Leadership Skills Training Takes 'Natural Born Leaders' to Higher Performance Levels 

What do you think? Do you think that leaders are born and not made? 

Some people naturally aspire to leadership positions. Attracted to roles where they get to make decisions, gain authority and exert influence or power, some people find leadership appealing. These are the people who want to be in the forefront. In my opinion, these people naturally gravitate toward these tendencies and they aren’t necessarily learned. These people just seem to be “wired” for leadership from birth. 

I also believe that most of us, to some extent, have leadership potential. We all hear about extreme situations, such as during times of crisis or disasters, that bring out previously undetected leadership potential in some people. These are the ones who step in at the right place and at the right time, making life better for everyone. 

However, I do believe that effective leadership skills are learned.  Based on my experience, leadership skills training teaches aspiring leaders how to do things such as make wise decisions and make things happen. Also, leadership skills training comes alive when leader trainees learn from other seasoned leaders. They can learn from other leaders, including from their mistakes, and they can modify their techniques and approaches to match their own personalities. 

Let’s talk about leadership skills training and its role in the workplace. Business or organizational leadership is all about inspiring people to move in a certain direction. A leader paints a picture, creates a vision, gets people excited and “walks the talk.” Basically, a leader gets people to move from one place to another and toward some goal or objective which results in everyone feeling a sense of accomplishment. 

As I indicated before, most people have leadership potential. Some are often the “unofficial” leaders seen at all levels of an organization. Since leadership is really a behavior, not a position, these people may not have “VP” as their title and they may not be into strategic planning. But if you watch for them, they are the ones who keep meetings on track and on time, garner enthusiasm for a project, etc. 

Leadership skills training is primarily about improving communication skills and becoming more self-aware. Some leaders aren’t even aware that their day-to-day behaviors, if left unchecked, can have negative effects on their employees. I know of an executive coach who explains that some leaders succeed not because of what they do, but in spite of what they do. 

Some leaders have blind spots and they don’t realize how their actions, words and behaviors impact others, sometimes in unfavorable ways. For instance, they may be too gruff in meetings. Or they may treat others in condescending or sarcastic ways which actually disconnects them from their employees. 

Again, this is why a leader’s communication skills play an important part in developing a successful business environment.  For instance, a successful leader knows how to effectively communicate when it’s time to: 

• Talk to employees about a dramatic change
• Get employees excited about a new project
• Rally people from a tough marketplace loss
• Enlist support for a new product launch

As you can see, it is critical for leaders to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills so they can connect with their employees. It’s only when people connect with their leaders that they buy into their ideas, do the right things and work toward a common goal. 

Which leads us to why feedback becomes very important in a leadership skills training program. In my next "Insights" post, I will discuss ways that leaders can benefit from employee feedback. 

When people connect with a leader, they are more likely to buy into their ideas, do the right things and work toward a common goal. To be this effective, leaders must be self-aware and possess good communication skills.