Born or Made?
Having read more books on leadership in the last thirty-seven years of pastoral ministry than I can count, editors Nohria and Khurana’s Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice was a breath of fresh air with its scholarly research rather than popular opinions. Searching the word “leadership” in Amazon results in over 90,000 titles made available. Alberto Silva quotes Stogdill as saying “there are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept,” Bennis estimated at the end of the 20th century there were at least 650 definitions, and Kellerman was quoted saying he had heard of some 1,400 different definitions.[1] A common question that seems to drive this insatiable need to understand leadership is whether leaders are born or made.
The question of whether leadership is natural or nurtured is thoroughly addressed in various essays in this text through some twenty-four references. These scholars lean toward leaders being developed though there are “different levels of inherited or innate leadership capabilities.”[2] Those who hold to trait theories tend to historically equate leadership with being male and attribute their capabilities to being born with extraordinary genes indicating a type of super hero image.[3]
After much reading and years of experience I agree that leadership is developed. There are people who seem to have a natural gift to lead larger organizations than others. They also seem to have the innate understanding and determination to expand their abilities and deliberately pursue such growth. When the Apostle Paul was describing the body of Christ he describes the gifts placed in the church and he lists leadership among them.[4] Yet, even those gifted must steward their gifts to fulfill the potential placed within them. “Although prodigies are born, it is clear they are then made through their social interactions.”[5] This is an interesting statement given the God-design of the body of Christ with each intended to fit together and build one another up. Without word space to expound here, could it be that leadership is more of a co-creative culture found in many rather than in one person?
Many of the essays in Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice describe similar concepts as we have utilized from Bobby Clinton’s Leadership Emergence Theory.[6] Clinton posits a five-phase generalized timeline which includes Sovereign foundations, inner-life growth, ministry maturing, life maturing and convergence. He includes a sixth called afterglow for the elder years of reflection on a lived well lived. This lifetime development process of leadership is filled with what Clinton calls “testing patterns” such as integrity, word and obedience checks, isolation and other somewhat unpleasant seasons and experiences.[7] These have the potential to bring about some of the most difficult yet rewarding moments of personal transformation and development. They also reveal character and perseverance which are critical to resilience and finishing well.
I devote much of my time and energy to the topic of leadership development in the church as discipling, training and sending are the central focus of our purpose. The concept of a deliberately developmental organization seems to be on the rise as the world feels the leadership vacuum that exists. “Anyone who has ever suffered under an incompetent leader knows the local toll it takes, and it’s not hard to imagine how it multiplies at the highest levels of organization and society.”[8] The incompetent leadership we have encountered in the church has to do with a lack of holistic development, not just skill set. We use the triad of heart (personal transformation), head (ministry formation) and hand (skill formation) to frame our developmental process. This has become my personal focus because much of my work is also cleaning up the damage done by poor leadership. Unfortunately, in the church it is not just reputation or financial loss that results, but far weightier matters, the destruction of hearts and often a crisis of faith for many.
Given the consequences of poor leadership as well as the impact of good leadership it is vital to intentionally develop leaders. As the authors stated,
Even if some leaders are ‘born,’ there clearly aren’t enough such gifted people to go around, and we need all the help we can get. It is time to move past the naïve notion that mastery of leadership can be achieved in the classroom or through piecemeal application of human resource programs and tools. Taking leadership development seriously means using experience wisely to help those with sufficient dedication and desire to learn the craft. It will not come easily.[9]
It is no wonder Jesus said “the workers are few” and to “make disciples.”[10] Are leaders born? Some, but not enough, and even those need intentional development. I am reminded of LGP9’s host at St. Stephen’s Society in Hong Kong. When one of us commented on the number of leaders they have and asked how they identify them, she looked rather puzzled at us and said, “We grow everybody and see what Jesus does!”
[1] Alberto Silva, “What is Leadership?” Journal of Business Studies Quarterly
2016, Volume 8, Number 1, http://jbsq.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/September_2016_1.pdf
[2] Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana eds., Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice (Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2010), 21.
[3] Ibid, 122, 287.
[4] I Corinthians 12:27-29, Romans 12:8 NET
[5] Nohria and Khurana, 614.
[6] J. Robert Clinton, The Making of a Leader, Second Edition: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2012), ii.
[7] Ibid., ix.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Matthew 28:18, 9:37 NET
About the Author
Tammy Dunahoo
Tammy is a lover of God, her husband, children and grandchildren. She is the V.P. of U.S. Operations/General Supervisor of The Foursquare Church.7 responses to “Born or Made?”
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Your comments about “cleaning up after” situations that arise because of poor leadership ring so true to me. Countless hours have been spent among denominational leaders like yourself having to try and fix the disappointments and shortcomings of clergy that haven’t been well equipped. In our field these issues are so much more dire. if a business goes bankrupt . . . that is one thing. If an individual, or an entire community, experiences a deep spiritual wound because of poor church leadership . . .. that is a far worse happenstance.
I’m of the camp that believes leaders are developed as well. But as soon as I say that I also wonder about the aspect of leadership that seems absent from scholarly literature. I’m talking about the Moseses of this world who reluctantly serve; or the Esther’s who are “called for such a time as this;” or the Gideon’s who defy convention. I wonder how God’s calling plays a part in leadership. There are the Daniels and Josephs who rose to prominent secular positions in their respective kingdoms and it seems like the only common quality in them is that they trusted God’s faithfulness to deliver the outcome.
Perhaps one of us should include the Biblical account of leadership in our scholarly work. I would like to read that someday.
Awesome post Tammy. I’m drawn most to this sentence, “could it be that leadership is more of a co-creative culture found in many rather than in one person”, as it speaks to the nature of relationships and how they can add or take away from us. I think in the Spirit-filled world we tend to lean too much on the “one” and as a result have seen major damage in the church but a shift from one focused to community focus might help. While people will always have the choice to make the wrong decision, moving away from “they are gifted and therefore no one but God can lead them” needs to be done away it in the church, at least I think so.
This is a great post on whether leaders are born or made. I agree with you that there some that are born but they are not enough to go around. Its imperative that every leader should develop other leaders, not just to replace them but as Paul says in 2 timothy 2:2, to train leaders who in turn are able to train others, that can train others in a multiplication model. Jesus had the vision of the Gospel being preached first in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria and ultimately to the utmost parts of the world, this could only be accomplished by deliberately developing the disciples in a way that they would also develop others to ultimately reach the world. We have to be very intentional about developing leaders and scholarly research should be aimed at availing tools and materials for developing good leaders.
Tammy, I agree that it is up to us to make leaders, as we make disciples. I think the biggest mistake is believing we cannot do something because we were not gifted with natural abilities. We need to constantly develop our talents and abilities to be the leaders God called us to be.
Tammy,
Thanks so much for an excellent post. Your scholarship, leadership, and experience converge in your post. Sadly you state, “…much of my work is also cleaning up the damage done by poor leadership. Unfortunately, in the church it is not just reputation or financial loss that results, but far weightier matters, the destruction of hearts and often a crisis of faith for many.” There is also the legacy of leaders hurt and wounded from serving under poor leaders. We need better modes of developing leaders now more than ever. Thanks again for your wise leadership. Blessings, H
Hi Tammy. Like you I have read a lot of material on leadership, but it’s only in recent times that the material has had a more academic reflection and honest fact based assessment of leadership models. In part, leadership has a degree of mystery to it. While reading your comment I reflected on leadership competence as pschology. I haven’t really thought about it before, but I have lived under incompetence that has been annoying but not detructive, and likewise effective leadership outcomes but with a sociopathy resulting in unecessary pain for too many. It seems we need expanding conceptions of leadership skills and models, alongside reflective spiritual formation, and psychological wellbeing complete with assessment. Nothing worse than a successful psychopath at the helm.