Leaders are made not born. Discuss this statement with references to theories of leadership. Conclude whether or not this statement is valid based on your research.

The first 200 words of this essay...

Leaders are made not born. Discuss this statement with references to theories of leadership. Conclude whether or not this statement is valid based on your research.

Leadership is the ability to exert influence over other people. No one can argue that some people have leadership skills and some people don't. One thing we can, and do, argue about, however, is the origin of leadership. Are some people just naturally born to be leaders? Or is leadership simply a set of skills that can be learned by anyone, regardless of the personality one is born with?

For more than a century, scientists have conducted numerous studies on the issue of whether personality traits, including leadership qualities, are innate or learned. What many have found is that genetics do play a part in certain behavioral characteristics, such as shyness, intelligence, dominance, social presence and aggression. Researchers at the University of Western Ontario conducted a psychological study of twins in 1998 in an attempt to determine whether there is a "leadership gene." They did not find specific evidence of the existence of such a gene, but concluded instead that leadership qualities are more likely the result of a combination of