Are Leaders Born or Made?
Why Leadership Can Begin in Early Childhood
Some children seem to arrive in the world ready to take charge. They organize the game, recruit the other children, decide where everyone should sit, and have surprisingly definite opinions about how the block tower ought to be constructed.
We often call these children “natural leaders.” But are they?
The question of whether leaders are born or made has occupied leadership researchers for decades. The emerging answer is not just either/or: some characteristics that contribute to leadership may come naturally, but many of the abilities that make someone an effective leader develop through experience, education, relationships, and practice. Even more importantly, that development begins much earlier than we once thought.
Leadership researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Susan Murphy and Stefanie Johnson, argue that instead of beginning our study of leadership with adults in workplaces, we should take a “long-lens” approach and examine the earliest seeds of leadership development. More recent research has extended that idea, identifying childhood—and even the preschool years—as a potential window for developing the skills and mindsets that later support leadership.
In other words, waiting until someone receives their first management title to start developing leadership may be a little like waiting until adulthood to teach communication or teamwork.
What Does a Three-Year-Old Leader Look Like?
Probably not a tiny CEO.
Leadership in childhood looks different from leadership in a boardroom. It can mean persuading friends to build something together, listening to another child’s idea, solving a disagreement, helping someone who is struggling, speaking in front of a group, making a decision, taking responsibility, or knowing when to follow someone else’s good idea.
A study of 375 preschool-aged children published in Social Development examined characteristics associated with early leadership. Researchers looked at executive function, emotional regulation, imagination, understanding other people’s perspectives, vocabulary and prosocial relationships with peers.
One particularly interesting finding was that there wasn’t one universal profile of a preschool leader. Several different combinations of strengths were associated with higher leadership scores.
It suggests that the outgoing child who loves the microphone does not have a monopoly on leadership potential. The thoughtful observer, the compassionate helper, the imaginative problem-solver and the child who quietly brings a group together is developing different foundations for leadership.
Research also draws an important distinction between leadership and dominance. Getting other children to do what you want through force or intimidation is influence, but it isn’t the kind of leadership schools should cultivate. Researchers studying young children have instead described “diplomatic leadership”—using negotiation, compromise and prosocial behavior to influence a group toward a goal.
That distinction is important because good leadership is not simply about learning to be in charge. It is also about learning to listen, collaborate, empathize, communicate and exercise judgment.
Practice Matters
Can schools actually influence these abilities? We believe they can.
A meta-analysis of 213 school-based social-emotional learning programs involving more than 270,000 students found measurable improvements in children’s social-emotional skills, behavior and academic performance. A later analysis of 82 programs involving more than 97,000 students found that benefits in social-emotional development could still be detected in follow-up studies conducted from six months to 18 years later.
Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child similarly notes that children are not born with executive-function abilities such as planning, self-control, focus and flexible thinking. They are born with the capacity to develop them—and these abilities become stronger through experience and practice.
Mike Silva, Head of School for Foothill Country Day School adds, “All children have within them the seeds for leadership, and schools nurture this potential in many ways, but essential to every school’s effort is a teaching and learning culture in which children feel valued and understood and have opportunities to be in relationships with others different from themselves.”
At Foothill Country Day School, that understanding changes the way we think about leadership education. We are intentional. It doesn’t begin when students are old enough to run for student council. It begins at our preschool with very young children learning compassion, curiosity, responsibility and appreciation for people whose experiences may be different from their own. As students grow, those foundations can be strengthened through critical thinking, collaboration, public speaking, service, decision-making and authentic opportunities to lead.
There is long-term research to support this. A study published in 2025 followed members of a large Swedish cohort from sixth grade into adulthood. Among more than 10,000 participants in the primary analysis, children whom classmates identified for an informal leadership role in sixth grade were significantly more likely to occupy formal managerial positions decades later. The researchers are careful to describe this as probability rather than destiny—and social class, education and cognitive ability mattered as well—but the connection between childhood and adult leadership was striking.
Of course, the goal of educating children for leadership isn’t to produce a generation of CEOs. Tomorrow’s leaders will be physicians and artists, engineers and teachers, entrepreneurs and researchers, parents and volunteers. Some will lead organizations. Others will lead a project, advocate for an idea, solve a problem no one else has solved, or step forward when their community needs someone willing to take responsibility.
Perhaps, then, “Are leaders born or made?” is the wrong question.
A better one might be:Are we giving children the experiences they need to discover what kind of leader they can become?
Want to learn more about Foothill Country Day School?
Foothill Country Day School is a preschool through 8th grade school in Claremont California. Founded in 1954 by Howell Webb as a private independent school, Foothill offers the best education in the Inland Empire. We are educating the next generation of society's leaders in an environment of inclusivity and respect for all cultures. No matter what their talents, or what paths our students choose, they have the tools to become leaders. Get to know Foothill on our website and on Facebook & Instagram.