Why leaders are made and not born

I often hear people say, “Well, you got lucky  – after all, you are a born leader.” I am going to disappoint and cheer you up at the same time: no one is born a leader. Leadership is an inner power that people feel instinctively, which allows the leader to influence and manage people and lead the team to great results. There are more people who wish to have this power than those who have managed to acquire it. This is why it is a common misconception that leaders have some inborn qualities; otherwise, how did they achieve so much?

However, take athletes — not all became Olympic champions. Yes, some had natural predispositions like long legs, but to become champions, they trained hard for years. Hence, the winner is not the one with the longest legs but who worked the most on themselves.

I advise you to follow the principle of the famous Italian engineer Vilfredo Pareto — “80 by 20”. According to this principle, 20% of focused (!) efforts give 80% of the result, and the remaining 20% of the result requires 80% of the action. This means that the success of any business depends on your diligence and desire to succeed. This principle can be applied to leadership: only 20% of people become leaders, while 80% keep dreaming and consider these 20 the lucky ones. In short, everything is the same as in sport.

People do not just follow leaders – they believe them! Take Elon Musk, for example:  his ideas about the colonization of Mars sounded crazy, and now an international team of experts is working seriously on it today! You can repeat any story you’ve seen on TV that inspires you. If they could, so can you.