Leaders Are Made not Born - The Myth of the Chosen Leader: Why We Must Break the Box

There’s a dangerous idea that continues to shape how we see leadership: the belief that leaders are born—or worse, ordained by a higher force. It’s the belief that some people are simply destined to lead, while the rest are meant to follow.

At first glance, this might look like harmless tradition, cultural reverence, or spiritual humility. But beneath the surface, this belief is anything but innocent. It’s the moment we begin to defer not out of respect, but out of resignation. It’s the moment we start to believe that we are less than others. It’s the moment we accept that our role in life is to serve someone else’s vision, not pursue our own.

This mindset is a trap. A box.And once we’re in that box, we start to shrink our hopes, dreams, and possibilities. We silence our voice. We stay small. Worse still, those who benefit from our smallness often have the story ready.They wrap it in tradition, hierarchy, doctrine, and culture. They teach it in schools, reinforce it in media, and sometimes preach it from pulpits.It’s a script designed to create leaders and followers—not based on merit, but on birthright, class, or compliance. Take, for example, systems like the caste hierarchy. From the start, individuals are labeled—some privileged, some not. Some told they were born to lead, others taught to serve. The same pattern exists in more subtle forms in corporate hierarchies, old-school leadership models, religious settings and even family systems.

But here’s the truth: Leadership is not about bloodline, birthright, or divine appointment.Leadership is a choice. It’s a posture. A skillset. A mindset. A heartset.

Real leadership can be learned. Practiced. Refined.And it doesn’t require a crown, a title, or permission.

If we want more empowered communities, more equitable workplaces and more inclusive futures, we must begin by unlearning the myth of the “born leader.” We must challenge the invisible scripts that keep people playing small.We must create cultures where leadership is open to all not just the loudest, the oldest, the richest, or the most endorsed. Because when everyone sees themselves as capable of influence, change, and service, we all rise.

Reflection Questions:

• Where in your life have you internalised the myth of the “chosen leader”?

• How can you challenge inherited systems of deference in your community or organisation?

• What box might you need to step out of to claim your voice as a leader?