Leaders are not necessarily born - they can be made

Inspiring people with your decisions and words is a useful professional skill, writes John Downes

Love them or loathe them, the following people all have one thing in common: George Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Bertie Ahern, Yasser Arafat and Hillary Clinton.

But can you guess what the common thread is that ties them all together? Have you figured it out?

Well, they are all able to demonstrate leadership abilities. In getting to where they are, each has shown that they know how to make decisions which other people believe in.

In business, of course, leadership abilities are also vitally important. The capacity to make a decision, present and implement your plans, and have people believe in your judgement is crucial to any entrepreneur's success.

But is it possible to cultivate leadership qualities? And is it possible to learn such skills from others? Mr Russell Cook is the national president of AIESEC, a student-run third-level organisation which, he says, is "all about" developing the leadership abilities of students.

AIESEC, which operates in 89 different countries around the world, runs conferences, workshops and international exchange programmes for its members which frequently focus on leadership. So what does he think are the essential elements for developing leadership skills? Much depends on the individual in question, he says. For example, whereas some people may be confident enough to get up in front of a group of strangers to talk, others need time to learn to do so.

"Sometimes you get really confident people, who will be perfectly happy to go into a company and say this is what AIESEC does, would you like to train a student in your business?" he explains.

"But others are less confident and need to start off small. Our whole ethic is learning by doing so, for example, we might get them to help run one of our preparation seminars.

"Once they have some success with that, they see now they can do something else - the next challenge. Eventually, they are leading with confidence."

AIESEC also puts a lot of emphasis on the ability to highlight what your good and bad points are, Mr Cook says. In this way, it is possible to identify areas for development.

"We try to go through with students how they can identify what their strengths or weaknesses are," he explains.

"Also, we try to go through their values and what they would like to do in five years, for example. So it is giving them something to think about."

But it is also important for individuals to be given the space to make mistakes, and be allowed to fix and learn from them, Mr Cook believes.

"You need to have the freedom to try things," he says. "But I would say anyone can be a leader. It is not something you are born with. You are opening your mind and giving something a go, trying something new - and seeing where it takes you. But you should not be afraid to make mistakes."

One way in which third-level institutions here have sought to promote the development of their student's leadership skills is through the introduction of business mentoring programmes.

At Dublin City University (DCU), for example, a joint mentoring service partnering second-year students with local business people was officially launched last year. The project, made up of volunteers who organise a range of projects aimed at developing the entrepreneurial skills of people in the 18 to 40 age bracket, was first set up as a pilot programme in 2003.

These projects can range from charity events to the organisation of local events.

So how does having a mentor help to develop a young person's leadership skills?

According to Ms Muireann Ni Dhuigneain of the DCU careers service, who is one of those behind the initiative, students benefit in a number of ways.

These include a greater understanding of the world of work, the confidence to speak to people in the world of business, awareness of the entrepreneurial spirit of the business community, and an increase in their confidence and self-awareness.

"Leadership is only one element of the programme," she points out. "But it gives students the opportunity to be motivated by business people. So they are developing skills all along the line."

Another key consideration in developing leadership skills is the ability to present yourself and your ideas well, says Ms Gráinne Nolan of the Junior Chamber Ireland, whose Fingal branch is one of those involved in the DCU programme.

Junior Chamber Ireland is an organisation which focuses on personal and leadership development for young people here.

"If you can present well then there is a very good chance you will be able to lead well. It makes you focus on all different aspects of a person's personality," she explains. Mentoring gives a grounding in what people in the business world experience on the ground level. The students involved in the mentoring see there is an investment in time to them which is encouraging them to broaden their skills and get involved in community projects.

"They also have the confidence to come spend a day working with mentors, and give feedback to their peers. So there is a huge amount of confidence to be had from that."

Junior Chamber: www.jci-ireland.org
Aiesec international: www.aiesec.net/web/home/

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