Leaders - Born or Made!
Classic and perhaps an endless debate!
I do not know if the management community has concluded anything on this! But it was interesting to read an interview of Prof. Andrew Kakabadse, Deputy-Director at Cranfield School of Management. I was fortunate enough to attend a few sessions of Prof. Kakabadse during the Cranfield MBA.
I share here a couple of his quotes:
"The worst aspects of leadership came from younger managers, especially those who were well educated, and intellectually very bright. They tended to make the worst decisions because they turned strategic concerns into operational concerns. They want to make an impact within eighteen to twenty-four months before they move on - the business, the profitability looks good, but have they actually invested in the long-term effectiveness of the brand? The answer is no. What we noted is that middle, i.e. younger managers tended to look at operational costs and operational gains, i.e. short-term costs and gains, rather than opportunity gains or costs, the impact of which takes longer to realize. "
"From a survey in which I have been involved, covering 8,000 organizations across 14 countries, the overall finding is that leadership qualities are all learned."
As I introspect, I remember studying a few electives on Leadership. I believe that while the theory is good, whether you are indeed a leader or not depends on what you practice. And whether you practice Leadership or not depends on the choices you make. No one taught me Leadership during my 13 years of corporate career in India prior to MBA. No one is teaching it to me now after the MBA. But what you don't practice, remains nowhere. I learnt the most of it on-the-job! How?
By observing my supervisors and other managers around me! Learning and adopting their practices which I found good! Ensuring that I avoid the mistakes I saw them making! And I continue to use this tactic even today. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, my career till date has at least confirmed that this practice works.
Is there a better way to learn or become a leader? I am very interested to find out. And I'll save the desire to see a simple, plain English definition of Leadership for another day.
I do not know if the management community has concluded anything on this! But it was interesting to read an interview of Prof. Andrew Kakabadse, Deputy-Director at Cranfield School of Management. I was fortunate enough to attend a few sessions of Prof. Kakabadse during the Cranfield MBA.
I share here a couple of his quotes:
"The worst aspects of leadership came from younger managers, especially those who were well educated, and intellectually very bright. They tended to make the worst decisions because they turned strategic concerns into operational concerns. They want to make an impact within eighteen to twenty-four months before they move on - the business, the profitability looks good, but have they actually invested in the long-term effectiveness of the brand? The answer is no. What we noted is that middle, i.e. younger managers tended to look at operational costs and operational gains, i.e. short-term costs and gains, rather than opportunity gains or costs, the impact of which takes longer to realize. "
"From a survey in which I have been involved, covering 8,000 organizations across 14 countries, the overall finding is that leadership qualities are all learned."
As I introspect, I remember studying a few electives on Leadership. I believe that while the theory is good, whether you are indeed a leader or not depends on what you practice. And whether you practice Leadership or not depends on the choices you make. No one taught me Leadership during my 13 years of corporate career in India prior to MBA. No one is teaching it to me now after the MBA. But what you don't practice, remains nowhere. I learnt the most of it on-the-job! How?
By observing my supervisors and other managers around me! Learning and adopting their practices which I found good! Ensuring that I avoid the mistakes I saw them making! And I continue to use this tactic even today. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, my career till date has at least confirmed that this practice works.
Is there a better way to learn or become a leader? I am very interested to find out. And I'll save the desire to see a simple, plain English definition of Leadership for another day.
posted by Sandeep Gupta at
12:17 pm
1 Comments:
Leadership - one can learn, I suppose, about which method to use and when, possibly learn to predict the effects of your decisions. But what about the will lead? To stand up and be counted? The will to take the risk, face the music? That has to come from within, I'd say.
Sandeep, I re-read your blog - again. Now with a different perspective, it still is very compelling.
By
Rahul Bhargav, at 14 January 2007 at 16:45:00 GMT
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