Does genetics play a part in leadership?

Some of us may prefer to believe that leadership qualities are all to do with genetics. Believing so takes the stress off our shoulders, the stress of having to keep striving to better ourselves at every turn, to be known and recognised well above the man standing by you.

It may also remove the lurking guilt that we are not doing enough for ourselves.

We could lay the matter to rest believing that genetics determine our leadership abilities and who we are today before we continue with being our mediocre selves.

Still, a thought may arise…. if leadership qualities depended on genetics as well, why do we see the sons of powerful leaders hidden in the shadows, unseen and unknown, apparently preferring it that way?

As a pioneer head hunter with over three decades of consulting, search and placement in diverse fields, I hold the conviction that upbringing, morals and values as well as the earliest possible guidance targeting our developing years can and does bring out the latent leadership potential in all of us to produce fully-fledged natural leaders at a later date – those who have inner strength and not textbook leaders who have picked up tips from the countless books on leadership, attended countless leadership seminars and followed the many leadership gurus who strive to make grown men into leaders.



Everyone has leadership traits

We do realise that everyone has leadership traits, whether it is your cook or your driver and these surface given autonomy even in the most mediocre tasks. Therefore, given education, skills, knowledge, encouraging self confidence and self assurance and given autonomy (within reason) from our formative years would, in perhaps 90 out of 100 cases, produce the expected results. Leaders may therefore be sculpted from ordinary material with genetics taking the form of a role model, rather than the uncertain root aspects of genes and personality.

Inborn traits do exist, though. We may then wonder at children with different personalities, some of them drawn to the limelight like magnets, those whose personalities are highly conducive to leadership at some later date, whilst there may be children with quiet, unassuming, diffident natures, docile and preferring to take instructions rather than initiate action. How is a leader formed from those who do not appear to have leadership traits that could be brought out and developed when it appears not be in their nature? Every personality can be groomed to be good leaders whether genetics play a part in it, whether personalities differ at birth, whether there was lack of guidance in the formative years or whether are hard core reticents!

Leadership cannot be developed by guidance only on how to manage people and delegate work. It is a set of behaviours that need to be introduced and practiced to perfection until it becomes a natural part of you. Looking around today, one hardly sees natural leaders of the likes of yore, those who led by the force of their personalities, their far reaching thoughts and who evoked admiration and even fervour in others. Countries around the world, including Sri Lanka seem to be alarmingly, producing more passive followers than leaders! Today’s person has hardly time to think, ponder or wonder let alone be passionate about a cause. The old disciplines, even of common courtesy seem to have got lost in the process of development.



Leadership training

Leadership training starts within the four walls of the home as the first step, whilst adults may continue to follow training along the route. Since good parenting has lost its essence in the rush of daily living, parents, religious leaders and educationalists need to work hand in hand to reinforce certain behaviour patterns starting at ground level. Knowing what leadership qualities we need to teach is the first step thus I believe those who admire leaders, wish to emulate them, strive to become leaders and believe in developing leadership qualities in those with whom they associate may consider the following simple and basic behaviour. Condensed into small behavioural patterns, over time these become part of your make up. In fact even those who do not aspire to become leaders would find themselves in a far surer footing as these traits start developing into natural behaviour.

• A common condition in all of us – making judgments on opinions of others. Be cautious;
• Be in control of your emotions
• Arguments and power struggles have never produced real results. Reinforce calm discussions and realise the power of logical discussion;
• Have expectations. It makes things much easier when those around you know what you expect from them and what they can expect from you;
• Encourage responsibility and decision making keeping to limits, ground rules and consistency;
• Delegate tasks, train, allow people to complete their tasks and recognise time and effort;
• Use politeness at all times;
• Give recognition where due and reward effort, even in a small way;
• Encourage appropriate behaviour. Use charts, spotlight successes, provide support and encouragement.
• Have faith and confidence in those around you. It is amazing therapy for them as well as for you;
• Focus on the positive in every situation allowing room for human errors. Emphasise on strengths of others.
• Honesty and integrity are powerful unseen tools in your hands;
• Think before you talk, say what you mean and mean what you say. Be consistent. You are always being watched by others, consciously or unconsciously. Reward yourself for consistent behaviour;
• Listen. Develop the habit of talking half as much as you would listen.

Creating leaders

Those aspiring to create the leaders of tomorrow and leaders aspiring to be more forceful, assertive and recognised would need to continuously reinforce these habits, taking cognisance of the fact that none of them require effort but merely reinforcement of our existing traits.

Creating leaders also involves good communication skills which have always been a strong point in leaders. In order to be a potent leader, one must be a good communicator. Words can be very powerful in inspiring people and effectuating action or change. Communicating clearly so that others know what is meant and what should be done could be a learned skill and is a part of good listening skills. Whilst parents may find it easy to instil listening skills and communication skills in their children, any adult could practice this by listening twice as much as speaking.

Young leaders would need to understand that it is imperative that they learn decision making early in life, irrespective of the consequences. A good leader is a quick decision maker and parents who encourage chess playing in children instinctively know that this is a great way to practice decision making. There may have been many times in our lives where we have seen the impact of good and quick decision making on those around us. Our own self confidence acts as a charisma on others especially since a group may contain those who are temperamentally difficult or may have opposing points of view.



Effective leadership qualities

Effective leadership qualities include the ability to give and take while working with others. There is a thin line of difference between a good leader and a dictator. Having a set of values, keeping them in mind, practicing them whilst ensuring that all efforts are towards a singular involves strategic planning and the ability to plan strategically comes with practice.

Parents, educationalists and religious leaders need to emphasise on encouraging the art of effective delegation, utilising the different abilities and experiences of each person in a group and ensuring that the team works in harmony when the outcome would be the job getting done as smoothly as possible. To develop yourself in to a leader, you would need to compromise and negotiate, always keeping the bigger picture in mind. While mistakes may happen it is important to accept the mistake, initiate damage control and pay closer attention to forecasting and planning.

Imparting leadership skills is one the best gifts that you can spread around and I encourage those in leadership positions – commencing from parents, educators and religious teachers, to become visionaries and give those in their charge the power to be independent, responsible and diplomatic in the long run. Many people believe that religious convictions have no appropriate role in business decision making or leadership. Do religious beliefs play an influential role in the ethics of business?

I would strongly agree that religious convictions play a very important part in business and leadership in that they mould human behaviour to ultimately work as a legitimate means of ensuring that business is conducted in ways that take into account the consequences of corporate actions on non-shareholder constituents, e.g. employees. They also impact on the community, suppliers, creditors, customers and even the environment. Good leadership develops within thus I would stress on instilling religious convictions at an early age.



Strategic and intentional

The process of developing aspiring leaders and growing a culture of strong and engaged leadership is one that needs to be strategic and intentional rather than idiosyncratic, sporadic or accidental. It is a process of continuous appraisal and discussions which would inevitably focus on the ideals of theory and the daily truth of reality. It also demands commitment to reflection, disclosure and transparency, willingness to share knowledge, preparedness to coach for skill development in others, and the facilitating of generative processes for discussion and sharing of ideas. What good would be a leader who cannot think about the future with imagination and wisdom…?

Finally, leadership succession needs to be a sustained, strategic and planned process that cumulatively builds the skills, knowledge and dispositions required to lead the world of tomorrow. It cannot be done over a two day leadership management course. It depends on motivated, ambitious and optimistic people who are keen to take the lead and who see the opportunities and benefits of engaging in leadership work that extend horizons and reveal new opportunities.

Perhaps the most important aspect of leadership is that it is not something you are born with, but something you can develop! When all is said and done, it is the results you deliver that will truly determine the real measure of your effectiveness as a leader.

(The writer is MD/Principal Consultant of Executive Search Ltd./Appointments of International Management Specialists (AIMS), a well-known headhunting guru who is a pioneer in the field of executive search and headhunting with over three decades of experience in the business.)