Leaders Are Made, Not Born

People love to say some folks are just born leaders. I don’t buy it. I’ve never met a natural-born leader in thirty years of growing teams. I’ve met people who decided to become one, and then did the work.

Take John Wooden. Most people know him as the coach who won ten national championships at UCLA in twelve years. What most people forget is that it took him sixteen seasons of coaching at UCLA, and twenty-nine years total, before he won his first one.

Sixteen years. Think about that. He built his famous Pyramid of Success brick by brick, long before anyone was paying attention. He taught his players how to properly put on their socks so they wouldn’t get blisters. That’s not glamorous. That’s a leader paying attention to the small stuff because he knew the big stuff is built on it.

I tell my crew the same thing I tell myself. Nothing worth growing comes up overnight. Roots take seasons. Leaders take years.

If you’re waiting to feel like a leader before you start acting like one, you’ll wait forever. Start now. Start small. Stay at it.

Join the Free Webinar

I’m hosting a free webinar called “The Leadership Edge: How Top Leaders Build Influence, Grow Value, and Attract the Best People” on Thursday, October 15th. If any of this hit home, come spend an hour with me. Bring a notebook. Bring your questions. Let’s grow something together. Register HERE.

Keep Growing,

Jeff