Are leaders born or built?

I have been struggling a lot with what it means to be a leader lately.  I had this grand idea when I accepted a director position that I would have the chance to really make a difference, to help associates grow and learn then way that I was able to, and to hopefully give opportunities to people who deserved it.  I wanted to be in an environment where I could create a home, a place that people actually liked going during their days, and I wanted to create the best conditions I could for my associates so in turn they would do the same for my residents.

So what happens when your grand plans don’t go, well, according to plan?

I have always been told that leadership is about unlocking people’s potential to become better.  I believe that this is true, but on the flip side of that, what happens when no matter your effort, someone does not seem to improve or take the reins and step up?  Does this reflect on you and your leadership or is it simply that someone is not teachable?

I have thought a lot about this lately.  I think that one of my best qualities is that I see the potential in people and I believe in them and take people at their word.  When does this become a downfall though?  I think the answer to that is a lot more basic then we would all like to acknowledge.  To put it simply, it’s a downfall when you are putting more effort in to someone than that individual is putting in to their own life.  If your labor has seen no fruit, or even an inkling of a bud, then that person has proven that potential is just potential and nothing else.  At some point, people have to take control of their own lives and step up to the plate.

This is such a hard concept for me though, I try to always see the best in everyone.  It is such a huge let down when I have to come to terms with the fact that someone may not ever change.  I am not good at letting go, and when it comes to something like a job or my associates more than anything I feel like I personally have let them down in some way.  I have felt like this a lot lately with all of the HR issues we have been having in various departments.  I go home feeling drained and defeated because we cannot seem to get people to care about their jobs.  Although, I just summed up the issue all in one sentence.  They don’t care. 

I think this can be applied to a lot of areas in life, but ultimately it boils down to a person’s opinion of themselves, their jobs, and what they think is worth fighting for.  If they do not care about their jobs, goals, or whatever it is, than no amount of intelligence and potential will matter.  They've already made the decision not to do their best.

This is such a foreign concept for me.  If anything, I am the polar opposite and take on TOO much.  I have always worked my ass off and poured myself in to my job, volunteer work, helping my loved ones.  I see a mountain and I come up with a game plan and I climb it like a boss.  So here I am, with this mighty goal of creating an environment where my associates flourish and it just is not happening.  I have just been so frustrated by this!  In the HR world there is a saying that people will either work themselves up or out and while I have seen this to be true, I just have a very hard time accepting that sometimes no matter how hard I try, this really will be the case. 

I have stressed so much about this and felt so very out of control lately.  At the end of the day it really does just boil down to one thing though:  excellence is never an accident; it is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution, and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities. 

I cannot force excellence.  All I can do is my best and lead by example and those that have the desire to be better will rise to the occasion. 

One day I will be able to look back at this time and smile at all that I have learned over the last few weeks.  Right now, I just see this mountain that is very high and very rocky and I wonder how long it will take to climb it.

I suppose the fact that I don’t see it as impossible is a step in the right direction though, right?  One day and one issue at a time.