Nature Vs. Nurture: Are Managers Born Or Created?
By Sharon Jones
Nature Vs. Nurture. It’s a debate those in the psychological field have been battling with for years. Do our experiences or our genes dictate behavior? Are we born or created? There have been countless twin studies and essays dedicated to the cause. Annoyingly, they all come to the same conclusion: we are both born and created.
But, what happens if we turn this to the business world, and ask ourselves whether managers are born or created? If you feel as though you aren’t up to management, a win for nurture could help you take the leap. Equally, those who feel the drive to manage but have never trusted themselves to could find a nature win inspiring. Either way, this could be what it takes to show you whether you can manage or not. So, the gloves are off. What is each contender bringing to the ring?
Nature
Let’s start in the nature corner. Here, it’s important to consider the personality types of those who most often become managers. Generally, this field consists of extroverts with fantastic communication skills. Typically, big-thinkers with a determined personality aim for roles like these. In fact, their very determination sometimes sees them through. After all, getting to the top isn’t easy. It’s no wonder that people who turn around at hurdles are less likely to get to the top. You could argue that without the natural drive, managing a business will be near enough out of reach. After all, such positions rarely fall in your lap.
Nurture
The nurture corner would argue natural drive is not an essential part for making it to management. Nurture would argue instead that, with the right people and lessons around you, you can nurture that drive yourself. What’s more, natural drive alone is not enough to take you all the way. According to nurture arguments, success actually depends on the research you do into your role. Everyone knows that you can’t understand management until you’re doing it. As such, a manager can surely only be created. On top of which, most people in this position take advice from experts like Jozef Opdeweegh, who already bring seventeen years of experience to the table. Research like this is near enough essential to success, no matter how naturally suited you are to the position.
So, who wins?
Looking at both arguments, it’s tough to tell who wins. Both sides bring compelling arguments to the table. But, when you break things down, they both compliment each other. Yes, it’s unlikely you’ll get a management role unless it’s in your nature. But, you also need to nurture that initial instinct to ensure your ongoing success. As such, it seems that we’re left in the same position as the psychologists who have come before us. You need both nature and nurture to be the best manager possible. If you’re reading this article, it suggests you already have that natural spark. Now, go out and nurture it into the management approach you need it to be.