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(U) Are Leaders Made or Born?
FROM: Charles H. Berlin III
SID Chief of Staff
Run Date: 09/16/2003
(U) In the last articles we have explored the basis
of leadership according to Berlin (you'll find I have
an opinion about most everything!). I have
received lots of feedback (both way good and way bad) and I am
glad it's a topic of discussion. No one seems "blah" about the
subject, that's for sure. I maintain that people are good, leadership
makes a difference and leaders have to be prepared to lead with a
passion for the mission. But any good engineer would make sure
this whole equation was feasible first. So the question remains out
there: Can leaders be made? Can people be trained to lead? Or are
just a few born to it? It's the old nature verses nurture question.
(U) Well, here it is, up front: Leaders are made, not born . To
be sure, they are not cranked out of a factory. Schooling alone
does not a leader make. It takes a combination of schooling,
experience, and mentoring to make a leader. Here's the other
thing: almost anyone at any level can do it! "Important" position is
not required; genius mental capacity is not required; world-class
athleticism is not required; and (fortunately for some of us) good
looks are not required either. But, at the same time, there are a
few qualities that must lie within you to lead. The rest of leadership
can be taught. The good news: the required qualities are in all of
us to some degree. In my mind it comes down to these three:
Heart, Courage and Resiliency.
Heart is the trait that keeps a leader from giving up - to
push it over the top, to overcome obstacles.
Courage is the trait that keeps hope alive - to set sail in
uncertainty.
Resiliency is the trait that gets you back up when you get
knocked down.
(U//FOUO) In reality, we are all born leaders to some extent - so I
contradict myself a bit - but it's not a simple binary choice, like so
many important things. We have these traits in some combination.
But it takes a series of training and mentoring events in
combination to make us effective leaders. The experience of taking
on responsibility is probably the best teacher. It is a test of heart
and courage and resiliency every time. Any leader development
process must have this component. A series of ever-increasing
levels of responsibility is the template of a leader's career. I
believe it is a strategic imperative for the Agency to embark on a
serious leader development path. You can see the beginnings of
this commitment in the Center for Leadership and Professional
Development at the NCS. We will need the mentorship part and the
workplace experience part to round this out. That's our job as
operational leaders. Do we have the program in place? Have you
been developed? Have you developed yourself? Have you
developed someone else? It's a journey, but one you need not take
alone. Want to join me? Let's lead!
SERIES:
(U) Charles Berlin
Discusses Leadership
1. Leadership: Your
View of People
2. Leaders Really Do
Make a Difference
3. What Does a Leader
Do?
4. Are Leaders Made or
Born?
(U//FOUO) Speaking of joining me, I will be having a brown bag
lunch this Friday from 1130-1230 in Ops 1, 2C087 to discuss
leadership in a group setting. What to do when your leadership is
bad? Where do I get a mentor? Who am I to judge anyone? Why is
being a leader so hard at NSA? Can I lead from an Enlighten
newsgroup? Are leadership and collaboration mutually exclusive?
These and the meaning of life can all be discussed - see you then.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
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