“Are leaders born, or made?” 3 Insights from Franked.io’s ‘Introduction to Leadership’ Workshop

From managing group assignments, all the way to hopefully one day becoming an activist for social justice, the ability to be a leader is an essential set of skills that I need to master. At a workshop called ‘Introduction to Leadership’ with Franked.io’s Tina Wyer, I felt inspired after learning that leaders can indeed be made, as well as born.

Here are my three key takeaways from the workshop for the journey ahead:

‘Being a leader is not something you are, its something you do’

In the first breakout room of the session, we discussed the leaders that we admired, and I was struck by the fact that many of the leaders that were discussed were not world-famous; they were leaders in the community, at the small scale. Not all leaders have to lead world-wide movements to make a positive difference on the world. This made me realise that even without an official position of power, I have both the ability, and the responsibility, to make a positive difference in the world. Even if that difference is on the local level, it matters. Being a leader and global citizen does not mean you need to save the world by yourself, but it does mean that you listen to the needs of others and act, that you hear the suffering of the oppressed and do not turn away – that when you are called to serve your community, you lead.

‘Transformational leadership means being the leader you would follow’

Tina asked us to think about managers and leaders in our lives, and to consider the things we don’t like about them. We can all name a boss or a team leader who lacked empathy, lacked the conviction to get work done, and a host of different failings. I realised that from the experiences I have had as a follower, I already know how to be an effective leader – by being the type of leader that I would follow. One leadership style mentioned that really resonated with me was Transformational Leadership. It is based on a leader who challenges with a vision as well as the passion and determination to see it through. Their belief in the vision is such that it inspires others to follow them. The leader is involved in the process and help their team members to work to the best of their ability based on their individual strengths. They don’t just talk the talk: they are a role model and walk the walk of their dream for a better world.

‘Situational Leadership- there is no one-size-fits-all leadership’

One of the key themes throughout this workshop was that there are different ways to be a leader, but there is no one way that is correct, because it depends on the team, the situation, and the goals of the team. We talked about a case study of a group assignment and it reminded me of the many similar experiences I have had and how I could have used this information for a more successful outcome. As a leader your approach to a situation should vary based on factors like if the team-members are able to or want to do the work. To be successful, it is also important to prioritise relationship-building with the team. A great leader not only adopts a leadership approach based on their demands of the situation, but has the people skills to understand what the needs of the team are in the first place.

I have learned a lot about what it means to be a leader, and I understand that it is not something I will one day become – leadership is something I do day in, day out. Throughout my career, my leadership skills will grow and change based on experience. I am excited to apply what I have learned across my personal, professional, and academic life.

Emily Cathcart
Exchange Undergraduate from Ireland