What Global Leaders Have To Say About The Possibility Of Learning Leadership Skills And Traits

Joshua Haley

Title: Founder and Author

Company: Moving Astute

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/movingastute/

I believe that some leadership skills and traits can be learned, but others may be more innate. I think that some people are born with a natural ability to lead, while others may have to learn how to be effective leaders.

Some leadership skills that can be learned include communication, public speaking, negotiation, and problem solving. These are all important skills that can help leaders be successful.

There are also some leadership traits that cannot be learned, such as charisma and decisiveness. These are qualities that some people simply have and others do not.

In conclusion, I believe that some leadership skills and traits can be learned, while others may be more innate. However, regardless of where someone falls on the spectrum, I think that anyone can improve their leadership skills by learning from others and practicing.

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James DeZao

Title: Law Firm Founder/Owner

Company: The Law Offices Of James C. DeZao, P.A.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dezao-115b9074/

I believe leadership skills and traits can be learned over time, as long as you are open to self-criticism and making the necessary changes to your overall game plan. When I first started my firm, I felt like law school didn’t prepare me at all for the business side of the legal field. But, as I grew my firm and gained more experience running my team and interacting with clients and vendors of diverse backgrounds, I took away crucial lessons that helped shape my unique leadership style and identify gaps in my business plan that needed to be addressed.

I don’t think there is a specific leadership skill or trait that can’t be learned. For me, it was all about practice. While some of my leadership traits came from my inborn personality, others were honed through trial and error. Every leader is different, and it takes some longer than others to nail down the leadership persona that works best to motivate their team and achieve their business objectives. But, as long as you prioritize and refine the ways in which you communicate your standards, culture, and goals, you’ll keep growing as a leader and discover new traits that you can improve on.

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Manick Bhan

Title: Founder & CTO

Company: LinkGraph

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manick-bhan/

Some people are lucky enough to be born leaders, but anyone can develop certain qualities. And if you want to reach career heights, you have to try hard. I believe you can learn most of the needed skills and traits to become a leader. What cannot be learned is the genuine aspiration to be one. You can be disciplined, hardworking, and have excellent soft skills, but if you don’t want to be a leader, you will never become successful.

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Nate Martin

Title: Co-Founder & CEO

Company: Puzzle Break

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natemart/

In my opinion, you can develop certain leadership skills and traits. You must be creative, innovative, think strategically, and motivate your team. You can definitely improve these skills. Remember that 10% of success comes from classical training, 20% comes from observation and mentoring, and the remaining 70% comes from experience and practice. Of course, there are born leaders. But your success in life isn’t determined genetically. So everything can be achieved if you try hard.

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James Becker

Title: CEO

Company: Fusion Growth Partners

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-becker-a1521335/

If you consider leadership to be more of a journey, there are quite a lot of leadership skills that can be learned, reprogrammed or fine tuned. These are things like communication, behavior, fiscal understanding, regulation, human resource handling etc. All aspects of leadership that quite often are fine tuned along the way, whether by trial and error or training. Then there are some things that cannot be learned, or seem to be quite difficult for people to adapt to if they have reached a certain stage of life without them. For example, the ability to make clear concise decisions under pressure, or, foresight. There are very few leaders I have known who can add these as assets who do not already possess them. It is the difference between learned skills and sheer instinct.

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Rebekah Smith

Title: Film Festival Strategist and Founder

Company: The Film Festival Doctor

Linkedin: https://www.instagram.com/rebekahfilmdr/

Yes, absolutely, and I am living proof that you can go from an academic who did not know anything about the world of business to an award-winning entrepreneur. I am a Film Festival Strategist, and there are only a small handful of other people who do what I do. While I was living in the U.K. studying for my Ph.D., I got into the film industry while working for a Film Festival based in the U.K. During the festival, I realized that my career ambitions were not in the world of academia but within the film industry, and my specialist niche area of expertise was film festivals.

The skills I learned and developed while writing my Ph.D. helped me identify a huge gap in the market that needed to be filled. When one writes a Ph.D. you are essentially identifying a gap within academia and filling it by presenting new arguments and solutions. A common problem that filmmakers were experiencing was that they needed help getting their films seen at festivals; they didn’t know how to do it, how to create a festival strategy, or who to turn to for help resolving the problem.

I knew, deep down, that I could help my target market resolve their pain. While I was working behind the scenes co-producing a film festival and traveling around Europe, meeting lots of other festival programmers, and learning how they curate their festivals, I discovered which type of films film festival programmers wanted to screen. During this time, I also learned what a film festival strategy looked like. There was a global market of filmmakers who needed this type of help and support, and I wanted to turn my knowledge into a business and become one of the most sought-after leaders in my niche.

I was consciously aware that I had no previous experience in running a business. However, through sheer determination, hard work, and resilience, I didn’t give up even when times were hard. I didn’t pretend I knew everything as I admitted when I was wrong, what I didn’t know, and most importantly, what I needed to learn.

Although I taught myself how to create a festival strategy and discovered a huge gap in the market, I could not have become the leader and the CEO of my thriving global business if I hadn’t hired my business mentors, who, to this day, still continue to work with me.

When I launched my company, I had no idea how to build a sustainable business infrastructure, and my accounting was all over the place. It’s thanks to my business coaches that I know how to formulate an effective sales pitch to position myself as an expert in my field, close a sales deal, develop a solid sales pipeline and budget forecast, present impressive KPI’s, and continue to grow a desirable brand that my customers can trust.

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Daivat Dholakia

Title: VP of Operations

Company: Essenvia

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daivat/

While I do believe many leaders are not necessarily born leaders, there are some leadership traits that cannot necessarily be taught. Traits like compassion for others, and an ability to be creative on the fly are all not necessarily learned behaviors. Some people naturally prefer to work with others, while others prefer solitude and working alone. Some are self-taught leaders, while others require more nurturing and guidance. One way is not better than the other, as I believe it is best to have a variety of leaders in the workplace. Different leaders with different perspectives, management styles, and talents, all work together to make the dream team.

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David Northup

Title: CEO / Wellness Consultant

Company: InShapeMD

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inshapemd-louisville/

Studying the leadership habits of industry stalwarts

Those who are conscious enough to notice and study the leadership skills and traits of their industry leaders can also teach themselves the same characteristics. Every industry requires different kinds of leaders; some need leaders who inspire, others who can drive teams hard, and others may need leaders to think not just about tomorrow but about years into the future.

When you study the leadership habits of the stalwarts of your industry, you are bound to pick up highly relevant skills that are just right for your enterprise. Learning these skills is easy because good leaders can display their unique talents in just about every habit of theirs, and when you notice these habits, picking them up and practicing them is only a step away.

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Azmaira Maker, Ph.D.

Title: Founding Director

Company: Aspiring Families

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azmaira-maker-ph-d-7997a941/

Being a great team player is the first step

Leaders are often defined as extraordinary people who know how to keep their team together even under difficult circumstances. Clearly, the road to leadership begins with learning how to be a good team player first. Leaders have great people skills, and being a part of a team teaches you some of the most valuable lessons in getting along with others and convincing them to do what needs to be done.

In an age where just about anyone can aspire and work towards being a leader, it is only natural to assume that leadership is no longer considered an inbuilt or natural trait. But even if one does not need to be born with extraordinary qualities, one does have to work towards accumulating exceptional skills to be an impactful leader. And learning how to be a great team player and driving the team to perform well despite adversities is undoubtedly an excellent first step.

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Riley Beam

Title: Managing Attorney

Company: Douglas R. Beam, P.A.

Linkedin: https://www.dougbeam.com/our-firm

Experience and dedication are great teachers

The more experience you have, the better you get at evolving as a leader. And while certain people seem to have inbuilt leadership skills, this aura is only brought on by the experience they have gathered and the dedication they have shown in their field of work. A conscious commitment to gaining as much knowledge as you can, through your own experiences as well as those of others, and dedicating yourself to growing as a fair and helpful leader sums up a great approach to building leadership skills and traits.

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Kenny Kline

Title: President & Financial Lead

Company: Barbend

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.come//in/kennyklin

In my perspective, there is a distinguishing characteristic among outstanding leaders that separates them from the rest of the pack. I make decisions and then implement them correctly. The workplace is a dynamic ecology in which things are always changing. On any given day, even the best-laid plans may fail. Leaders must have the guts to confront adversity and make crucial decisions in times of crisis. Not to be confused with rashness is the quality of courage. It is about making reasoned judgments in the middle of difficult events while being aware of one’s limited ability to influence the consequences. I believe that bravery originates from inside and that training can only improve its application to various situations.

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Lachlan de Crespigny,

Title: Co-Founder and Co-CEO

Company: Revelo

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachlan-de-crespigny-14969942/

According to my understanding, the technical definition of empathy is the capacity to recognize and comprehend the circumstances, emotions, and behavior of another individual. In an organizational environment, empathy is simply putting oneself in the other person’s shoes, whether that person is a consumer, stakeholder, or employee. In actuality, Build Thinking, which is permeating numerous organizational disciplines, depends heavily on empathy to design stakeholder-centric experiences. In the language of leadership, the capacity to see through the eyes of workers and consumers becomes the most important differentiation. Empathy facilitates productive two-way interactions, unites persons on a shared ground, and improves their interpersonal connections. It also assists leaders in developing and propagating an inclusive, collaborative, and people-centered culture. I feel that empathy is mostly innate and can only be taught to a limited level. On the other hand, I also think that all humans possess the capacity to display and exercise empathy; it is only a matter of choice.

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Gail Rudolph, CMCT

Title: CEO

Company: Gail Rudolph Collaborative

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gail-rudolph/

Absolutely leadership skills and traits are learned. Both for the positive and, sadly, also for the negative. People are agile creatures with a brain that has the ability to learn anything we decide to put into our minds. In addition, research has shown that we change the physical structure of our brains just by our unseen thoughts. So it is less about whether we can learn leadership skills and more about our desire to learn and grow as leaders.

Just like with everything, some people seem to have giftedness that requires them to reach a point quicker than others, but everyone can develop the skill if they choose to.

For example, early in my career, I learned the hard way about power dynamics. But, ultimately, after years of struggling, I realized that power can be learned. Once I mastered it, I set out to help others do the same. My upcoming book, Power Up Power Down: How to Reclaim Control and Make Every Situation a Win/Win, was created as a guide to share what I’ve discovered about correctly harnessing the interpersonal power we all possess.

Whether we are in a face-to-face meeting, on a video call, or at a conference with 5,000 people, one thing remains consistent: Power is at play in every situation. By learning how to shift my focus away from how others would behave or what they would say, I could more efficiently and effectively step into my power.

This learned ability to respond and harness personal power helped me understand that we hold power to create a positive or negative experience in our interactions with others which creates an extraordinary dynamic for a leader.

There is a misconception that power means you must always have the upper hand, or what I call Powering Up. But power is also present when you make a conscious, intentional choice to retract or Power Down—knowing which type of power to employ to be most effective and achieve a win/win outcome is how to maximize true personal power. And it can be taught and learned.

Although there is the abilitey to learn leadership skills, there is a danger to being a leader that does not have a desire to continue learning and enhancing their skills around the dynamics of power.

For example, Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at UC Berkeley, conducted studies spanning two decades in the lab and field experiments. He discovered that when subjects held this wrong view of power, such as hierarchy, ego-driven, controlling, and as a position of dominance acted as if they had suffered a traumatic brain injury. (This may help us understand some of the crazy decisions we have witnessed by leaders recently) According to the study possessing this wrong view of Power dynamics cause us to eventually become more impulsive, less risk-aware, crucial, and less adept at seeing things from other people’s point of view. In other words, they respond in ways we would expect from someone who has suffered a traumatic brain injury. So even sills we once had can be lost if not approached with a spirit of continual learning.

Therefore, we can learn anything. Furthermore, possessing an attitude that embraces continual learning of leadership and power dynamic skills is the key to becoming and remaining a successful and effective leader.

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Stevie Pena

Title: Owner

Company: Dr Stevie, LLC

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-stevie-pe%C3%B1a-15485356/

Most people can learn some basic, but important leadership skills:
• Make decisions (and express these decisions confidently)
• Seek and incorporate feedback (every project should conclude with a ‘lessons learned’)
• Let people to do their jobs (train them and provide necessary equipment and support)

Traits are more challenging to develop, but most people can learn:
• Approachability (It is important that others can talk to you, and you can develop this persona over time, if it’s not innate)
• Confidence (Through practice, a person can learn confidence, and this alone influences other people)

The skills that cannot be learned:
• Empathy (understanding different perspectives and how behaviors/choices impact others)
• Strategic thinking (being able to see multiple possible outcomes)
• Accountability (owning mistakes, abandoning bad choices, attributing the consequences appropriately)

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Chandlerr Rogers

Title: CEO

Company: Relay

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandlermrogers/

The theory of the 7 leadership styles helped me to recognize early where I could fall short, and where I could really shine. I wanted to understand early on what I could expect from myself, in order to grow beyond it. I became a better leader by understanding my weaknesses and acting on my strengths. We have been trying to calculate just what a perfect leader is for ages, but there is no one box to fit into, so utilize the tools that are already available to learn from. Figure out what kind of leader you are, and learn how to best use your abilities for the greater good of your team. There are theories that can tell you what you will be successful with and what you will struggle with as a leader; dont disregard this! By identifying your strengths and weaknesses early on, you can constantly be improving and adjusting for your team’s needs. A leader is a lifelong learner, so learn from yourself, your mistakes and successes, and learn from your team.

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Michelle Schaffer

Title: Founder

Company: Girl Power Alliance

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleschafferxo

Can leadership be learned? This is an interesting question and I believe the answer is both yes and no.

First off, what is leadership? It is the ability to influence someone else. It is the ability to guide someone into progress and growth. It is your ability to see more in them than they see in themselves. It is the skill you possess to help activate gifts and talents in someone else. Leaders use their words to paint a picture that others see and feel powerfully. Leaders use their actions as models that others will watch and emulate.

I believe that absolutely leadership traits can be taught. When you are being mentored by someone of leadership and integrity, proximity alone will cause you to change. We all know that environment is stronger than willpower. If this is true, then it becomes of maximum importance to surround yourself with people of excellent leadership. Even if they are not intentionally training you, their example is so influential, that your actions will begin to be reshaped.

Let’s think about some of the traits that leaders possess and how those get passed down or taught to others.

Integrity has to be at the top of the list. This has been defined in many ways, however, my favorite definition is the way you behave and respond when no one is watching. How can this be taught if no one is around to see how you behave? The decisions that you make about your own life and how you live become evident as your relationships become more connected. I hosted a training once for a few hundred leaders. During the lunch break, a large group of us sat together at the restaurant which had a buffet lunch. The price was the same for every person, so calculating what each person owed for lunch was simple. Each person one by one handed me the cash for their meal. After I counted it, I noticed that we had a lot more money than the bill required. Our server had not charged us properly. I flagged down our server and told her she didn’t charge us for enough people. She thanked me and left the table to make the adjustment. Just about everyone had already left the table, there were only 2 or 3 people left to witness this. The gentleman sitting a few seats over from me said, “If no one was here you would have pocketed that money, you only did that because we were here”. I was shocked by the comment because I wasn’t putting on some kind of show, I was simply paying the bill, and wanted to be certain the server got a good tip. Keeping the overage didn’t even cross my mind. This is integrity in action. Clearly, this man would have kept the overage, and when I didn’t, he projected his behavior onto me. This was a powerful lesson for me. People are watching what you do, what you say, and how you say it. You are always leading someone with your actions.
I believe the most powerful way to teach integrity to others, is to live your life in such a way, that it shines through in all you do. Integrity cannot be faked. People may attempt to do it, but in the end, the truth will always be made known. If you have never been around people with this type of character, it may be difficult to believe when you are first exposed to it. However, time will prove them upright and your level of character will shift as a result of their example.
Consistency would be next on my list of leadership traits. There is an infinitely long list of names of those who could accomplish their goals because they just cannot stay consistent long enough to make it happen. I have been very intentional about stewarding my health for over a decade. I prioritize things that I know will help me optimize my body, and my mind and keep me healthy. One of those things for me is working out. I do it multiple times a week. One morning I was on a call with my mom while I was working out. She asked me, “Are you at the gym?” to which I answered yes. Her response stuck with me to this day. She said, “You are so consistent it is annoying”. She is right, I am. If I decide I am going to do a thing, I do the thing. I don’t allow distractions or excuses to hinder me.
Far too many leaders start and stop. They can’t be consistent in their own lives and other people see it. This is a huge hindrance in developing your ability to lead others. Disciplining yourself to stick with something is a massive step forward in leadership. Your consistency helps to develop a relationship of trust with others. They learn that you are someone they can count on. Often, people need accountability to help them develop this into a habit. You can begin with one new thing, stick with it, commit and do it until it becomes automatic. Then you can add to that another habit, then another. This seemingly easy thing is NOT easy. Lifes distractions take root, the emotion you felt when starting fades and other issues will feel like they have to take priority. Teaching others to pivot and make adjustments instead of quitting is a powerful trait we can teach them. Over time you can also become “so consistent it is annoying”, and that will serve you and them well.

Attitude is another trait that can be taught. This is part of developing and growing your EQ – emotional intelligence. The attitude of the leader sets the tone. A leader can walk into a room and elevate the energy. Your attitude should energize and mobilize others. Personal development is key in helping you to develop this trait as a leader. A bad attitude is infectious, just as a good one is. This can be, helping others to focus on opportunities rather than obstacles. Helping to reframe problems and see them as skill-building opportunities. I teach those I lead that to become a world-class leader, you need world-class training. What is the training? Problems. In order to develop this skill, you must encounter a lot of problems and obstacles and as you navigate your way through them, you are building that muscle. Just like the muscles in your body, the only way to build them is through resistance. The muscle itself must tear, and be damaged by the resistance you are using – the weights. When the muscle heals and repairs, it grows and gets stronger. In the same way, you will learn to become a leader that seeks out the positive in tough scenarios. You will be able to call out the good in the midst of the bad. You will be able to shine a light for others in the middle of darkness. A good leader carries with them an attitude steeped in hope. Hope is a powerful catalyst, maybe the most powerful one we have. I teach this through simple actions like affirmations, being cognizant of the words you speak, and what you allow yourself to listen to and watch. However, there is a lot of science behind how to feed your body and train your brain in optimism. For me, faith is a big factor. My faith keeps me in a perpetual state of hope, knowing that God’s plans for me are good.

There is a long list of traits that can be taught to others to help them become better leaders. What I have learned after almost two decades of training leaders is this: The right leader can absolutely help someone to develop their own leadership. They cannot control the level of leadership that is gained. As people grow, some have a lid on their leadership. Is this because they were not born a leader? Partially maybe, but the bigger factor is the fact that most people stop pursuing growth. Becoming a transformational leader is a process and that process doesn’t end. Growth takes work and often people don’t want to do what it takes to keep growing.

Here is what cannot be taught. Hardship. While every person on earth will experience some type of hardship in their lives, the ones born into it or thrust into terrible life circumstances have something very special that others do not have. Grit and persistence. Leaders that are forged in the fire have next-level skills. Most people live their lives trying to avoid hardship at all costs. We don’t want problems or tragedies in our lives. We certainly don’t invite it. But it comes and for some, it comes wave after wave. Those people have skills that no leader can teach them. The gifts that develop through tragedy are in no book or training. It becomes part of their DNA. The will to survive. The grit to keep going when your body has nothing left. The mental strength to push on when you have no hope in sight. When all feels lost and everyone else has quit, to take another step, to get back up one more time. These special people have battle scars. This makes them very impactful leaders. They don’t speak in allegories or platitudes. There is a depth to their words that cannot be simulated. Their faces may be worn, but they possess the heart of a lion. They do not fear change or run from obstacles. They stand and face them with resolve. Their lives inspire others. Maybe you are this type of leader, if you are we salute you and thank you for giving us all hope to get back up and keep going.

I believe leadership is desperately needed in the world today. Many in positions of leadership are pretenders, they know nothing of leadership, and they use their titles to manipulate others. Training up leaders has become my life’s mission. I know that as we train up more to lead, each life that is impacted, one life at a time we are changing the world for the good.

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Mark Pierce

Title: Trust & LLC Attorney/Co-Founder

Company: Cloud Peak Law Group

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-pierce-70185725/

Leadership. For some, this comes as easy and naturally as breathing. Others might struggle a bit to get used to the role, yet, like a new pair of shoes, once they’ve gotten used to and broken them in, it’s a seamless fit. Yet others, despite it all, just never seem to be able to get into that role as well as they would hope. However, despite this, my belief is that the ability to become a leader is not something you are born with; it’s something that is forged and learned through time, adversity and, sometimes, assistance from others. A leader cannot function on their own, so learning from others and taking feedback is an essential skill all leaders need and something that everyone can and should do, regardless if a leadership role is in your future. As long as you are open to learning and to keep on learning, regardless of the time it takes, anyone can become a leader.

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Natalie Palomino

Title: Founder, CEO

Company: North Authentic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliepalomino/

100%. Those born with leadership skills are born with a superpower. You can definitely learn leadership skills from books, coaches, etc. Plus, you get better the longer you do it. Whether or not you will be a great leader really comes with attitude. Everyone screws up and when you are a new leader, you definitely will. Learning from those mistakes and implementing those lessons is the key. Good leaders also are humble enough to know that they don’t know everything and seek out smart people to support them along the way.

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LATRENDA ROSS

Title: Founder and Life Coach

Company: Trending Into A New Life, LLC

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latrenda-ross-a6b70920/

I think that the best leaders are born, not made. I don’t think it’s possible to learn leadership skills and traits. I think that you either have them or you don’t, and that some people are just more naturally inclined towards being a leader than others. Leaders can certainly be taught techniques and strategies for how to lead effectively, but ultimately, I believe the most successful leaders are those who have a natural ability to motivate others and inspire them to work hard for a common goal. I think that leadership skills and traits cannot be learned. I believe that leadership is something that is intrinsic to a person, and it cannot be learned. Leadership is an inherent quality that must be developed over time. It’s not something you can learn in a classroom or by reading books about it. In fact, I think that leaders are born, not made—they just have a natural ability within them to step up and lead when they need to. For me, the best way to develop these traits is through experience; by taking on leadership roles in your career or personal life, you’ll start developing the skills necessary to become a great leader.

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John Simmons

Title: Deliverability Expert

Company: InboxAlly

Linkedin: Confidential

Leadership is a skill that you can learn and improve upon, but it’s not something that you can just pick up overnight.

The most important leadership traits are empathy and patience. You need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of everyone around you, which means understanding what they want, how they feel, and what their goals are. Leadership traits like empathy and patience are what set great leaders apart from good ones—and they’re skills that can’t be learned overnight.

In my experience, I’ve found that it’s very difficult to find someone who has all of these traits. There are some people who have one or two of them, but they don’t always have all three. So while there may be some things that can be learned about leadership skills and traits, there aren’t any shortcuts when it comes to developing these qualities in yourself or others.

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Robert O’Neill

Title: Founder and CEO

Company: Thatch Web Ltd

Linkedin: n/a

Leadership skills and traits are definitely learnable. In fact, I think they can be learned faster than most people think!

My personal experience with leadership is that it’s all about practicing being a leader, and then refining those practices until you get better at them. It’s not the same thing as learning to play an instrument or speak another language—it’s more like how you might learn how to play a sport or how to paint: you practice and then practice some more, and eventually, your skill level improves.

I think there are some things that are harder to learn than others: for example, if you’re not inclined toward leadership in the first place (which can be true for many people), then it might take longer for you to master those skills. But ultimately I believe that anyone who works hard enough at it can become an effective leader!

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Tomas McKinless

Title: Founder and CEO

Company: Abralytics

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasmck/

You can learn leadership skills and traits, but there is a difference between being able to do something and being good at it. What I mean by this is that you can learn how to play tennis, but that doesn’t mean you are going to be a great tennis player.

So what makes a great leader? I think it’s more about your character than anything else. Are you willing to take risks? Are you willing to make mistakes? Are you willing to admit when you’ve made a mistake? Do other people trust you enough to follow along with your lead?

The best leaders are those who are selfless, and who always put the needs of others before their own. And those are traits that cannot be taught or learned; they have to come from within.

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Thomas Niemczewski

Title: CEO and Founder

Company: Dream Chasers

Linkedin:

Leadership skills and traits can be learned. Leadership is not a natural talent but an acquired skill that can be learned. There are many different leadership styles, which is why there is no one-size-fits-all leadership development program. Leadership skills and traits can be learned when the leader has the right mindset and the right tools to develop those skills. One of those tools is the ability to learn how to lead effectively with others. When leaders are able to build a team of people who work well together, they will have a much easier time leading their organization in the long run.

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Aaron Rice

Title: Co-owner and Expert Dog Trainer

Company: Stayyy

Linkedin:

Leadership is a skill that can be learned. There is no doubt about that. However, it does take a lot of time and effort to learn this skill. Leadership skills and traits are not the same thing. Leadership skills are the ability to lead people in achieving their goals while leadership traits are personality traits that can help you to be a good leader. Leadership skills can be learned and developed through experience, but they cannot be taught directly. The best way to learn these skills is by observing those who have already mastered them and learning from them.

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Ankit Patel

Title: Dentist and CEO

Company: 24/7 Dental

Linkedin:

Leadership skills and traits are not innate, but they can be learned. They are developed from a combination of personality traits and experiences. Leadership skills and traits can be learned from both personal experience as well as through leadership training. Leadership training is the best way to develop these skills because it provides the opportunity to learn from other people’s mistakes and successes. Leadership skills and traits are developed by practicing them in different scenarios that test your ability to perform. These scenarios include giving feedback, making decisions, managing people, forming teams, etc. The more you practice these scenarios in different situations, the better you will get at leadership skills and traits.

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Liam Johnson

Title: CEO

Company: TheHitchStore

Linkedin: –

“Leadership skills and traits can be learned. The best business leaders didn’t have all the traits and skills from day one. They surely took time to hone their skills – tried again and again, even failed, and had to trek difficult paths just to be the best in what they do and take their companies to where they are now.

Many qualities (such as effective communication, innovation, and team-building) that make someone a great leader can be acquired through continuous education, learning from other people, and experience. The best leaders are those who acknowledge what they can and cannot do. Whatever they can, they sharpen to become better. And whatever they cannot, they strive to learn and develop.”

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Daniel Nyquist

Title: CMO

Company: Crosslist

Linkedin: n/a

I believe that you can learn almost any leadership skill. I’ve seen people who are naturally charismatic and friendly but lacked strong management skills. They were able to develop them through practice and coaching, and now they’re great leaders.

There are some traits that seem to be a product of your personality or life experiences—for example, if you grew up in an abusive household, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever be able to overcome that experience and become a great leader. But if you have the right attitude toward learning and growing as a person, there’s nothing stopping you from becoming a great leader!

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Matt Aubin

Title: Company Founder/Technical Investigation Specialist

Company: Counter Surveillance & Cyber Team

Linkedin:

Leadership skills and traits are not easy to learn. They are more about personality and character than anything else. But there is a way to get a head start in the process of developing these skills – by studying the skills of great leaders. Leadership is about more than just being able to make decisions – it’s about making those decisions with confidence, compassion, and intelligence. In order to do this, one must understand what makes an effective leader in the first place. The best way for someone who wants to learn leadership skills is by studying those of great leaders.

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Thomas Wright

Title: Business Owner

Company: The Lipo Group

Linkedin:

Leadership skills and traits can be learned. They can be taught to people of all ages, from infants to adults. The most important thing about teaching leadership skills is that the teacher must have a good understanding of the subject in order to teach it properly. People can learn leadership skills by taking courses or reading books on the subject. It is also possible for people to learn from experience, which is why there are many leaders who were not formally trained in leadership or management. Leadership traits can only be learned through experience, which is why it is important for people to take risks and make mistakes as a leader because that is where their leadership traits are most developed.

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Ryan Dunn

Title: Owner

Company: Custom Stickers

Linkedin: No

There are many different leadership skills and traits that can be learnt in order to be an effective leader. Some of these skills include communication, problem solving, and decision making. However, there are also some traits that are important for leaders to have, such as charisma, confidence, and integrity. These traits cannot be learned.

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Michelle Duncan

Title: Consultant

Company: Journey Consulting

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-duncan/

Yes, leadership skills can be learned. However, as with anything, a person has to want to learn. If they think that being made “boss” is about being in a position of power, then chances are they will never be interested in learning the soft skills that make someone a great leader. If, however, they approach leadership with a servant mindset intent on inspiring and helping the people reporting to them to grow, then they can become great leaders. I know this from personal experience. I was placed in my first leadership role when I was all of 20 years old with a whole 2 years of full-time work experience. It was a bumpy start as I applied the only technique I knew – micromanagement. Luckily for everyone who would ever report to me, I realized things weren’t working well and went searching for better leadership techniques. I attended training and read dozens of books. I talked to my employees about what I was learning and asked for their insights and help applying the concepts. Leadership became a partnership and it’s remained that way ever since.

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Ryan Stewman

Title: Founder and CEO of Hardcore Closer

Company: Hardcore Closer

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanstewman/

Yes, you can learn certain leadership skills and traits. Just like you can learn anything else in life, if you want to become a leader, you need to put in the time and effort to develop the necessary skills. However, it’s important to remember that not everyone is born with the same natural ability to lead. Some people may have a knack for it, but for most of us, becoming an effective leader requires practice and perseverance. The good news is that there are many resources available to help you develop the skills you need to be a successful leader. Whether you take courses, read books, or attend masterminds, there are plenty of opportunities to learn about leadership. By taking advantage of these resources, you can develop the skills and traits needed to be an effective leader.

However, integrity is the most important trait for a leader. It’s the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Integrity can’t be learned, you either have it or you don’t. If a leader doesn’t have integrity, they’re not going to be honest with themselves or with others. They’ll make decisions based on what’s best for them, not what’s best for the team. Integrity is also essential for building trust. If people don’t trust their leader, they’re not going to follow them. Integrity is the foundation of good leadership, and it’s the one leadership trait that cannot be learned.

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Shawn Munoz

Title: Brand Manager

Company: Pure Relief

Linkedin: N/A

If people were only born into leadership, practices like coaching or mentorship wouldn’t make such a significant difference in professionals’ leadership performance. The truth is that most skills are learned before they are born into us, and leadership is no exception.

Effective leaders can foster connections both with and between others, for example. It takes communication skills and know-how to succeed in accomplishing that, but even the most introverted professionals can learn or be coached into successfully networking with their peers.

Likewise, public speaking skills, empathy, and decision-making can all be coached into anyone, although it may come more naturally for some. There is certainly no rule saying that anyone willing to practice these skills cannot try to be a leader as well.

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Dr. Prav Solanki

Title: CEO/healthcare business consultant

Company: thefresh.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freshdentalsmileclinic/

I think that many of the technical skills and knowledge required to be a great leader can be learned. For example, I have learned some skills in marketing over the years that have helped me become a better leader in my current position. On the other hand, there are certain traits that it seems are not so easy to develop. For example, you cannot learn to be charismatic or empathetic. These qualities are innate and cannot be taught.

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Ben Warren

Title: CEO and Founder, Stress Reliever Club

Company: Stress Reliever Club

Linkedin: n/a

I definitely think you can learn some leadership skills and traits, but a lot of leadership comes from traits that cannot be learned, and only certain people will have the right traits to become the best leader they can be.

For me, you need to have drive and empathy to become a good leader, and these are traits that cannot be learned. There is no class on empathy, you either have it or you don’t, and those who don’t aren’t going to be very good leaders as they can’t understand what their team is going through.

It’s the same with drive, you need to put in the effort and want to lead if you are going to become a leader, those without drive will simply follow, as it is easier than leading.

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