A leader stands out for having certain personality traits that allow him to stand out from the rest, such as temperament, values, and the ability to adapt. In addition, he must have Emotional Intelligence to avoid a variety of actions that he should not do.
Many people believe that one is born with the ability to be a leader, especially when they see some individuals who, from childhood, have the ability to communicate, interact and persuade without any effort. This makes one think that there are certain personality factors that allow one to have this condition naturally.
This statement becomes relevant when we observe that not all people have the necessary skills to lead a team and be able to direct, motivate and lead it to success. When analyzing this situation, many questions arise about what makes up the personality of a natural leader.
How is a leader born?
When considering whether a leader is born with the characteristics that define him or her , it is important to consider what the Trait Theory sets forth , as explained by psychologist Barbara Engler in her book Theories of Personality (1996). In the text, the author details that traits are specific qualities that each individual has, such as emotional changes, temperament, adaptation and values, with which the person can revolve around a specific particularity.
Thus, it is possible to infer that the characteristics of a leader, such as confidence, intelligence, responsibility, firmness, optimism, honesty, determination, vision and inspiration, are traits with which one is born . In this way, any person who has these qualities is destined to demonstrate his or her leadership skills at any time in his or her life.
However, not all individuals know how to develop their abilities to cpa email list the fullest, so they need to consciously learn and experiment. Especially since each person has a different leadership style, with which they can be successful just like others, just by strengthening their skills.
For his part, psychologist Daniel Goleman explains that the leader is distinguished by self-awareness, motivation, self-control, the ability to socialize and empathy, with which he can capture the emotions of the group to guide them towards a positive result, using Emotional Intelligence (EI) , as explained in his book How to be a leader: Why emotional intelligence does matter? (2015). Therefore, developing EI serves to reinforce all the innate elements of the leader .
Differences between leader and leadership
A leader is a person who performs leadership functions, either because he or she was appointed to fulfill this role or because he or she volunteered to do so. Leadership, on the other hand, represents the style in which collective management of people is carried out, highlighting the individual characteristics of the leader.
Thus, the leader is a person or position of authority and leadership defines the relationship between the leader and his followers. In addition, there are other characteristics that mark the differences between both concepts, as shown below:
The leader depends on his personal skills and leadership is influenced by the qualities of the leader and how he conducts situations.
The leader has the ability to promote change and inspire his team, while leadership stands out for the effects or results it produces.
Leaders are trained to enhance their intrapersonal skills. Leadership, on the other hand, reinforces commitment, trust and respect through interpersonal improvement.