Developing Young Leaders in Kenya’s Rift Valley

Abstract

Leadership is a topic that has been studied formally by social scientists for nearly 100 years, and from a number of different angles. For instance, the field has tackled topics including leader selection, leading teams to maximize effectiveness and performance, motivating a workforce, and, of course, development of leaders. At the time the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) was founded in 1970, there was a general notion that “leaders are born, not made.” However, advancements in theory helped the field move away from trait-based leadership and toward the importance of certain skills for effective leadership. With this shift, there was recognition that leaders can in fact be “made” or, in our terms, developed. Further, all people have the potential to be effective at leading, in some situation or another. And, there is an opportunity (and a need) for individuals throughout organizations, and communities, to step up and take a leading role, regardless of whether they have a formal leadership position.