JUNE 30 — Looking at leaders of the past few decades, we notice that many are undeniably charismatic and have a strong sense of identity and self-confidence. Former US president Bill Clinton and current President Barack Obama are disarmingly charming, inspiring and eloquent. They have presence and a keen interest in taking charge of a situation.
In the commercial world, the likes of Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Apple’s Steve Jobs suggest that leadership calls for a single-mindedness about doing well despite obstacles falling along the way. The ‘never say die’ attitude prevails. Some continue to be leaders with an amiable disposition while others care less about how they are viewed by others.
We also notice that some of these leadership qualities run in the family.
There’s John F. Kennedy and his brothers, Robert and Edward — president and senators of the United States. In Asia, the Gandhis and Bhuttos have a family lineage in their respective political histories. At home, Lee Hsien Loong, like his father Lee Kuan Yew, leads Singapore. Even in communist countries such as North Korea, Kim Jong-Il has appointed his youngest son to succeed him.
Are such leaders born? Does genetics play a part in their becoming leaders? Our study on the ‘born’ side of the leadership equation suggests that genetics and personality have a bearing on whether a person becomes a leader. We also found that genetics influences personality.
Three personality traits — social potency, achievement and social closeness — have a bearing on whether an individual occupies a leadership position. People high on social potency are forceful and decisive, like to influence others, enjoy taking on leadership roles as well as like to take charge of and be noticed at social events. We found that social potency has the highest association with being in a leadership position. The more an individual likes to take charge, the more likely he is to assume a leadership role. The more an individual thrives on challenges, the more likely he is to end up a leader.
Next comes achievement orientation. This concerns how much an individual enjoys long hours of work, thrives on demanding projects, persists where others give up, and strives for perfectionism. People who persevere and thrive under pressure are more likely to occupy leadership positions than those who are less achievement minded.
Lastly, social closeness — the extent to which an individual is sociable, warm and affectionate, likes people, values close interpersonal ties, and turns to others for comfort and help - is also related to the leadership role, though to a lesser degree than social potency and achievement.
Does genetics play a part? We used a twin study to investigate this issue. Identical twins were compared against fraternal twins in terms of their moving into leadership roles. Because identical twins share 100 per cent of their genes whereas fraternal twins share 50 per cent on average, more similarities among identical twins indicate genetic influences.
Using this methodology, we found that genetics influences leadership role occupation. When examining the differences between individuals with regard to whether they moved into leadership roles, about 30 per cent of the differences was explained by genetics. The remaining 70 per cent was accounted for by environmental influences such as training, job experiences, education as well as other forms of environmental exposure.
Genetics also influences the three personality traits listed. It accounted for up to a quarter of the differences among individuals with regard to their social potency and 40 per cent of the differences with regard to their achievement trait.
Thus, the answer to the question posed is that both nature and nurture play important roles in who becomes a leader.
What do these findings portend for people who aspire to be leaders? The battle is half won when one is strongly driven by the desire to take charge, and when one has a high need for achievement. It also helps to have a genetic background that facilitates leveraging opportunities in the workplace, such as job experiences, and other environmental events (such as the type of education and training one receives).
While there is no ‘genetic test’ for leadership, one can use prior experiences in leadership as a way to predict whether individuals will be successful in moving into other leadership positions in the future. — The Straits Times
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