Great Leaders Are Made, Not Born: Six Strategies For Becoming A Better Leader
Source | www.forbes.com | Elizabeth Powitzky
When you hear the phrase “born leader,” do you feel good about yourself? Or do you feel that you’ll never be in a position to lead others? If you don’t feel like a born leader, take heart. Research suggests that only about 30% of leadership is genetic, while 70% is a result of life lessons and experience.
Leadership is important in every industry, but it’s especially important in financial services. We are working with people’s money — often, their life savings. When markets are volatile or times are uncertain (like now), our leadership abilities are more important than ever. We have to help our clients make good decisions when they’re nervous.
Even if we don’t work directly with clients, we need to project leadership to our colleagues and in our communities. They have to be confident that the people protecting, managing and growing their money are smart, forward-looking leaders.
Many of us know intellectually that leadership can be learned but don’t always feel confident in our abilities. That has happened to me time and time again. Most recently, I came to finance from a human resources role. I had a degree in psychology, but I am now working in an area where accounting and CPA certifications are critical. I had no idea why someone saying “It’s accrual world out there” made my colleagues laugh. If I didn’t even get the jokes, would I be able to be an impactful leader?
I’ve been fortunate to have been in a variety of areas and roles in my career, and each time I’ve taken away something valuable that improved my skillset for the next time and made me a better leader.