Can someone learn leadership?  Let's face it, many people have trouble leading others, while others seem to make it look natural.

What is it about a leader that makes others want to follow.  After all, people don't come with an operations manual.  And, as Roger Enrico, VP at Pepsico said in the March issue of Training & Development magazine, "The soft stuff is always harder than the hard stuff.

Let's face it, you can learn how to use software online; but can you really learn about managing and leading people without one-on-one interaction using some `real-world' situations?

What lies at the core of great leaders?  It's a complex subject, to be sure.  Many experts summarize it in a single word:  Character.   It makes sense.  They use 'iceberg' analogy:  90% is 'below the surface' and therefore invisible.  Only 10% is visible.   It's what you do when no one is looking that counts.  If that's the way you live your life, it comes across. 

People can sense it.  Character usually means 'core values' - and when you have those, you have consistency, as well.  But, there are some other attributes worth noting:

• Future vision - leaders can paint a picture of a future others want to realize.
• Investment -  leaders get more than a 'buy-in'.  People become invested in the vision that's been articulated.
• See the opportunity and challenge of reinvention, while many others see only 'change' as a perceived threat.
• 'Walk-the-walk' - They live the core values they espouse.  They don't compromise on their principles, vision, or core values.

It's been my experience that great leaders (those I've met and others I've read about) possess an emotional intelligence (self-mastery) others around them don't have.   George Washington had it.  So did Abraham Lincoln.  You can also see it in Warren Buffet and others.  They choose their responses, instead of allowing situations to dictate to their emotions.   This can be a critical trait for anyone who's in a leadership position, especially in times where the economy is bad and the level of trust can be eroded inside an organization. 

It's an area of human behavior I felt was so important, we even added a few titles to our training curriculum at Gardner Hathaway.   Trust, emotional intelligence, managing change, and getting employees engaged are critical functions that make ongoing employee development and continued learning a prioity for any organization that plans to `compete to win' in this new economy.

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