy.
– Relationship Management: Relationship management pulls together the other 3 dimensions to influence others, build cohesive teams, resolve conflicts, produce change and achieve peak performance.
The key to learning these abilities is to practice them. In other words, developing daily habits and reinforcements until new neural pathways are forged. Aspiring leaders won’t master these skills in a workshop or in books. Most of these competencies are tied to the limbic system, which requires subconscious rewiring to produce lasting results.
The key to learning leadership skills is to have a clear plan for developing these competencies and practicing them on a regular basis under the guidance of an experienced leader. A mentor or an experienced leader can greatly shorten the learning curve.
What leadership skills and traits do you think cannot be learned?
I don’t think there is any leadership ability that cannot be learned by deliberate practice. Probably, the most innate ability of the four is social awareness. That doesn’t imply it can’t be learned; you can certainly become competent at it.
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to adopt a dominant leadership style that fits your personality and study additional types to use as necessary. We have the misconception that leaders must be extroverted, loud, energetic, charismatic, and commanding. As a result, people are trying to be someone they are not.
However, several leadership styles exist, such as Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Commanding. For example, I’m more of a quiet leader who enjoys providing clarity on a common vision (Visionary), upholding high standards (Pacesetting), and helping others in finding the best way to get there (Coaching).
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Yollanda Lee
Title: Press Specialist & Customer Care
Company: Ombreprom
Linkedin: N/A
Leadership can be taught but not everybody us ready to receive the lessons and use it to be a leader.
Oftentimes, self-confidence is an essential element of leadership – whether that be good or bad. Oftentimes, in order to become a leader that people can rely on, it takes more than just self-confidence – it requires expertise and guidance in the specific subject matter that they will be expected to lead others in. However, once someone has developed a deep understanding and can be seen as a reliable source of information for others, people are more likely to flock to them and look up to them as a leader.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Charles Cridland
Title: Co-Founder and CIO
Company: YourParkingSpace
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-cridland-53298316/
Leadership cannot be learned. Training only improves the qualities of a leader, which are inherent in them at the genetic level. We can master leadership theories, strategies, and tactics, all taught in short courses and multi-week seminars. But, unfortunately, one cannot easily acquire feelings, intuition, emotions, insight, art, aspirations, caring, the ability to sympathize, euphoria—the traits inherent in leaders, and the very passion for leadership, which makes people the leaders of others.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Dan Hanley
Title: Sales & Marketing Director
Company: Octane Accountants
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-hanley-ba7748193/
Like all skills, leadership traits can be learnt/improved upon to varying degrees. To illustrate my point, there’s the age-old example of the 5’5 kid who wanted to play in the NBA, he worked tirelessly on his craft all his life and even played college basketball only to be overlooked at the highest level. He was simply limited genetically. Similarly, there will inevitably be individuals among us who are predisposed to be excellent leaders, those that will peak at ‘satisfactory’ and those that are destined to be mediocre/poor leaders of people.
I believe the necessary traits for leadership in general are – relatability, empathy, diligence, fearlessness, high-achieving, modesty and a passion for the development of others. Quite the cocktail. We can all improve these skills within ourselves and become better leaders than we were yesterday, but those born with a predisposition to be excellent leaders will naturally possess the majority.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Johannes Larsson
Title: CEO
Company: Financer
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larssonjohannes/
You might’ve definitely heard about quite a debatable notion of whether leaders are born or made. Leaders are made without confusion through their life experiences, knowledge, intellect, and intuitions. Leadership can be learned since it’s the byproduct of humans’ unique characteristics.
Mastering the art of problem-solving, excellent soft skills, and a mindset toward mutual benefit is what leaders must have. Although experience is just the same as wine, the older, the better. People can’t really fetch such experience within a glance; perfection comes with time. When it comes to learning, starting by taking the initiative and making people believe in your thoughts is the first step.
Furthermore, ideating uniquely serving both ways attracts your colleagues’ much-required respect and support. Working under your idle personal and learning what differentiates them, and adapting such a presence of mind forms the best leader. Thereby, learning leadership and acquiring relevant qualities is cent per cent possible. However, time polishes the leaders even to get better!
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Vytautas Juskevicius
Title: Chief of Marketing Operations
Company: Tidio
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vytautasjuskevicius/
“The answer is “yes,” but it’s not that simple. You won’t become the best leader from training camps or courses – it’s only the theory and doesn’t apply to every situation and company.
So, how to learn those crucial skills? Well, it’s all about practice – even the best leaders you can think of didn’t have these skills honed from day one. If you don’t have skills, but you have the will, you’re going to do great – just don’t be scared of failing. Every failure is a lesson learned.”
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Zenji G.
Title: Founder
Company: Heat Pump Chooser
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/79981578/admin/
Absolutely, one can learn leadership skills and traits. I don’t necessarily agree with the saying “You were born to lead”. I believe one can learn and nuture these skills over a prolonged period of time through concentrated practice.
While aspects like public speaking, employee empowerment, critical thinking can all somewhat be learned. Natural intelligence is something which cannot be learned. Some people are incredibly intelligent and there’s nothing we can do to catch them.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Emma Williams
Title: Chief Research Officer
Company: High5Test
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high5test/
My name is Emma Williams, and I’m an organizational psychologist and the Chief Research Officer at HIGH5, and I’d love to share my insights with you.
Some leadership traits can be learned and there are ones that cannot. For instance, good leaders are empaths and have highly developed emotional intelligence which is something you cannot learn.
However, people can learn to organize and lead the team, learn how to recognize the needs of each team member, and use their strengths in a way that’s the most beneficial to the team and the individual as well.
Leaders can learn to actively listen, and it’s a skill that’s trained and developed and that helps good teams become great ones.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Angus Chang
Title: Business Owner and Founder
Company: https://iupilon.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anguschang/
I strongly believe that leadership skills and traits can be learned. Leadership is more likely to be acquired by some people than others because the ability to lead is amplified by some qualities manifest early in life, with stable individual differences and significant predispositions. As a leader, you must have good communication, which can be learned from experts. Developing communication skills takes practice. Speaking fluently does not make one a great communicator; some people are nurtured from a young age to be great communicators.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Nick Yu
Title: Business Owner
Company: BeadNova
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickhk/
As a business owner, I believe that leadership skills and traits can be learned by different ways. A person can develop their leadership skills over time by working at it. Practice is necessary for many aspects of leadership. It is also true that some people are born with natural leadership skills but some need to develop the skill set with some practice. For example, Leadership skills and characteristics can be developed by practicing discipline, learning and listening. In fact, some leadership skills cannot be learned, such as creativity, empathy, ethics, and intelligence, since these are inherent qualities and traits.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Pooja Malkani Sharma
Title: Founder
Company: Colossalumbrella
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamalkani/
In my opinion. leadership skills and traits can be learned, but there are some that seem impossible to master. You can’t learn the ability to be a great leader if you don’t have natural leadership qualities or if you don’t have qualities like confidence, charisma and respect.
While there are no “standard” leadership traits, there are some commonalities that successful leaders share. The most important skill for any type of leader is empathy. You must be able to understand what your team members are going through on a personal level in order to be able to connect with them and support them in their efforts. Other skills include strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as being able to motivate others and inspire them to work hard. Finally, good leaders should have the ability to delegate tasks, recognize when they need help, and know when it is time to step back and let others take over.
You can also learn leadership skills by gaining experience and practice. To learn you can also look for opportunities to lead in your personal life such as being an active participant in your community or volunteering with an organization. When you do these things, you’re building leadership skills and traits in yourself that you can then apply to any leadership role.
Some people are born with a natural ability to lead others While some have natural leadership abilities that they can build upon over time.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Guna Kakulapati
Title: CEO
Company: Cureskin
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guna-kakulapati-6981ba2/
The most successful talent leaders are individuals who prioritize adaptability and communication. Starting a business always means tackling unforeseen challenges and the necessity of being able to stay on your feet and adapt with grace is essential in overcoming roadblocks and improving the business along the way. Without communication a business has no direction, and company missions and values can fall to the wayside. On one had, how a company is shared with the world and how the company treats its employees are huge factors in ensuring prolonged success on the internal side of things. On the other hand, communication and adaptability are skills that each play a large role for established and successful leaders who individually find growth and progress in their career.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Alex Savy
Title: Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Company: ComfyNorth
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-savy-68681354/
Open communication
I would suggest that a strong leader maintains an open line of communication with team members and is able to communicate organizational goals and duties utilizing a variety of channels, including one-on-one meetings, email, video, chat, phone calls, and social media. An effective leader also conveys concise information and simplifies difficult concepts for everyone’s benefit. A leader with empathy focuses on identifying with and comprehending the perspective of others. Empathetic leaders are effective because they can better comprehend how their people feel about the work environment. This allows leaders to implement good changes throughout the workforce. Leaders require strategic and critical thinking abilities since they are entrusted with making difficult decisions.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Martin Lassen
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: GrammarHow
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-lassen-dam-8a291ba6/
Positivity, Creativity
I would believe that a creative leader is capable of generating new ideas and inspiring people to be creative and innovative. A effective leader will always recognize and praise people for their creative contributions, for instance. A strong leader injects enthusiasm into the workplace, which in turn inspires and motivates individuals to perform better. By demonstrating care, respect, diplomacy, and empathy for the team, positivity may be fostered. The most effective leaders leave their comfort zones and adapt swiftly to changing work situations. They have the ability to solve problems and improvise on the spot. An effective leader also encourages staff participation and is open to receiving constructive team input. A strong leader not only knows how to prevent workplace problems but can also settle them quickly and effectively. While resolving problems, the leader maintains composure and makes logical decisions.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Dennis Oh
Title: Entrepreneur
Company: Aviculab Marketing
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-oh-643101251/
Speaking from experience, many leadership skills are learnable to be an effective leader, but some are learned over time.
Growing up, I was always the kid that sat at the sidelines and would never take up responsibility whenever possible. It wasn’t until years later when I founded a start-up with some friends that I had to learn to be a leader.
In the workplace, leaders are looked up to because they set the direction for others to move towards. This requires qualities such as being decisive, communicating well and being organized. Which are all qualities that can be learned in a short period of time.
However in my opinion there are some leadership traits that cannot be learned but require experience and time to learn. Traits such as being charismatic, being selfless and the ability to empathize.
These are some of the leadership traits that come from within us. Though we can learn it from books or from someone else, it not not til we experience and consciously practice it and with time it becomes a trait that makes us a better leader.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Peter Monkhouse
Title: CEO
Company: ICL SA
Linkedin: N/A
Leadership skills are learned and developed.
While some people have a head start due to their natural abilities and traits, leadership is not something you’re born with. It’s a skill set that can be developed over time through experience and continuous learning. There are a few leadership skills and traits that cannot be learned. For example, if you’re not a people person, it’s going to be very difficult to learn how to lead and inspire others. However, there are many other skills and traits that can be learned, such as public speaking, strategic thinking, and problem-solving. Some innate characteristics that may contribute to effective leadership include charisma, confidence, determination, and visionary thinking. If you have the opportunity to develop these skills and traits, you will be well on your way to becoming an effective leader.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Phil Ohren
Title: Founder and Head of Strategy
Company: Intender
Linkedin: –
Although some people are born with natural leadership traits, such as self-confidence, self-assurance, problem-solving capabilities, and charm… I believe that leadership skills are learned and developed through training and experience.
Even those that are natural-born leaders need to learn and refine leadership skills, especially nowadays, as leadership is an ever-changing role that needs to be able to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and scenarios.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Güney Özberk
Title: Growth Hacker
Company: Enklare
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guneyozberk/
I believe that you can learn certain leadership skills and traits. There are some things that you’re born with, but there are also some things that you can learn.
For example, I think it’s easier to teach someone how to be a good listener than it is to teach them how to be a visionary leader. Visionary leaders are often people who just have an innate talent for seeing the future, and they’re able to convince others of their vision by using their natural charisma.
It’s harder to teach someone how to use their charisma or speak in front of large groups of people without being nervous or uncomfortable—those are natural abilities that some people have but many others don’t.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Robert Zeglinski
Title: Managing Editor & Researcher
Company: Breaking Muscle
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-zeglinski/
I would say that this is an essential skill for leaders because they need to be able to multitask, set goals that are attainable, priorities their commitments, and delegate tasks. Effective leaders put their time management skills to use by establishing SMART goals not only for themselves but also for the members of their teams. A strong leader is reliable, and others can count on them to keep their commitments and meet their deadlines. This trait is one of the hallmarks of a strong leader. The members of the team are prompted by this to show appreciation for the decisions made by the leader and to follow in their footsteps.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Jeo Troyer
Title: CEO & Head of Growth
Company: Digital Trigger
I would say that the responsibility for the success or failure of a group rests squarely on the shoulders of its leader. As a result, those in positions of authority should be responsible for their actions and willing to accept responsibility for any mistakes that are made. Instead of pointing fingers and assigning blame to others, great leaders accept responsibility and work to devise solutions that will lead to improvement.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Jay Soni
Title: Marketing Director
Company: Yorkshire Fabric Shop.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-yorkshire-fabric-shop/?originalSubdomain=uk
Even while leaders are required to take responsibility and make decisions, strong leaders know when to let others have a say in the matter, too. A reliable manager or leader takes responsibility for their actions and stands by their decisions.
The best leaders have a trait that separates them from the rest of the pack. I really like that saying; you have to make choices and then stand by them. Each minute brings new challenges and opportunities in the workplace’s ever-evolving ecosystem. On any given day, even the most careful preparations can fail. Leaders must have the political courage to deal with adversity and make tough calls when necessary. Making smart choices under pressure, when you know you have little say in the result, is an essential survival technique. Perseverance is something that I believe to be innate, and training can only help one apply it when necessary.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Andrew Taylor
Title: Director
Company: Net Lawman
Linkedin: None
Some people have the predispositions for being a leader, but knowledge and continuous learning is what separates good from average leaders. Learning is necessary in order to achieve personal and professional progress.
Character traits such as extraversion or introversion are something we are born with, but we can learn the most suitable style of leadership based on our own traits if there is a will for it.
Successful leaders enjoy the development of others, which gives them satisfaction and pride. They are also the people that raise morale when difficulties arise. Leaders don’t promise more than they can deliver. Finally, when they move on to a new job, they always leave the situation somewhat better than it was when they arrived.
It is possible to learn how to be a good leader. Someone may be born with excellent communication skills or a sense of sales, but without investing in knowledge, they will hardly progress.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
Alex Constantinou
Title: Managing director
Company: The fitness circle
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-constantinou-557873b1/
Leadership skills and traits:
In my opinion, Yes, you can learn to be a leader!
Leadership involves a variety of skills that can be developed with practice. Not everything is based on inherited personality traits. Even the most successful leaders you can imagine didn’t start out with these polished abilities.
Leadership Qualities You Can’t Learn:
Empathy: The ability to recognise, comprehend, and contextualise another person’s circumstances, feelings, and behaviour is empathy.
Courage: A leader is someone who knows the way, travels the way, and models the way.
Selflessness
——————————————————————————————————————————————