A thought by Chad Veach from his book, I Work with People (p. 25). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
That is a good thing to know!
Chad says, "They don’t have to work at it like the rest of us do, the myth says—they just coast along on their innate greatness. But that would be like saying LeBron James and Russell Wilson coast on their athletic ability, and nothing could be further from the truth: they work relentlessly and passionately on every aspect of their game. Sure, they have natural gifts and abilities, but they have also multiplied those gifts and abilities many times over through training and hard work. They invest in themselves, and their investment pays off.
"The same could be said for every sport, skill, or profession in the world, including leadership. Some people are naturally gifted, but no one is naturally great. Everyone has to work at what they do. Everyone has to invest in themselves: in their craft, in their art, in their game."
He goes on, "No matter how much raw leadership talent you were born with, your long-term effectiveness will depend on what you do with the talent you have now. Will you develop it, strengthen it, and share it? Or will you coast along, hoping that lackluster effort will somehow produce great influence?
"Scientific research backs up the idea that investment in leadership ability matters. This is a key point, because for decades (or maybe centuries), leadership theorists have argued over whether leaders are born or made. Are leadership traits predetermined or can they be learned? How does a leader emerge? Is leadership the result of nature or nurture?
"If leaders are born, then not everyone can be a leader, or at least not a great leader. According to this perspective, if you aren’t naturally gifted, or if you’ve never held a leadership role, or if you don’t come from a family of leaders, then maybe you aren’t “meant” to lead. This approach places a high value on inborn traits, such as your personality and gifts, and essentially states that only certain kinds of people make effective leaders."
He continues, "On the other hand, if leaders are made, then innate gifts play no role and you could theoretically become as great a leader as the amount of effort you’re willing to put into it. According to this perspective, anyone can be a great leader if they just work hard enough."
He later says, "Leaders are both born and made, but mostly made. Even if your genes are not in your favor, so to speak, your DNA doesn’t determine your leadership destiny—not even close.
He then says, "... you can choose to become a great leader, an effective leader, an influential leader. You make that choice by investing in yourself and your leadership role. You can’t control everything in your environment, but you can control a lot. And if you’re willing to invest in your leadership development, you can take whatever gifts, abilities, knowledge, and resources you start with and multiply them many times over."
So let's do our part to take what God has given us and to multiply them many times over. Will you do your part to develop the potential that is you? Will you?
Yes, yes!
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