There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from. -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
I was at my usual location a few Mondays ago, the airport. This time waiting for my flight
from London to Sao Paolo, Brazil. As I was sitting in the frequent flyer lounge a gray-haired gentleman sat down at the table next to me. He was a few years older and looked like a curious combination of frequent traveller and college professor. Turned out it was a lucky guess on my part, because when I asked what he did for work, he replied he taught leadership at a university and was on his way back from a speaking engagement in London.
So, choice time! I could either say something nice and go back to my iPad where i was composing a new blog posting, or I could “fire for effect”. Surprise. I fired a single tracer round (honest, it wasn’t me, it was my evil twin).
“You can’t teach leadership! It can be learned, but it can’t be taught.”
His head shot up and he looked at me oddly, obviously not expecting anything but polite “stranger talk”. I grinned (always throws them off-balance). I could see his mind racing, obviously thinking to himself, should I engage with this nutcase or just move tables?
So for the next fifteen minutes, until we each rushed off towards different destinations, we had a conversation about leadership, something we both knew a little about; he from an academic viewpoint and me from years of consulting with CEOs on thorny leadership issues.
He was fascinating, with a mountain of research about what constitutes good and bad leadership. He told me he lectured on leadership in the hope of helping executives and others better understand what’s required when a person moves into a position of leadership. “There are so few good leadership role models out there today, especially in politics and public service,” he remarked. “It’s important we point out what good leadership looks like. And we have some excellent academic research to prove the point.”
He also understood my point of view. “Leadership can’t be taught, but it can be learned!” I spoke about the inner qualities of personal accountability, the inner drive to make a positive difference, about the courage to make the right decisions, not just the right political decisions. Without these inner ingredients, no amount of lecturing will take hold.
We shook hands and went our separate ways. He had given me a lot to think about on my long flight to Brazil. I suspect he carried some food for thought as well.
What’s your point of view on leadership education?
Tight Lines . . .
John R Childress
john@johnrchildress.com
Interesting quote on leadership can’t be taught though it can be learned. I wish I heard the rest of the convo.
I facilitate a workshop called The Leadership Challenge based on the book of Kouzes and Posner. They, and I believe, leaders can be made.
The reason why many fall short is, they don’t put into practice what they’ve learned.
Management sends a group of their people to a leadership workshop thinking they’re all leaders when they come out the other side. After a period of time, the majority go back to their old ways.
Becoming a great leader is a marathon, not a 100 yard dash.
I’m with Steve on the marathon. I might also add that leadership is like dieting…you have to keep at it and build discipline and muscle memory…too easy to get lazy and cut corners…great post John. And yes John, Chopra would agree that nothing is a coincidence.
Dear John: I have an opposing view point. I believe that leadership can be taught. You teach leadership by teaching people to be leaders of themselves and then you will have a good leader. You taught me how to be a good leader when you helped me understand that leadership is about being a giver and having the drive to be honest with myself and others. The number one thing that a leader needs to have is the wiilingness to be a giver and then you follow that up with total honesty and then you have a great leader. Respectfully, Mike Petrusek
I think where John is coming from is the commitment to becoming a leader belongs to the student. They have to do the work.
Pingback: So, let me tell you about my day Dad… – Lead.Learn.Live.
Pingback: Leadership Can’t Be Taught . . . | John R Childress . . . rethinking leadership