Are leaders born or bred?

Of course they are born! Otherwise I don't think I want to see them. LOL

It has been a month since I participated in dragon boating. To succeed in any race, every member has to be a team player. If anyone does not get along well with the rest of the members, that person is a problem. In the case where the team has to deal with a high maintenance individual, what should it do? Do they remove him or her?

In this case, I would classify the achievers from non-achievers. Non-achievers make lots of noise to increase their circle of influence. But achievers respond to results. Noise distracts them from their goals. If the non-achievers are not dealt with, achievers will feel frustrated and eventually underperform and leave the team.

The most important single ingredient to the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. As a quiet observer of team dynamics, I could not help notice a non-achiever in the group. Her name is Dolly. According to Aristotle, a good leader has good Ethos. Ethos means Ethics and it has to do with the credibility of the influencer. Dolly struck me as a normal and nice individual at first sight. However, she became less impressionable over time as I related to her more (and the good news is I am not the only one feeling this way!). She has declined in her level of Ethos.

She declined on her level of Ethos because she made several mistakes in trying to be a leader of the group. She is my perfect case study of what a good leader should never do...=) Now I am trying to figure out the reasons behind her actions.

I believe that she is behaving is an ineffective manner because she enjoys doing the task herself. She loves feeling needed. She wants to keep control and she does not recognise the leadership potential in people around her.

The last reason I discovered is the worst thing a leader can do and this causes people around him or her to lose faith in their leadership. She needs to understand the law of significance. That is, One is too small a number to achieve greatness. If the team does not work together, that team is a nightmare.

In addition, she has failed to understand her level of leadership. When the dragon boating team was formed, she was appointed to be one of the influential team members. That is a leader by position. Her influence at this point will not extend beyond the lines of her position in the team. But the longer she remains at this level, the lower the morale in the team. What she needs to do is to earn the respect of others by doing for others what they value. When she earns their respect, people will recognise her as a leader and follow because of who she is and what she represents.

I do hope one day she may realise her lack of skills in relationship building and group dynamics. If only she was willing to Listen! There are definitely good leaders in the team whom she can learn from (Drucker is my greatest example. =))
If a non-achiever refuses to listen or be equipped with the necessary skills of being a team player, that is when you know it is time for him or her to go. Today, she is no longer in the sub committee. She has declined on her Ethos and is no longer on the leadership ladder.