Nature or Nurture: Why it doesn’t really matter whether you’re a natural born or a taught leader

Ask someone on your team and they’ll probably weigh in with an opinion: Are leaders born or made? Is a person’s genetics, like inheriting red hair or having a proclivity for spicy food, what makes leadership effortless for some? Or do these traits almost always need to be taught?

It’s more the latter, thankfully. According to a Gallup study, only one in 10 truly possesses the natural talent to lead people. Most of us need to learn how to do it to be successful at it.

If Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither are leaders.

It takes time and intention for the majority of us. The good thing is we know what makes a standout leader, so we can replicate it.

“A great leader possesses several key qualities that inspire and guide others toward success,” said Crystalle Ramsey, instructor for UNC Charlotte’s new Leading Change Certificate program. “The best way to train leaders is through a combination of formal training programs, practical experiences and ongoing support.”

Ramsey has led various teams in numerous industries for the last 25 years, and is considered an expert in teaching learned leadership, especially in hybrid work environments. She’ll open her toolkit for successful leadership during the eight-course Leading Change Certificate program, sharing the essential skills needed for building team trust, delegating, managing change and becoming nimble leaders. The timing couldn’t be better, as the need for new leaders continues to rise.

10,000 Baby Boomers reach retirement age every day.

Baby Boomers, retiring in record numbers since the beginning of the pandemic, have created a changing of the guard in the workforce. According to the Pew Research Center, 29 million boomers retired in 2020, and by 2030 an anticipated 75 million will have called it quits, leaving other generations to take over the reins they once held.

Not only are we losing a generation of leaders, we’re facing a work environment that looks drastically different from just a few years ago. The onset of the pandemic uprooted workers from their office cubicles and replanted them at their kitchen tables. Today, as the national quarantine moves deeper into our past, our work teams remain split. A 2023 survey conducted by Work from Home Research shows that 59% of employees have returned to the office at least five days a week, while 12% remain fully remote and 29% do a bit of both. These multiple work locations have created significant communication and collaboration challenges for leaders.

“Ensuring seamless integration and equal participation among team members, regardless of their physical location, can be a significant hurdle,” said Ramsey. “Additionally, maintaining team cohesion and a sense of belonging can also be more difficult with hybrid arrangements.” Leading High-Functioning Hybrid Teams, one of the courses in the Leading Change Certificate program, will explore the strategies and tools leaders can use to create hybrid teams that excel.

Good bosses keep learning.

Successful bosses know that the evolution of the workplace requires that they continue to evolve too. Change is constant. Learning how to bring out the best in your team should be too. “I think what a lot of leaders miss is that your primary responsibility as a leader is your people,” said Ramsey. “It’s not the day-to-day stuff. It’s the people first.”