Are leaders born or made?

While some leaders like Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ possess natural qualities that help in leadership (photographic memory, optimistic temperament, unbounded energy), most leadership traits are developed through discipline and hard work. As Teddy Roosevelt wrote, some have natural talents, but most people's success comes from combining ordinary talents with sustained effort to make them extraordinary. These great leaders recognized their flaws and worked to improve themselves, showing that effective leadership typically comes from the development of skills rather than innate abilities alone.