I am in agreeance with you on this topic. While there are people that are born with inherent leadership qualities, most of the qualities of a good project manager are developed over time and mentorship. Growing up there was a phrase I used to hear often in school that went along the lines of "Hard work beats talent every time" and that phrase rings true here as well. Leadership is a skill, just like throwing, catching, playing an instrument, etc. Just like with all those other skills, leadership is one that needs to be cultivated over time in order to reach its true potential. As a result, even if someone isn't born with the confidence or determination that make them a natural born leader, with hard work and experience they can become a fantastic leader because of the growth they obtained overtime and how they can apply what they learned to advance their company. 

I agree as well. There are many people that claim that they are "born with it," and echo confidence and other characteristics that allow them to succeed as leaders. This was not the case for me. I often found myself shying away from leadership opportunities, especially when I was younger. Thankfully, my undergraduate experience changed all that when I quickly learned that if you want something, you have to show that you want it and get it. Joining clubs, attending meetings, contributing to discussions really helped build confidence to step into leadership positions in undergrad. This established confidence transitioned well when I graduated and entered the work force. 

While I do think that many people can be born leaders, it is more apparent that people's leadership abilities are shaped by their experiences that led them to their position. These experiences include their positions and responsibilities they had working their way up to a higher role ini the company. I hope to be a project manager one day and do believe that my experiences working as an intern and other positions to come will influence my capabilities as a project manager one day. 

I do believe not every can be a leader, and do believe not every can be nurtured into a role like this. Simply put, not everyone has the mental fortitude to take responsibility for themselves as well as others in certain scenarios. Being able to give guidance and motivation, courage and creativity, but also expect results and respect is something not anyone can do. It cannot be trained. It is how a person is willing to behave and respond. Leaders are respected figures, with proper behaviors (motivational words, actions, stern when needed). 

You can absolutely nurture a naturally born leader to help them become better, but I believe people are born with the qualities and personality to have others follow their lead. Nurturing someone to have proper leadership qualities doe not mean they will become leaders, but just exposes them to the characteristics of one... whether they can hold up to the responsibilities of one is based on their personality and willingness to work with others to best help those around. 

I too believe that there are elements of both nature and nurture when it comes to taking lead and responsibility and a certain level of confidence that is required for a project manager or a leader. To be in a leadership role i feel that successful leaders have a certain element of willingness to jump into the problem that is necessary and for some it may come naturally where as for others may require practice and mentorship. I know from my personal experiences that I wasn't whats known as a natural leader and wouldn't be the first volunteer to do something because I was scared of the possibilities that anything and everything could go wrong and it would be my fault. However from my personal experiences in life and in school I found out that it is okay to make mistakes and those times where you succeed are moments of triumph and those times you fail are times where you can learn from your mistakes and do better. And by practicing over and over again I was able to gain the skillset and confidence needed to take the leadership role and lead a projects both in college and in my work setting and in my private life!

Personally having been in a role of leadership at my current company - I never thought I was the "boss" type. I didn't ever think I would fit into a managerial role, but having had the experience to work as a supervisor I found that I grew into it. In that sense, I guess that would be the nurture component since I was almost forced to become a leader. But I do believe that you do need some inherent sense of being a leader as well in order to become successful. There are both elements to it. A natural born leader may have an easier time but still can learn a lot to being a great leader to their team. 

I am inclined to think that the leader personality is a result of nurturing. Sure, from a young age some people are more inclined to lead a group project or become a team captain however that is still a product of your environment whether it be your previous experience giving you the confidence to do so or as previous comments have mentioned, how your parents raised you (whether indirectly or directly to become a leader).

With that said I believe that someone who has never been in a leadership role before can become a leader. Like any skill, it can be learned given enough time. Some may find being a leader more difficult because it often requires a different way of thinking.

I don't think that Leadership of Nature vs. Nurture but instead a case of Nature AND Nurture. Being "born a leader" obviously isn't literal but I believe it comes from the nature a leader was bred in. At the same time there's only so much you can learn without actual experiences and interactions and that's where nurture comes into play. However, the foundation from "nature" is what makes you appreciate the experiences from "nurture". For example, someone with potential and has a "born natural talent" will always just have potential unless they are nurtured properly to go from prodigy to professional. Not everything can be taught which is why leaders have a certain personality that makes them great candidates for leaders but truly makes them the boss is their experiences and how they dealt/deal with them. 

I agree to most of these posts here that a leader can be natural or nurtured. Anyone can become a leader, but it's advantageous if you are born with leadership skills. A person with natural leadership skill starts showing the trait to always volunteer and lead from as early as infant age. But for some people, it takes extra effort and experience. I think anyone can be a leader, but a good leader comes with experience, self training, and following other good leaders. Personally speaking, I used to think I am a better follower than a leader- I hated managing people, be bossy and "ask" others to do things. But when you are placed in a role, you grow into it - like @njq3 mentioned.

I believe that project managers can come from both batches of being born a leader vs. having learned to be a leader and still have the same success. To be a leader comes from the amount of time and dedication one is willing to put in to learn this particular craft as well as the skills required to become a successful one. Whether one takes classes or naturally performs this skill, I think it all stems from learning from the trials and tribulations to become an efficient leader.

I don’t really agree with the notion that there are ‘born leaders.’ I do believe that some people are better suited for leadership roles than others. This may continue with the idea of nature vs nurture. I do agree that people can be heavily influenced by their experiences and this is how some people can become stronger and successful leaders. I believe good leaders stem from being one of the followers and understanding the roles on both sides. To understand what a ‘follower ’ would face and how they would deal with certain situations and how a ‘leader’ is able to respond and assist for a better  outcome for each party. A leader would need to be able to understand from their ‘followers’ point of view to ensure the decisions they make are reasonable and doable.

I agree with most of the responses here that a leader is something that can be both innate and/or taught. I personally like to think it is a quality that is more taught or "nurtured". As people here already mentioned we are ultimately a product of our environment and some people as a result may have more confidence and tend to have leadership qualities already in them. But we are an adaptable species, with proper training and mentorship I believe even the most timid people can become a good leader. In history even, there were situations that people were put into that required them to lead on the spot, and often times it is to save their lives. With that said leading can be taught, so I do not believe all project managers came as a natural leader. 

Body abilities like the endocrine or neuro system would indeed affect appearance. But despite these conditions, I believe the leadership of being a manager depends on learning. The personality of a person is made of what he saw, learned, and felt while he was growing up. Therefore, I believe being a successful project manager depends on experience. It's true that somebody might have an attractive personality, but extracting the knowledge that is beneficial for project management is still the main point of being a successful project manager. 

I believe that people are influenced by their experiences and how they are raised to become great leaders. Being a leader needs a lot of passion and determination towards accomplishing a goal. A leader must have some knowledge of what the objective is so they can guide people to succeed. Being a good listener and giving advice are good skills that shape a good leader but that doesn't mean individuals can call themselves such. Leadership skills need to be cultivated, they require practice and experience. Leadership skills need time to be developed. It is not something genetically inherent. It grows and evolves with years of being exposed to different stimuli that help in the personal and professional growth of the aspiring leader to be.