I believe leadership qualities are a combination of innate characteristics and learned characteristics. However, the greater portion belongs to learned behavior. If we are speaking with regards to children, a child may learn from anyone they have met how to take command and direct others. At the same time, a child or a person at any stage in life, may experiment with being a leader and it worked out well, so they continued to display such qualities in their interactions. When it comes to managerial qualities in the work place, it stems from the person's personality and experiences throughout their lives. Certain ways of speaking, delegating, or methods can come from learning from one's previous managers, whether that be learning from mistakes or successes. Being a leader requires skills of handling problems, conflicts, and keeping people accountable. This is not as easy for someone who is timid, shy, or anti social. Surely a person of such qualities may be put into a leadership position, however, this does not mean they have the necessary skills. There are always exceptions to the rule. A leader also needs to have the quality of looking ahead and avoiding problems firsthand. This can only come from experience and learning from previous experiences.

I totally agree that project managers (PMs) aren’t traditional leaders but more like advisors or facilitators. They don’t make the actual decisions they just bring together different departments, align goals with the company’s interests, and make sure everything runs smoothly. Their role is more about helping teams communicate and figuring out who needs to be involved to solve issues efficiently. It’s less about direct leadership and more about strategic coordination.

As for the nature vs. nurture debate on leadership, I think leadership skills can be developed. Some people might have natural confidence or charisma, but real leadership comes from experience and adaptability. PMs, in particular, don’t need to be “born leaders” because their role isn’t about commanding people it’s about understanding business goals, organizing teams, and knowing how to navigate challenges. It’s a skill that can be learned through practice and exposure to different industries!

One important nuance I have always noticed is that it has never been "Nature or Nurture" but rather "Nature vs Nurture." It is not black or white, it is more comparable to grayscale. I think of it as a large game of Tug of War. Nature and Nurture are constantly pulling on opposite sides of the same rope. Sometimes, Nature gains the advantage and pulls a little harder than Nurture, and vice versa. Some instances you may be 70% Nature and 30% Nurture, but sometimes you may be 30% Nature and 70% Nurture. 

With this concept cleared up, it is important to say there are absolutely people who are more so "natural born leaders" who naturally possess characteristics desirable to a leader. Often, the majority of people are predominantly Nature, there have even been studies on identical twins separated at birth who display almost identical characteristics and behaviors later in life. However, someone who is not a natural born leader is not incapable of becoming a leader. It may not be so easy for them, but they can absolutely fan the flame of Nurture and become one. I believe that someone may certainly learn and lean into characteristics that make a good leader and work on the associated skills to get them there until Nurture practically becomes Nature for them. 

That question is really interesting. A lot of people use the saying "A born leader." In this context, this would imply that an individual in nature is born with the personality that contributes to a good leader. I disagree with that, as the oldest sibling, I consider myself a leader because as a child, I was always put into roles where I was in charge of others. It gave me the experience and confidence to take on similar roles with my peers and in work environments. However, thinking back when I was an only child, I rarely sought out positions of power, I wasn't comfortable in leading, and telling others what to do. Some of the best leaders I know are great listeners; they don't demand respect, they earn it through their actions and confidence. A leader is sociable and knows how to move the team so that each member plays an active and crucial role in advancing the project. In many ways, being a leader can be learned; it takes experience to accumulate failures and chip away at the parts that hold you back before you find your footing. Yet, this does go on to ask, is a great leader a great communicator or listener? 

I agree with you, especially about leadership being more about nurture than nature. Sure, some people might naturally be more confident or outgoing, which can help in leadership roles, but that doesn't automatically make them good project managers or leaders. Real leadership is about knowing how to adapt to different situations, work well with others, and make smart decisions—and those are things you learn through experience, education, and actually being in different work environments. It's not something you're just born knowing how to do.

I think you're right that experiences and how someone is raised matter way more when it comes to developing leadership skills. Project managers especially learn how to lead by actually dealing with tough situations—like managing their teams, working through conflicts, or bouncing back from failures. Going through these challenges helps them mature both emotionally and in their careers, and that's what shapes how they lead. Things like having good mentors, being in a supportive work environment, and taking time to reflect on what they've learned all help strengthen those skills even more. Sure, some people might naturally lean toward certain leadership approaches, but at the end of the day, it's the experiences and lessons along the way that really determine whether someone becomes a truly effective leader.

I think in any capacity of the world, people are taught to be leaders, and no one is truly a "born leader." While many individuals may have better traits to become a leader than others, I do not think anyone can step up into a leadership position and run it flawlessly without first learning from or observing a previous leader. Specifically in project management, these leadership skills are built through experiences since the role of the manager is quite complex. In many scenarios, these managers have to deal with scheduling, resolving conflicts, having the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, and even being able to motivate an individual during times of adversity. An individual is not just born with the ability to do all of these things, rather they have slowly learned it throughout their experiences in life and even work. 

I understand your viewpoint on the nature vs. nurture debate, but I believe that they are more evenly valued rather than one more than the other. For example, the nature aspect is the ground rules for most individuals if you are saying these are the moral values that they learn from their parents. Individuals are taught how to act and behave by the people raising them. If people are taught bad morals, then it would give them a different perspective on their experiences (nature), meaning one individual may view issues differently than another. I personally believe that nature and nurture must work hand in hand to shape an individual into the person that they become. 

I believe that there is indeed such a thing as a "born leader" and how vital those type of personalities are towards projects in any field. Project mangers can definitely learn to become leaders even if it doesn't come as natural to some people rather than others, but I also believe that it comes with the possibility someone else assuming the leadership role for that project even not officially or even consciously. This type of situation occurs because the average person tends to misconstrue what leadership truly means in the sense of collaborative projects. Leadership can not just rely solely on the fact that a person has an idea and giving orders for the project. True leadership comes from someone that is able to assess what the project needs, comes together with the group and uses all the groups different interpretations to elevate the project even higher. This is why I believe project managers can be born leaders because it doesn't require someone to be more intelligent or louder than others, all it requires is some to bring the best out of people and having them trust your ability to do so. It's as if these leaders have their own gravitational pull around them, and society tends to classify those people as just "born leaders".

When it comes to nature vs nurture regarding a person's leadership abilities, I believe that it is primarily nurture that shapes one's leadership capabilities. Nature certainly does play a role because of how influential someone's childhood can be to someone's communication abilities. Though the lion's share of the effort would go towards nurture because the most effective leaders are able to pull from previous experiences to quickly estimate what a situation needs during any given moment. Projects are subject to change due to budget costs, schedule shifts, and even general changes from the original project. It is through these pressures that leadership is born, the ability to adapt to circumstances and have people come together to face adversities are what truly makes a leader. 

I really liked your comments about the nature vs. nurture aspect of the idea of leadership. While I believe there are definitely some people who will find some aspects of leadership much more natural, I believe most leadership skills are developed through experiences. Communication, decision making and managing conflicts are all skills that take time to develop and rarely come naturally.

Also, I agree that just having confidence is not enough for someone to be a good leader. I believe that a good leader has developed their leadership through experiencing many challenges and through developing an ability to work with different types of people. Do you believe that anyone can develop into a good leader if they gain sufficient experience in leading or do you believe that some people will always struggle with being a leader? Also, what do you believe is the hardest leadership skill to develop?

@njq3 , this is exactly the point I want to touch upon. You mentioned how you sort of came into the leadership role in your current company and grew into it. The original posts asks about what makes a leader, how they become a leader. Taking that to a deeper level, I think its important that we identify that not all of those who are in managerial roles or other "leader" roles are actually leaders.

I don't say this to diminish your or other managers roles. Rather, to highlight that there's a difference between being in a leading role and being a "leader". A leader inspires, they're knowledgeable and provide guidance to those who seek them out/look up to them. Whereas a manager more often than not, ensures tasks are met and completed as defined by the organization. I think it'll always be a bit of a combo of nature vs nurture, but more often than not a leader learns to become who they are. They don't define themselves as such. 

I am pretty aligned with your take that leadership is mostly nurtured rather than something people are simply born with. While some individuals may naturally have traits like confidence, charisma, or decisiveness, those traits alone do not automatically make someone an effective leader, especially in a project management context. Managing projects requires learned skills such as communication, stakeholder management, risk assessment, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Those are almost always developed through experience, feedback, and sometimes failure. In my experience, what we often call a 'born leader' is really someone who was exposed early to environments that encouraged responsibility, problem solving, or decision making. Over time, those experiences compound. In project management specifically, leadership tends to grow through hands on exposure such as dealing with scope changes, navigating team conflict, and learning how to motivate people with different personalities and priorities.

When it comes to the nature vs nurture dicussion and how it can apply to a project manger it can both ways. When it comes to some of the aspect that make a great leader or PM can be inherited but also there is a lot of things that need to be learned over time. So I think that it has a lot to do with a great and healthy mix of both nature and nurture to make for a great leader or PM. Some people are naturally born with leadership qualities and things of that nature comes easy. This can help to set a great basis for a PM but there is also to nurture aspect in the case of how does that person uses their abilities to be great or a terrible leader. Some of the stuff from it comes from the the environment that the person is exposed to that allows for some of there ability to solve problem and allow for the project to move smoothly. Most people aren't just thrown into a position without at least some experience or some recomendation. This means that some it has to come from real world experience in managing people and being able to make decision when it matters most. So not only does the environment matter but also the some natural abilities as well. 

In my opinion, some people have innate leadership traits such as confidence, responsibility, and the ability to influence others, which represents the nature aspect. These traits can make a person more comfortable taking on leadership roles early in life. However, natural ability alone is not enough to be an effective project manager. Experience plays a major role in developing strong leadership skills. Through real-world projects, teamwork, and problem-solving situations, leaders learn how to manage challenges and communicate better. Training and hands-on experience help refine these natural traits. Over time, experience turns potential into practical leadership skills. Therefore, I believe leadership starts with nature, but experience is what strengthens and completes it.

I think leadership is something you learn throughout experience or observe and implement into your own actions. Some people have confidence and are extroverted, but that does not make them a good leader. People can speak up, but sometimes those people don't take into account anyone's opinions but themselves. Therefore, I believe that through experience, seeing and dealing with leaders and how they react to certain situations, that may have an effect on ones skills. I do not think there is such thing as a born leader. Leaders should be able to work under pressure, handle criticism, work with a variety of people and teams, and make decisions or solve problems in a way that is best for the company. In regard to the nature and nurture debate, I think both have an impact on an individual's capabilities, but nurture is more important. Someone's education, upbringing, and mindset sets the foundation for their leadership mentality, but nurture, which is how they continue to maintain it in the in the real world through training and experiences, is most effective on their personality and team manager role.