Leadership is learned
Ben Brooks and Natasha H. Chapman
Journal of Leadership Studies, Volume 12, Number 2, 2018 pp.72-75.
DOI:10.1002/jls.21582
The argument it makes:
That leadership is in fact learned, but that we need to ensure we are thinking about what we have implicitly learned in order to best apply what we are explicitly taught.
Key findings / Summation of the theory:
Great man theory has a place; as a means to show that leadership can be taught, and leaders are not in fact naturally endowed with specific traits. It is the counter-argument that proves other theories validity.
The Implicit Leadership Theories (ILT) that we develop during our life need to be acknowledged and consciously explored in order to promote improvement in an individual’s leadership.
Potential practical implications:
People need to be shown that they have implicit thoughts and understandings about leadership that will reside below the surface until such time as they are brought into our conscious thought. So to develop leaders, we need to explore these ILTs, and show how they can be modified to improve our thinking and understanding of leadership.
The brain has significant capacity for self-improvement, as explained through the idea of neural plasticity. So we can update and adapt - if we choose to do so.