When we talk about leadership, the first names that come to our mind are usually popular world leaders, well-known businessmen, Presidents and Prime Ministers of powerful nations, and other such examples. In a response to my friend Barry Le Kim’s blog post[1] on this topic, I’d like to point out that the skills he has mentioned leaders should have, or possess to make effective change and lead are not just learnt or known.

I would like to suggest the idea that leadership can also be innate, as the clichéd phrase says, “some men are born leaders”. This idea does hold true, in my opinion as many world leaders, who have absolutely no background in leadership do not need to develop such skills, but are born with it and just wait for the opportunity to show their leadership qualities. Take India’s current Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came from humble beginnings, working as a tea seller in his youth, to becoming the Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat, and eventually becoming the Prime Minister of India, the world’s largest democracy. [2]

The traits mentioned by Barry Le Kim in his blog post that a leader should possess and hone depend on the type of leader we’re talking about, in reality. A leader may follow different kinds of leadership styles such as a parental approach, or a laissez-faire, but that does not mean he or she has learnt or practiced the kind of leadership throughout their careers as leaders, which brings me to say that I disagree which Barry’s statement, “leadership skills does not come from anywhere.”

[1] https://blogs.ubc.ca/barrylekim/

[2] Umar, Baba. “Modi: From tea boy to India’s leader.” Modi: From tea boy to India’s leader – Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera Media Network, 27 May 2014. Web. 02 Apr. 2017. <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/05/modi-from-tea-boy-india-pm-20145139742599119.html>.