Articles
Leadership Can Be Learned. Here’s How.
I first heard the expression "Leadership can't be taught, but it can be learned" while I was working at Wharton. It sounds wise and prophetic, but it's also a head-scratcher.
If leadership can't be taught, how can it be learned? I like to compare it to learning to walk. We look around and see what others are doing. We scoot and crawl. Then, we start to lift ourselves up. As our muscles get stronger, we're able to take baby steps. The more we practice walking, the better we get.
Leadership takes practice, too. Learning to lead starts with identifying your current strengths and weaknesses. From there you can build your leadership muscles in different ways, such as developing your interpersonal skills and watching other leaders in action.
