Are leaders born or made?  I don’t believe it’s either.  As with elite athletes, some leaders are naturals and some have to work hard to become good leaders.  Also, I believe context can be as important as one’s specific leadership skills.  We are all leaders in some situations and followers in others.  Let me qualify this by making it clear that I’m not a psychologist and I don’t have a masters in leadership.  What I have is almost 20 years of experience working both as an employee and as a senior leader in manufacturing.  I’ve lived both sides of the leader/follower equation and these are my observations. Continue reading →