Leaders are iconoclasts; leaders are charismatic;
leaders are willing to the pay the price of conviction – Gandhiji did; leaders are
courageous people; leaders have big heart; leaders have strategic vision – they
can see what is beyond today.
Leadership is not a inherent quality or ingrained, it’s more of a skill which one
develops over a period of time by experience, observing others and learning by
oneself.

Nonetheless, experience has shown that leaders of successful organizations are disinclined to
change things if they are remotely successful. Few individuals or corporations
have managed to change successfully; even fewer have done so repeatedly.

Does this mean leadership courses are ineffective?

It is doubtful if a course can create these qualities. Courses can make, of course,
better managers, but doubt whether they create true leaders.

At the same time, it is the classic “born vs made” issue. At some level perhaps
this comment applies to a very select few of inspirational leaders. Some of these
leaders are a product of their environment, and succeed in them. For the vast
majority it is a skill, self learned by mindful attention to on the job experiences,
job challenges, and all of the external environment. Other than that, we know
that some help from friends, bosses, mentors, and Coaches can go a long way in making a leader to go from good to great.