One of the frequent questions we are asked is can people be developed as effective leaders by attending leadership development or do good leaders arrive in this world with the ability to lead others.

The short answer is both apply. Working with leadership development over the last 21+ years I have seen examples from both ends of this spectrum.

I recall a story from a local nursery where teachers were at their wits end trying to cope with toilets that constantly flooded. The little darlings in their care were stuffing used paper towels down the loo and causing serious plumbing issues.

This reoccurring situation had gone on for weeks. Teachers’ messages of what went where were unheeded. On one occasion when chaos abounded, a four year old boy went into the bathroom picked up a toilet roll and a handful of paper towels, stood on a chair and proceeded to shout at his fellow toddlers.

Raising his right hand clutching a toilet roll he proclaimed ‘This is a toilet roll and you wipe your bottom with this and put it down the toilet’. Raising his left hand clutching paper towels he continued ‘These are for drying your hands – you put these in the bin’.

The toilets did flood on occasions following this but paper towels blocking the exit route were never the cause.

The hero of the day went onto captain the school ruby team and was twice head boy, which in 400 years of the school was unheard of. I am not sure what this young man went on to do however, it seems he was certainly heading in the right leadership direction.

By Kasmin Cooney | Righttrack’s Managing Director