Our own Big Idea Center Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Jeanine McCreary shares what she believes it takes to be a leader and tackles the age-old argument of whether leaders are made or born?
“Are you a leader or a follower?”
A leader is the answer most would give.
When I asked several students this question, the answers ranged from “I am a leader because I run several clubs” to “I am a leader because I feel naturally inclined to take the lead on projects”.
Leadership is defined as the action of leading a group of people or an organization.
So, they are correct.
My favorite traits of leadership are vision, focus, fairness, integrity, courage, decisiveness and self-discipline. However, leaders have multiple qualities and require many skills to be effective. Being a leader can be rewarding and will certainly be difficult at times.
Hence, an age-old argument is whether leaders are made or born.
I discussed this topic with a colleague of mine Ketaki Desai, a leader in the Greater Pittsburgh ecosystem of start-ups and innovation. We have both attended many leadership development programs and agree they offer many benefits. We also agree it takes more than a knowledge base to master the art of leadership.
I asked Ketaki a few questions on leadership:
Do you think everyone should be a leader?
I believe that not everyone can, or even wants to, be a leader. Leading people is not easy, you must practice everything you preach. You must be a role model every single time and take the high road, no matter how much you wish otherwise. Many people are great followers, they do not enjoy making decisions for the collective. However, a person can lead in one part of their life and follow in another. So, people who do not wish to lead in their professional lives can lead in different ways.
How did you develop your leadership skills?
I believe everyone has different qualities that translate well when you lead people and I try to be inspired by everyday people that I meet.
I read a lot, especially about people who are good at leading. I have also participated in several leadership conferences and trainings - such as Disney's Leadership training and Leadership Pittsburgh.
What are the top 5 qualities and/or skills of a good leader?
- Passion/Vision
- Compassion
- Communication
- Decisiveness
- Resilience
Are leaders made or born?
That is a great question - I think that there are certain leadership qualities that one is born with - like being decisive. However, most other qualities can be learned or cultivated. So, I would say that a leader can be made.
What was your most challenging or rewarding leadership experience?
My most challenging, and also my most rewarding, leadership experience was being the Executive Director of a business incubator. It taught me a lot about working with people I didn't agree with. I think that is one of the most important lessons one should learn in life - to be able to reach across the table, no matter who is sitting there, and be able to work collaboratively with them. It also taught be prioritize my work better - we were a small team of 4, starting with me alone, and had very limited resources. So, we had to achieve a lot to show the community that it could be done, and we did!
-Jeanine McCreary
Jeanine is the President of the McCreary Group, a company which helps large and small organizations with project analysis, development, implementation, and management. Jeanine has extensive experience in program & curriculum development in the areas of entrepreneurship, financial literacy, life skills training, and real estate. Jeanine served on the board of directors of the Erie School District and has been nominated to be seated on the National School Board of Directors. Previously she served on the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. Jeanine holds a BS degree from Penn State University.