When Dave Buffenbarger wrote: <I have seen very few people people move
into leadership job . . . and change to any great extent.> it caused me
to reflect on many events where people have exhibited what appeared to
be significant change when put into a leadership role. I see people as
adaptable and capable of adjusting their responses to the conditions at
the moment. Given a significant_traumatic_event, (STE) I believe a
person will reach into a previously untapped reservoir of knowledge and
experience and come forth with a response. That response can be seen as
"natural leadership." I see it as the product of experience over time.
For those who have observed and experienced positive leadership, they
can learn by that association; those who have experienced poor
leadership can also learn a posititive lesson from that experience. Each
piece adding to the cumulative memory. This person, having also acquired
high ethical standards and an element of self-confidence may suddenly
appear to have completely uncharacteristic leadership ability brought on
by an event.
That STE can be less significant for some and completely unrecognized by
others as an event, yet it brings forth what appears to be a marked
change in behavior. I have seen this in young sailors, new managers,
recently widowed or divorced single parents, and the newly elected mayor
of a small town.
I agree that leadership traits do not come naturally, but do believe
that they can come to a person over time, either through conscious
effort or by osmosis. For some it comes easier than for others. I agree
with this statement attributed to Admiral Arleigh Burke:
Leadership is a difficult, but not impossible, quality to
acquire. Any individual who really wants to be a leader
can be one. It takes hard work. It takes knowledge. It
takes enthusiasm. But it can be done.
Comment?
-- Don Denier, ddz@inel.gov - 208 526-2207 Idaho National Engineering Laboratory