@Phil – Thanks so much phil! It means a lot to know you’ve enjoying reading this series. You and David at Slacker Manager drew me into reading blogs and many related topics for my site here so definitely appreciate your feedback on the series!

@Start Blogging – I don’t agree it is amusing (to me it is sad really) but I think I know what you mean, there are plenty of differing opinions and studies done on leadership. However, it is a very complex thing and I wouldn’t agree that there are that many differing meanings among the people who have truly experienced it and studied it for a good portion of their lives. I find there is a huge amount of consensus and consistency with a lot of bad advice and meanings scattered in place by people who have never truly put the effort in that it takes to understand what leadership really is. I am hoping my series can help open that avenue to what leadership truly is from those who are passionate enough to both study and experience it.

Thanks for writing it!

That first paragraph, what I mean is that they are not the ONLY things that make a leader, but they do tend to be some of the qualities and are shown by actions. Does that make more sense? Many people find that a few leadership characteristics are all that is needed, and that just can’t be true since there are so many different types of leaders, and they are far more complicated than a few traits.

@Viriya, leadership is all over, but most people don’t see it, recognize it, value it or practice it. It might be natural in some ways but most people do naturally follow. They follow groups, crowds, consensus by avoiding pressure, risk and challenges. Leadership is something that has to be deliberate and this is where Ross’s question is great as well.

While I think there is some point of where people will naturally be born with it or not, I think that mostly leadership must be learned and practiced deliberately to have any real influence. Natural leaders have always learned it, whether it’s late in life or from early childhood, they learned it from their social network, surroundings and even from their own personalities. That to though is learned based on surroundings and influence largely from parents so it’s mostly learned.

I am convinced that leadership can be learned and have had many successes at seeing it develop and in training it to others. Sure it comes faster for some and some seem like more natural than others, but that only comes because of years of conditioning in life, not because they were born with it or not. The Can you learn leadership? DEFINITELY! There are some natural traits that lead to the stereotypical leader but that is my point in the next article really about knowing yourself. There are leaders with all personalities and all skill sets, they lead different kinds of people in different kinds of situations so that fit needs to be there and if it is, everyone has a natural leadership fit that they can develop and learn. Make sense?

I certainly feel that there are personalities who are born leaders. Despite all the training in the world, some people will just never have that natural ability like some do.

I’m a bit late to the party, but really interested in this leadership series, Mike!

In my opinion, leadership is the nature of life. Leadership is everywhere, from the modern days back to tribesmen; and to animals. Leadership is the force; it is the connectivity; it is the gravity. Leadership is how you shape your behaviours and those behaviours magnate and energise others. Mixing those three styles is absolutely essential and keeping the balance is the key.

I look at the sun and the solar system. The sun is the leader and it leads planets and let the planet, Earth, develop its own way. The sun supplies the necessity (sunlight and heat) and keeps the balance (the gravity). That is, from my point of view, the ultimate leader (and it is not a CEO!).

Your first paragraph ends with a sentence that to me seems to contradict itself: “These are not things that make a leader, but they tend to be some of the qualities of a leader and are often shown by their actions.”