Leadership Skills: Born or Made - Academic Writing Evaluation

This academic essay delves into the age-old question of whether leadership skills are inherent or acquired. It examines the perspective that management skills can be taught, while leaders possess innate qualities. The essay analyzes three key points: the evolving nature of leadership, from a focus on productivity to worker engagement; contemporary leadership styles, including participative, transformational, and transactional approaches; and ways to develop strong leadership, acknowledging the importance of organizational efforts. The essay concludes that while management skills can be learned, leadership qualities are often inherent, and that leadership is dynamic, with various styles influencing success.

Academic Writing
Evaluation Business

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Management skills can be taught, whereas leaders are ‘born not made”...............................1
Three main points that were outlined in the article................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................2
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION
The current academic writing is based on the analysis that Management skills can be taught,
while the leaders are ‘born not made.” Beside this, an evaluation of three main points of article is
made which consists of evaluation of nature of leadership, the main contemporary styles and
ways to develop strong leadership.
Management skills can be taught, whereas leaders are ‘born not made”
Many authors were having a view point that an individual can make efforts to learn
management skills but the leaders are born and not made. As per the information provided by the
Ryan, 2016, it has analysed that the leaders cannot be made but they are born with leadership
qualities which forms a vital part of their lifelong activity. Beside this, it has been analysed by
various authors that the management skills which comprises of planning, staffing, process,
technical skills and other analytical skills can be taught to an individual only with the help of
regular training and better perception along with an effective practices and experience over time.
Thus, an perception can be made out that the an individual can make efforts to learn management
skills but as per the trait theory of leadership and with respect to view point of many leaders it
has been analysed that the leaders are born with some traits and characteristics like Adaptability
and flexibility, Creativity, Eagerness to accept responsibility, Self-confidence, etc that cannot be
developed taught but present in a leader from birth thus, true leaders are born not made.
Three main points that were outlined in the article
The three main points of the article are summarised as below:
 Evolving of nature of leadership- An analysis is made out from the information provided
by the article, that an evolving nature of leadership style is seen from the time of
industrial revolution till the current 21 century. It has been analysed that earlier the main
focus of leadership and management is only on maximising productivity where as in
current 21 century leadership aim at better engagement of workers to ensure enhanced
motivation and satisfaction in them to effectively respond towards rapidly changing
complex commercial environment (Wagstaff, 2019).
 Contemporary styles of leadership- As per the given article, it has been summarised that
the participative, transformational or transactional are main types of leadership styles
from which transactional style is associated with providing regular rewards for workers to
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achieve set goals. On the other hand participative comprises of involving workforce in
decision making where as transformational type of leadership style ain at inspiring team
and workers through the help of internal motivation for achieving specific goals (Melvin,
2020).
 Ways to develop strong leadership- It has been summarised from the article provided that
management skills can be learnt by an individual but it is difficult to develop strong
leadership skills but in 21 century with the help of new leadership philosophies and major
organisational efforts can be made out to have better cultures along with enhanced
performance and leadership structure (Midgett, Hausheer and Doumas, 2016).
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above academic writing an analysis can be that managers skills like
planning, etc can be taught but leaders are born. Further it has been analysed that leadership is
having an evolving nature along with three main forms of contemporary leadership styles
consists of participative, transformational or transactional styles.
REFERENCES
Books and journal
Wagstaff, W.A., 2019. Organizing evaluation: Assessing combat leadership quality. Journal of
Theoretical Politics. 31(2). pp.132-155.
Melvin, L., 2020. Effects of Contemporary Leadership Styles and Employee Engagement on
Customer Satisfaction: A Quantitative Study (Doctoral dissertation, University of
Phoenix).
Midgett, A., Hausheer, R. and Doumas, D.M., 2016. Training counseling students to develop
group leadership self-efficacy and multicultural competence through service learning.
The Journal for Specialists in Group Work. 41(3). pp.262-282.
Online:
Liz Ryan. 2016. Can Leadership Skills Be Taught?. [Online] Available Through:<
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2016/04/01/can-leadership-skills-be-taught/?
sh=246249ed6579 >.
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