Shawnee Love   •  
November 14, 2013

I am often asked whether:

• a leader is born or made, and
• if a bad boss can reform?

While I recognize that people are born with natural talents and inherent traits, I have observed countless examples of people improving their soft skills (e.g., communication, relationship building) and developing or enhancing the qualities and characteristics such as those that will help them attract admiration, respect and confidence of others.

What I have noticed with everyone who improves is the presence of:

1. Desire:  They all want to improve.  This desire has two aspects:
   1. Self Awareness: They recognize the problem in themselves.
   2. Confidence: They believe it is possible to get better.
2. Ownership:  They believe the onus is on them and while they can have cheerleaders and coaches, it is their job to move the mountain.
3. Sense of Control:  They feel that it is within their capabilities to improve.
4. A Plan:  People who make big changes are realistic about the difficulty of making a lasting change and plan for the challenges.  They think about the obstacles they may face, the situations that might drive them back into old bad habits, and who they may need on their side to help them along way.

If these 4 building blocks are present, change is within reach.  That doesn’t mean the leopard will become an eagle, but it can mean that your leopard might become the best s/he can be.

How have you changed your spots?