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Can you explain how “leaders are made”? What does it take to build those qualities?

Unveiling the Secrets: Building Qualities that Make Leaders

So the question is, can you explain how leaders are made? What does it take to build those qualities? Okay, first off, I love this question because it states the answer in the question. Leaders are made, right? They're not born, they don't just show up, you don't wake up one day and say, oh, I'm a good leader, right? You have to work, we have to work, as leaders every single day to improve. So how do we do that? Education, right? So, so critical. We have to learn from others, both good and bad. We always say that we learn a lot from good leaders. I would argue that we often learn a lot from bad leaders that we serve in and around. So start with education, assessing those around you. What organizations have you been in where people have executed well? There's been good results. And where has it gone wrong? Where have you looked at someone and been like, that doesn't seem right? Why did they act like that? Second, define your values. Leaders are effective when they have a defined set of values that people can align to. Why do we lose faith and trust in leaders? Because leadership is about trust. Leadership is about, do we trust those above and around us and leaders exist below us to make the right decisions when the time counts? Trust comes from knowing each other, experience, but those critical factors that develop trust help create great organizations. So it takes time, it takes investment, it takes investment in ourselves, those around us, the entire organization. We could answer this question in hours and hours. I do it every week on my podcast, but succinctly, they're made, put in the hard work. You started by asking this question, now go out and seek answers. More to follow on this. Thanks a lot.

Leaders are made, not born. Building these qualities requires education and assessment of leaders around you, defining your values, and investing in yourself, those around you, and the organization. It takes hard work and time to build great organizations.

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To explain how leaders are made and what it takes to build those qualities, it's important to recognize that leaders are not born, they are made. It requires continuous effort and improvement. Education plays a crucial role in this process. Learning from both good and bad leaders helps us understand what works and what doesn't. Assessing past experiences in organizations where execution was successful or went wrong provides valuable insights. Additionally, defining our values is essential as effective leaders have a set of values that others can align with. Trust is a vital component of leadership, and it is developed through knowing and understanding each other, as well as through shared experiences. Building leadership qualities takes time, investment in ourselves, those around us, and the entire organization. This topic can be explored extensively, but in summary, leaders are made through hard work and the pursuit of knowledge and improvement.

How did the military prepare you for being a business executive?

Military Leadership Training: A Strong Foundation for Business Executives

The question is, how did the military prepare you for being a business executive? Well, the reality is, the military did a great job in some ways and didn't do a job at all in other ways. The military is phenomenal in training leadership. It's one of the core foundations of everything you do. You never go into the military and they say, we're going to teach you how to be a follower today. They teach you how to be a leader. They teach you organizational design, what it takes to build effective teams, how you actually put the right people in the right place, meaning the right role, at the right time. They teach you talent assessment. How do you know who's good? How do you give performance feedback? How do you build teams based on feedback, positive, negative, and constructive ways? It teaches you how to analyze complex problems, find resources, understand budgeting. Everybody thinks like, oh, we just get all the money in the world. No, you don't. You have budgets. You have training. You have operational budgets. You have to manage all those things. It teaches you a tremendous amount about people management because you're dealing with so many different dynamic people from different backgrounds. But where it lacks is some of the hard skills like finance. When I got out, I had no idea what a balance sheet was or a profit and loss statement. That hurts. You don't know what marketing is. You don't know what business strategy is. You know what operational strategy is, but not business. So I had to go close that gap. I had to go to business school. I had to figure that out, close that hard skill gap, combine it with the soft skills. That was the best way for me to be effective. So much more to talk about on this. Thanks for the question.

The military does a great job in teaching leadership, organizational design, talent assessment, how to analyze complex problems, and people management. However, it lacks hard skills like finance and marketing which the veteran had to close the gap by going to business school.

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Regarding how the military prepared me for being a business executive, it's a mixed bag. The military excels in training leadership skills, which is a core foundation in everything you do. They teach organizational design, building effective teams, talent assessment, and providing feedback to improve performance. Analyzing complex problems, finding resources, and understanding budgeting are also areas where the military provides valuable training. People management is another strength, as you learn to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. However, the military falls short in certain hard skills like finance, marketing, and business strategy. Upon transitioning out of the military, I had to bridge these gaps by attending business school and acquiring knowledge in these areas. Combining the soft skills learned in the military with the acquired hard skills was crucial for my effectiveness as a business executive. There's much more to discuss on this topic, but I appreciate the question.

Fran Racioppi answers your Military questions. See all the advice Fran Racioppi has and get answers to your own Military questions.

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