● A possible resolution to the dilemma – are leaders born or made?
Creating and sustaining excellent schools is a function of, and dependent on, good principal and school leadership. But are such leadership qualities something people are born with or can they be learned? It must be emphasized that the discussion here is about senior leadership rather than teacher leadership. These perennial questions have taxed the minds of commentators on leadership for years. From my viewpoint, an appealing way of addressing this question is adopted by Nigel Nicholson (2007), a professor at the London Business School. Nicholson’s answer is that the most important prerequisite is a desire to lead, and in this respect there are three kinds of people: