Are leaders born and not made? Are you born with the characteristic of leadership, or can you acquire and develop the skill set that contains the characteristic of leadership? The idea that individuals are born to leadership is a concept that has been prevalent in the past. However, new and insightful research now points to the fact that the characteristic of leadership can be learned and acquired through practice. In her Grammy winning an Oscar winning song, "Wind Beneath My Wings," Bette Midler praises the leadership of her sister who guided Ms. Midler and directed her activities so that Bette could go on with her career as an actress and performer and become acknowledged as a star.

The characteristic of leadership is that quality that makes other people want to follow your direction. The characteristic of leadership is found everywhere you look - in the business world, in politics, in sports, in the motion picture industry, and in our everyday lives. What makes some people possess the characteristic of leadership while others do not? Is the characteristic of leadership something that you possess? If you don't have it, is there a way you can acquire it? The answer to that question is a resounding yes! You have the powers within yourself to develop the leadership skill set that is necessary for you to succeed in life.

What is the characteristic of leadership that defines the term? Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedic College Dictionary defines "leadership" as "the office, position or capacity of a leader; authoritative control, guidance; the ability to lead, exert authority." If we take that definition of the term and apply it to the world in which we live today, leadership is the ability to motivate and inspire a person or persons to act with a commonality of purpose in order to achieve a desired goal. If the characteristic of leadership is necessary in order to rise to a respected position of authority within a certain sector, then what are the qualities of leadership?

Doris Kearns Goodwin, one of the outstanding historians and commentators on world affairs in the media today, defines leadership in the following manner: "That is what leadership is all about: staking your ground ahead of where opinion is and convincing people, not simply following the popular opinion of the moment." In order to be convincing to others, the characteristic of leadership qualities that people must possess are: the ability to inspire others; the ability to supervise others through authenticity and integrity; and the ability to communicate one's point of view to others. Often leadership involves taking sides contrary to popular or accepted beliefs, and convincing people to follow your lead

In order to exhibit the courage to change behaviors within ourselves, we must possess the characteristic of leadership. Leadership is the art of motivating others. Before we can motivate others, we need to be motivated sufficiently within ourselves. Thankfully, our society has progressed to the point where there is assistance available to help us find the powers within ourselves to change those behaviors that are holding us back from realizing our full potential.