Are leaders born or are they made?

I believe there's no such thing as a born leader as I will not follow a newborn into combat.  All humans are born with inherent potential and capabilities that are realized/utilized through acculturation.  The Army does it by ways of counseling, coaching, and mentorship.

There may be a few individuals who have a natural tendency toward desirable leadership traits and who intuitively use said traits in the appropriate context, but that's a high speed PFC rather than a squad leader or above.

I always thought the "leaders are born, not made" thing was an easy excuse to wash your hands of people who can't cut the mustard after institutional training.

I think leaders are born. Why? I agree with a lot of the comments below but I will give you my opinion. When you are born you will be developed by you surrounding. If you are developed by good leaders you yourself will be a good leader, but if you are developed by bad leaders you will follow the bad track. You can lead people to go into war just like you can lead people to go to prison. Ask yourself, when you were a kid, were you the one that always followed or were you the one who lead. Remember, leaders are influential and can get you to follow in certain situations good or bad. Again just my opinion.

Anyone can lead if put into the position. That doesn't mean they will be good or natural at it.

Good leaders are born, great leaders were then taught. I believe a lot of it has to do with ones natural personality type.

Some people are put into leadership roles because of necessity.. those people do it because they need to. Great leaders thrive in that position, welcome it and want to be there. People are drawn to them and they will be the most effective.

I am of the thought that they are both. I don't necessarily go into a situation trying to become the leader, but, one way or another, I tend to attract those that appoint me as such. On the same scale, there are those who rise to the occasion - are made "by the fire".

I think that those who are 'born leaders' actually develop habits after their first experience leading that lead to more leadership opportunities. 'Made leaders' may like the feeling they get when they can lead an accomplishment & want that same feeling over & over.

Good leaders develop themselves. They are able to see their own faults & improve upon them, just as they do w/ those that follow them.

Oh the age old question. I don't think someone is born to be a leader. I think there is a huge learning process as well as other variables. It is possible that someone at an early age has more of a leadership presence. We all remember grade school where at times people followed you and other times someone else became the alpha. There is always a person that may have a natural sense command. Where they get that is hard to say. Sometimes it could be the upbringing. Other times there is a physical trait. As a young kid the stronger larger kid tended to command the school yard. Sometimes it was the rich or spoiled kid who had the newest things and garnered the attention and the other kids wanted to be like him. Then there personality traits.

Someone who is more introverted more I like used to be tended to not feel comfortable in trying to be commanding. In the training environment there was always the hoorah kid. The kid who's was always barking at their peers trying real hard to be the alpha male. I like call the guy the cheer leader. Then there were the ones who were leading behind the scenes. That would be more of my style. I never did good at trying a trying to be the overt person in the room. To compensate for this I made it my mission to be the subject matter expert in everything I did where my decisions are met with I know what the hell I am talking baout and here's why.

I think leadership is subjective to the situation and the environment. What might make someone an excellent infantry leader may be a lousy air craft commander. I think everyone is in a learning process that shunted at any time. I have seen this first hand where someone was a real good leader at a lower echelon but could not figure out how to lead at the higher levels. Case in point once knew a Captain who was well regarded junior leader everyone respected the guy. he put on Major and became DO downrange but turned the biggest ass hole on the planet. started becoming more full of himself stopped being mentor and more of tyrant. Luckily after a while he finally figured out that people lost a lot of respect for him and he changed his approach and adjusted accordingly.

There is my long winded opinion on the subject.

I think a little bit of both. I think that we are born into a family, nurtured, and raised with values that help develop and make us leaders. Also, you need opportunities to be leaders. But as far as born yes we all have part of our personalities before we influenced by others.

Are leaders born or are they made? Chuck Norris was neither... he just exist!

We do what what our career can afford, what our actions can control, and what our strengths can achieve. A leader is that one that at a point of his life learn to believe in himself and decided not to use excuses to justify his actions. It is that one that learned the importance of sacrifice and the reward of giving the extra mile. No one become a Soldier without training, no one becomes a leader without the inner will. No one is born millionair or poor regardless of the status of his surroundings, some may have all the help available and others will have to struggle, but that does not guarantee who can really become a leader. Everyone was born with a purpose some explore their potential while other become followers.

SGM Jerry Finin I agree that no one is born a leader. I do believe that a solid upbringing can certainly give someone a head start, even a natural tendency to be a leader, but to be a leader, one must be formed by other leaders.