Are Leaders Made or Summoned to Lead?

Ask people the question, “Are leaders born or made”, and the overwhelming answer is made.  Ask people the question, “Are leaders made or summoned to lead”, and most people would say huh? Leonard Sweet wrote a book called Summoned to Lead in which the basic premise is leaders are neither born nor made but rather summoned, called into existence by circumstances.  He goes on to say those who rise to the occasion are leaders.  He believes vision is a worn out concept and that the whole leadership thing is demented, that the future needs more ears than eyes.  If you were to go to the library and spend a few casual minutes browsing through leadership books, you would quickly realize Sweet is in the minority.  But is he wrong?  Haven’t you ever found yourself in the right place at the right time, where you were left to decide should I help or mind my own business?  Was that your moment to lead?  We think of the heroes that are presented to us in tragic situations like September 11, 2001, natural disasters, or war.  Every time they are given an opportunity to speak they say the same thing, “Anyone would have done what I did”.  Really, would they really or was the person seizing the moment to be a hero, being summoned to lead?   

In general, I subscribe to the John Maxwell theory that leadership is influence, nothing more or nothing less.  However, I can’t discount the fact that I believe we are purposeful beings created to fulfill something bigger than surviving day to day.  Can leadership be a summons to influence people at the right time and in the right circumstance?  Why did I pick this moment to discuss Leonard Sweet’s book written seven years ago?  In light of the recent reflections ten years after the devastation in New York, Washington D.C, and Shanksville, PA, I believe we are all summoned to influence people around us and that we all must be ready to rise to the occasion when the circumstances require, whether it be a tragedy like 9/11/2001, the birth of a child, change that has to be implemented in your business, or standing up for a cause.  I’m not sure if leadership is influence or if we are summoned to lead by circumstances.  But I do know that you will either be influenced by people or be an influencer of people.  That is a decision each of us will make at some point.  For me, I want to be an influencer of people, helping others to more productive in whatever endeavor they choose.  How about you?