If leadership skills are critical for business success, how do you develop them? Are you born with these skills are the learned?

I think there are natural born leaders and it is easier for them to become leaders. Most of them have been leaders at an early age and then lead to captains of sports, school officers etc. I think it is very difficult to train a leader.

I dont believe you can learn leadership in a classroom the best thing you can do is mentor you employees and demonstrate strong leadership skills yourself!

I think you can train good leaders, the military does it all the time I do not think you can train great leaders. Great leaders are born good leaders and are trained to be great leaders.

I also believe great leaders are born not made.

I am not sure people like Abraham Lincoln were born leaders but certainly he became one. Look at his list of failures. Many people at the time did not see him in a leadership role:

Lost job in 1832.
Defeated for state legislature in 1832.
Failed in business in 1833.
Elected to state legislature in 1834.
Sweetheart died in 1835.
Had nervous breakdown in 1836.
Defeated for Speaker in 1838.
Defeated for nomination for Congress in 1843.
Elected to Congress in 1846.
Lost renomination in 1848.
Rejected for land officer in 1849.
Defeated for U.S. Senate in 1854.
Defeated for nomination for Vice President in 1856.
Again defeated for U.S. Senate in 1858.
Elected President in 1860.