I used to believe that the leadership is an innate quality up until last week. In fact, I have never doubted it and thought deeply about it. Generally, people who are more outspoken and initiate things are to be considered as leaders in a group because they influence the people around and move them somewhere else good or bad. However, as I look back and analyze direct and indirect experiences, I started to wonder “Is it really innate?”
During the interview of the former principal of a high school, my interviewee mentioned that the leadership quality is the combination of something that you are born with and trainings to develop them. He said that a leader supposed to have an inner strength and organizational skill to start with. Then affirmations from others and other trainings are followed to maximize the capacity of being a leader. I agreed with him and saw his point in the beginning. As I think more about it, though, I came up with a slightly different conclusion.
He thought only certain people are born with the quality of leadership but I think everyone is born with the ability to lead a group. We all become leaders of some sort as we get experience on a certain thing. Fathers become a leader of a family, teachers lead the classroom, and most of company officers get promoted to a leadership position as they get experienced. I know not all men become a father, not all become a teacher and not all get promoted. But if they want to lead, through the right training, the leadership quality can be developed. So, yes I agree that leadership quality is innate and can be developed through learning or training. Not for certain people but for all.
It is similar to the idea that everyone is born with the ability to teach. In the book of Matthew, before Jesus was taken up to heaven, he said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey every thing I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) In this passage, Jesus gave the great mission command that we must go and make disciples and teach them about Jesus and his laws. That being said, we all are capable to teaching and leading.
Then, why not everyone leads a group? I think it is the matter of motivation and passion. As we experience the distorted reality of this world, we are tired, discouraged, and sometimes too selfish to care about other than self. We all see problems but not all of us want to solve it. Many of us just live with it, complaining and blaming others.
In fact, not a single one of us is a perfect leader. We all struggle and stumble as we learn. That doesn’t mean that leadership quality isn’t there. Different interests and passion are the factors where you lead. I do not think all can be an effective president, an effective teacher or an effective CEO because all of us have different interest and passion. Again, I think the motivation and passion are the keys to leadership and where your heart is where you can be trained to become an effective leader. So, being a leader and being a principal sounds different to me at this point. I need to ask myself, “Do I have passionate heart for schools and education in this country?”
Because Modern Art is often considered as a relatively more profound and unfamiliar area than art of earlier age to the general public for its abstraction and insightful meaning, people still prefer something figurative and representational to easily understand the relate to the artworks. Fredrick Meijer Garden and Sculpture Park possesses somewhat different collection of contemporary sculptors. The park founder, Fredrick Meijer generously presented his collections to public for enrichment of audiences of every age and experience. He once said, “People deserve a place that inspire them, challenges them and offers opportunities of the human experience”. For this very reason, the exhibition, “Sculptors Celebrate the Legacy of Fred and Lena Meijer” was more welcoming to general public in spite of its modern theme. 