My view is that leadership is a skill not a trait. There are, however, several traits that are helpful to being a leader such as charisma, enthusiasm and intuition… but not necessary.
How to make a leader? Here are some of my thoughts:
Confidence – Confident people aren’t afraid to take chances or go beyond their comfort zone.
Creative Thinking – Encourage people to come up with innovative solutions.
Curiosity – Should learn to ask “Why” and “What if” & look deeper into problems and find long-term solutions…
Empowerment – Trust them enough to give some responsibility…
Support – Be open to all possibilities & outcomes.
Failure – Should be allowed and appreciated as learning opportunities.
Sure there is much more to it than this... these are things that can be taught/nutured but even then, someone can learn all these lessons and not be a leader. After all this, a person has to want to lead…
Aly, I’m thinking about your business question…
Does every situation require a leader? Does yours? I don’t know. Maybe by virtue of opening your business you are becoming a leader but don’t recognize it?
I think a lot of companies have creative/business partnerships – ie. someone to handle the cookies and someone to handle the other stuff. As you grow your company, maybe this is where the leadership role will fit in for you?
P.