A Great Myth: Leaders are Born, Not Made
Photo of Pegasus by The Dallas Morning News
Today's second topic reviews China’s declining birth rate and what the US should learn.
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Links to purchase the books discussed in this newsletter can be found on my website's recommended reading page.
In June 2023, Inc published, The Making of a Leader. One of the key references is a 2009 article from Psychology Today. (Everything old is new again.) Both pieces circle around but never fully address what is perhaps the gratest leadership myth – Leaders are born, not made.
The fundamental tenant of my book, The Leader With A Thousand Faces, is that leadership is on all of us. All we have to do is unlock our potential.
There is a specific paragraph that misleads the reader.
“One expert view published in Psychology Today cites research that the answer to the question is "mostly made." More specifically, research estimates that leadership is about one-third born and two-thirds made.”
The flaw is that people can easily assume that if you are not born with the right one-third, you can never become a leader. We are all born with unique strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities. These combine to form our one-third. Our strengths become our foundation. We build reinforcements to manage our weaknesses. Through observation, training, and coaching, we become the leaders we are meant to be.
There are no shortcuts. No amount of tips, tricks, hacks, or certificates will make you a leader. Our leadership journey is hard work and never-ending. We are constantly learning and growing. Every situation is unique; we take what we have learned and adapt to the new challenge.
It is up to us to become the leader we are meant to be.
China’s Declining Birth Rate
This article caught my eye: India to surpass China as most populous country in 2023, UN report says. In my May 19 newsletter, I wrote about demographic change in the US and why it explains some corporate behaviors. I did some research on this topic; the links follow this writing.
There is a direct correlation between population growth and economic growth. While some productivity gains come from automation and innovation, most growth comes from human effort and economic activity. In the earlier newsletter, I wrote about how the demographics of younger generations directly impact corporate marketing and outreach programs.
The aging population and falling birth rates are forcing organizations to expand searches beyond our borders. Many types of visas are available to enable this activity, including but not limited to H-1B, L-1, E-1, E-2, and J-1. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more job openings in the US than unemployed people.
We need people. We need doctors, accountants, and teachers. We need electricians, carpenters, machinists, and factory workers. We also need landscapers, custodians, roofers, and food service workers.
To address this need, we must have comprehensive immigration reform. Comprehensive reform means we must strengthen what works and fix what is wrong, not just for now but for the next decade. I do not pretend to have the answers, but we have to remove much of the emotion to have good conversations. Too often, when someone says immigration reform, the response is visceral, personal, and unproductive.
BLS - Number of unemployed persons per job opening, seasonally adjusted
Dallas ISD - https://staff.dallasisd.org/2022/10/05/teacher-search-goes-international/
Insider - China’s economy is way more screwed than anyone thought
National Institutes of Health - Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective
Pew Research - Key facts about China’s declining population
Sage Journals - The Role of Population in Economic Growth
UN - UN DESA Policy Brief No. 153: India overtakes China as the world’s most populous country
US News - U.S. Birth Rates Continue to Fall
What I'm Up To
In our neighborhood, we celebrated the Forth of July a little early.
We attended the Kimbell Art Museum’s exhibition Lives of the Gods: Divinity in Maya Art.
Chips and Salsa: Snack-sized news and posts
Microsoft is not ‘betting everything’ on AI. Nadella is simply incorporating the next generation of AI into Microsoft’s offerings. AI is not new; it has reached a critical inflection point.
Wired - Microsoft’s Satya Nadella Is Betting Everything on AI
An interesting reading list. I have read six.
Readers Digest - 12 Best Books for Men, According to Guys Who Love Reading
Unintended consequences often take generations to be understood.
Axios - Groundwater removal tilted Earth 31.5 inches
Everyone has the right to express their opinions. Everyone else has the right choose how to react. We all have to accept the consequences.
If making the right choices was easy, no one would make bad ones. The right answer is not always obvious.
Medium - A Simple Approach to Good (Ethical) Decision-Making
Best summer job ever!
To combat stress, disengage. If you cannot exercise, at least take five minutes to step away and give your brain time to relax. Some of our greatest mistakes happen when we respond to stress rather than the situation.
Axios - Ways to relieve stress
I traveled more than 40 weeks each year for most of my career. I landed on a variation of this approach and only checked bags for multi-week international trips. Compared to many, I did not do much international travel. I earned my first One Million Miles on American Airlines while only leaving the Central time zone on less than 10% of my trips. That’s a lot of planes people.
Language always has and is always evolving. Try reading the Canterbury Tales in the original Middle English.
Fast Company - A new dialect in Miami
Quotes
“Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself.”
- Jane Wagner
“What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.”
- Pearl Bailey
You can order The Leader With A Thousand Faces on the Recommended Reading Page of my website.
My goal is to make this newsletter as interesting and valuable as possible. Please share your thoughts and suggestions for improvement. If there are specific topics in leadership you would like me to focus on in future issues, please send them my way.
