Are great leaders born or made? I believe leaders are made through events in their life that pull out the leader from within and trigger changes in how they see themselves concerning others.
Leaders Are Born To Be Made
My recent TEDx Talk, ‘Leaders Are Born To Be Made’ gives practical wisdom about how to make leaders out of all people by applying the pillars of leader development:
- Being (our identity as leaders)
- Knowing (what we know and how we think about leading)
- Doing (instances where we practice leading to becoming a leader worth following)
Executives who apply these ideas transform today’s worker into tomorrow’s leader, and cultivate great leaders from within their organizations. It is my goal to guide all people to discover:
- WHO they can become as a leader, and WHO else in their workforce is ready to lead
- WHAT they should know about developing leaders
- WHERE to find people who can lead their companies
- WHEN are your people motivated to lead
- HOW to think critically, creatively, and strategically as a leader
Consider yourselves responsible for creating the next generation of leaders; people who will drive results today and take your company into the future. Let us remember the timeless quote from President John F. Kennedy “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask for what you can do for your country!” This should inspire us to “Ask not what my followers can do for me, but what can I do for my followers!”
Here are two financial reasons for developing leaders. First: Leadership development is business development. Since labor is the most significant cost in most organizations, it is the largest source of POTENTIAL value creation. Senior financial analysts place up to 25% of a firm’s valuation on the quality of leadership throughout the entire organization. Well-developed leaders think critically, creatively, and strategically; coordinate and collaborate with others to achieve positive shared objectives, and correct mistakes before they cause organizational failures; all of which adds to the value of organizations, in real dollars and cents.
Second: Leader development initiatives give organizations the greatest return on investment, in most cases exceeding 200%, according to research. Why? Because a rising tide lifts all ships. People who learn to lead make everyone around them perform better, and intentionally develop future leaders through sharing what they know.
Compare leader development ROI to stock market returns of 2-6% annually. Alternatively, investing in depreciating assets like machinery and hoping it pays itself off in 5 years.
The importance of knowing how to be, and make, a leader is mission critical for executives. Know this, as you develop others, you are growing and advancing in your leadership.
Who Is Bryan Deptula?
Dr. Bryan J. Deptula is a subject matter expert in developing effective leaders and followers through assessment, training and executive education; closing the gap on millennial leadership, guiding critical, creative, and strategic thinking; and creating powerful mentoring relationships. He guides executives to focus on growing their business by leveraging leader development into business development.
Dr. Deptula is CEO and co-founder of BKD Leaders, a training firm that transforms today’s worker into tomorrow’s leader. BKD Leaders is an approved SHRM recertification provider of PDC's.
He capitalizes on years of industry experience, his own research, and knowledge of leadership to discover and develop leaders that make organizations grow. Deptula believes that the most important people in our lives are those who see the leader within us that we cannot see for ourselves. These people give us the courage and confidence to become the best possible version of ourselves. His motto learn, lead and live reminds himself, and all people that encounter him, to live into their highest potential.
Dr. Deptula is published in leading journals, the Leadership Quarterly, Personality and Individual Differences, and Human Resource Development Quarterly.
Bryan is a former Rotarian, and has traveled to more 26 countries across 5 continents. He truly enjoys the excitement of guiding people towards their best self- and organizational leadership. Working abroad for a period of over a decade, he bilingually negotiated with international corporations and Boards of Tourism in Mexico, Bahamas, and Jamaica and liaised with international federal and state governmental offices.
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryandeptula/)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BryanBKDLeader/)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOsyHbEW_GeEqC33rOPUTWQ)
TED.com (https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/24745)
