The debate on whether a "Leader is born or made?" is far from complete. However, many believe that unlike a person's I.Q., leadership skills can be improved with training and practice. This article explains the leadership skills that can be acquired over a period of time through training and continuous practice.

Leadership being an inalienable part of management literature has undergone much diagnosis. Although much has been written and researched on Leadership, it still fascinates management students. Earlier, there was a strong belief that leaders are born. However, many researchers have now come to believe that leadership is not an inborn talent; it can also be acquired with the help of necessary training/coaching. This belief has enormous significance in the new knowledge society.

In the Book Managing Human Animal the author compares the process of a child acquiring the genetic traits of his or her parents with the act of playing cards. According to the author, the set of cards with the wife is her genetic composition and the set with the husband is his genetic composition. The couple would definitely try to pick the best cards to win the game and throw down the ones that are least desired. The author compares the traits of the offspring with the cards that the couple throws down. The mix of the cards thrown by the couple makes up the genetic composition of the offspring. Thus a leader is born if the cards yield a favorable mix. Conversely, the offspring will lack leadership skills if he is not endowed with a favorable mix of cards (genes). But this poses a serious concern. Can we simply bank on probabilistic acts? Can we wait till a person with leadership traits is born? These questions have turned many against the notion that leaders are born. It is being gradually accepted that leaders can be developed/made. That leads us to the crucial question: How can leaders be made?

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