Are leaders born or created?
Dr. Seuss describes leadership effectively here: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any way you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
In blatantly obvious terms, a new-born infant is not going to be wearing shoes. They don’t know how to think on their own nevertheless be able to be a leader. They are nurtured through education and relationships that shape them. Leaders are not born. They are manifested over the sum of their experiences.
A story that sticks out to me was during the summer of 2015. I was half-way through the season of being a sailing coach. It wasn’t a large staff. There were 4 different coaches working together to organize a sailing program with about 30 sailors with ages ranging from ages 6 to 16.
I was by far the most unqualified for the job. I had recent sailing experience but in a different culture. The environment I was used to was being on a bigger boat with many teammates. The coaching to the learn to sail students was on about 7 and 3/4 foot long bathtub dingy boats called optis. I had learned the basics of sailing on these boats myself in my childhood but I quit after a few years of racing because it wasn’t enjoyable and my ego suffered. I decided to swim competitively full time during the summers and quit sailing optis.
The club was desperate for a hire and so I was assigned to the learn to sail group of students. The gaps in the range of skills were ginormous. It was hard juggling the backgrounds of everyone. Gwen and Julia were amazing at racing. Juan didn’t know how to tie the most basic eight knot. Isaac didn’t know how to swim. Mary hated the competition and liked to go slow. Benjamin had to go number 2 every hour on the dot. CJ was afraid of clouds thinking they would cause a tornado. Raymond only wanted to play Clash of Clans on his iPhone.
Needless to say, working over 8 hours every day with these kids, I got to know who they were at their core when they were scared. I was their support and there to guide them while they were lost.
Things were progressing smoothly with the bunch. It was a Wednesday evening and I received a text from the head coach. He told me he wouldn’t be coming in tomorrow. I thought he was sick. He called and explained he and his brother (who was the other very competent coach) were out for the remaining of the season. They received a gig on the East Coast for better money. They left in less than a day out of the blue.
The remaining coach texted me suggesting we cancel practice for the rest of the week. I knew we had a regatta coming up that Friday. I said we show up and see how it goes the next day. I had to be sure to frame the story that the head coaches did not leave because they didn’t like the students. Nevertheless, the children didn’t take it well. Some cried. Morale was low.
I also felt like an imposter because all I had experience sailing was optis and occasionally a laser while growing up. I did not know the specifics around the 2-person boat, the 420. Thankfully, the sailors had already learned the way of how to sail them and they ended up teaching me more than I already knew. All they needed was my encouragement.
I look back on this experience and get a smile on my face. Those remaining 4 weeks of the summer were a bit stressful, but the most rewarding of them all. I was forced to step and be there for the sailors. They were left behind by their original leaders and felt lost. It was big shoes to fill.
In conclusion to the question of whether leaders are born or created. They are a culmination of altering experiences they live out and learn to be agile. Curveballs get thrown and the leader comes out from within them. Leaders are created.
