Successful Management Guidelines (Collection)

Truth 22. Five Leadership Myths Debunked

With the possible exception of wrinkle removers and weight-loss programs, there may be no subject with more nonsense masquerading as truth than the topic of leadership. Let’s look at five popular leadership myths.

Myth #1. Leaders are born, not made. A prominent myth is that leadership qualities are inherent in the individual: A select group of people are born to lead, while most of us are born to follow. The evidence indicates that genetics does have some influence on leadership emergence. Studies indicate that about 30 percent of leadership emergence can be accounted for by genetic factors. But that still leaves 70 percent to environmental influences. So while a few traits associated with leadership ...