Discover if you can develop leadership skills. Research proves 70% of development comes from experience, 20% from coaching, 10% from training.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Fri 7th November 2025
Can I develop leadership skills, or are effective leaders simply born with innate capabilities? Yes, leadership skills can absolutely be developed through deliberate practice, targeted experiences, and sustained effort. Research from the Centre for Creative Leadership demonstrates that leadership development follows the 70-20-10 model: 70% from challenging assignments, 20% from developmental relationships, and 10% from formal training programmes.
The question reflects a persistent debate between nature and nurture in leadership development. Whilst certain personality traits may provide initial advantages, the overwhelming body of research confirms that leadership represents a learnable skill set rather than an inherited gift. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck's work on growth mindset reveals that individuals who believe abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work achieve significantly more than those who view talent as fixed.
Modern neuroscience has transformed our understanding of skill acquisition. Brain plasticity research demonstrates that neural pathways strengthen through repeated practice, regardless of starting point. When you engage in leadership behaviours—whether making decisions, communicating vision, or managing conflict—your brain physically changes to support these activities.
A longitudinal study published in The Leadership Quarterly tracked 1,200 emerging leaders over five years. Participants who engaged in structured development activities showed measurable improvements across all leadership competencies, with the most significant gains occurring in emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and influence skills. Remarkably, baseline personality assessments showed no correlation with final leadership effectiveness ratings.
Leadership comprises discrete, observable behaviours rather than mystical qualities. Research identifies these core competencies:
Each represents a skill that improves through practice. Just as musicians develop technical proficiency through scales and exercises, leaders build capabilities through deliberate engagement with leadership challenges.
The Centre for Creative Leadership's research with thousands of executives identified how effective leaders actually develop their capabilities:
70% Challenging Assignments: Stretch experiences that push you beyond current capabilities create the most significant development. Leading a cross-functional project, turning around an underperforming team, or managing during organisational change forces you to develop new skills rapidly.
20% Developmental Relationships: Coaches, mentors, and trusted colleagues accelerate learning by providing perspective, challenge, and support. Regular feedback from these relationships helps you identify blind spots and refine your approach.
10% Formal Training: Courses, workshops, and structured learning provide frameworks and tools that enhance experiential learning. Whilst classroom training alone proves insufficient, it amplifies the value of real-world practice.
Malcolm Gladwell's "10,000-hour rule" oversimplifies skill acquisition, but the underlying principle holds: expertise requires sustained practice over years, not months. Research by K. Anders Ericsson, whose work Gladwell popularised, emphasises that deliberate practice—focused effort on specific skills with immediate feedback—matters more than time alone.
Most leadership development programmes show measurable improvements within 6-12 months, but developing true expertise typically requires 5-7 years of varied leadership experiences. The trajectory isn't linear; you'll experience rapid growth during challenging assignments and plateau periods during routine work.
Building leadership capabilities requires intentional action, not passive hoping. Consider this evidence-based approach:
Seek Stretch Assignments: Volunteer for projects outside your comfort zone. Research shows that managing unfamiliar situations develops adaptability and creative problem-solving more effectively than incremental challenges in familiar domains.
Establish Feedback Loops: Create mechanisms for regular, specific feedback on your leadership behaviours. A Harvard study found that leaders who actively solicited feedback and acted on it improved twice as quickly as those who relied on annual performance reviews alone.
Study Leadership Models: Observe effective leaders in your organisation and beyond. Identify specific behaviours that create impact, then experiment with incorporating those approaches into your own style.
Invest in Self-Awareness: Research consistently identifies self-awareness as the foundation of leadership effectiveness. Regular reflection, personality assessments like the Hogan or MBTI, and 360-degree feedback help you understand your natural tendencies and their impact on others.
Build Your Leadership Curriculum: Curate learning experiences across all three development channels—challenging assignments, developmental relationships, and formal learning. Balance is essential; overreliance on any single channel limits growth.
Absolutely. Susan Cain's research in Quiet: The Power of Introverts demonstrates that introverts bring distinct leadership strengths: thoughtful decision-making, deep listening, and the ability to empower team members. Developing leadership skills means enhancing your natural strengths whilst building competence in areas that require more effort.
Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Satya Nadella exemplify effective introverted leadership. Each developed capabilities for public speaking and stakeholder engagement whilst maintaining their reflective, analytical approach. Leadership development doesn't require personality transformation; it involves expanding your behavioural repertoire whilst remaining authentic.
Several barriers prevent aspiring leaders from developing their capabilities:
Fixed Mindset: Believing leadership is innate becomes self-fulfilling. When you attribute setbacks to lack of talent rather than insufficient practice, you stop trying. Adopting a growth mindset—viewing challenges as opportunities to learn—transforms obstacles into development experiences.
Lack of Opportunity: Many organisations offer limited leadership opportunities to early-career professionals. Create your own by leading volunteer projects, professional association committees, or community initiatives. The context matters less than the practice.
Insufficient Feedback: Without knowing how your behaviours land with others, improvement becomes guesswork. Build a personal board of advisors who will provide honest, specific feedback on your development areas.
Impatience: Leadership development takes years, not weeks. Unrealistic timelines lead to frustration and abandonment of development efforts. Focus on incremental progress rather than dramatic transformation.
Track progress through both quantitative and qualitative indicators:
Regular measurement provides motivation during plateau periods and helps you identify which development activities deliver the strongest returns.
You'll see measurable improvements within 6-12 months of focused development effort, but developing true leadership expertise typically requires 5-7 years of varied experiences. The key is sustained, deliberate practice rather than passive time in role. Focus on challenging assignments that stretch your capabilities and seek regular feedback to accelerate learning.
Start with self-awareness and emotional intelligence, as these foundational capabilities support all other leadership skills. Once you understand your natural tendencies and can regulate your emotional responses, focus on communication and decision-making skills that directly impact your current role. Prioritise based on your specific development gaps rather than generic competency lists.
Research suggests that anyone with sufficient motivation can develop competent leadership skills, but exceptional leadership requires both deliberate development and contextual fit. Your personality, values, and strengths influence which leadership contexts suit you best. Focus on becoming an effective leader in environments that align with your authentic self rather than emulating others.
Formal training represents only 10% of effective leadership development. Whilst it provides valuable frameworks and tools, the majority of learning occurs through challenging work experiences (70%) and developmental relationships (20%). Combine all three approaches for optimal results, but prioritise real-world practice over classroom learning alone.
Demonstrate leadership through influence rather than authority. Volunteer to lead cross-functional projects, mentor junior colleagues, facilitate team meetings, or coordinate community initiatives. Research shows that informal leadership opportunities develop the same capabilities as formal positions whilst demonstrating your readiness for promotion.
Past setbacks don't predict future potential. Analyse what specifically didn't work—was it the wrong development approach, insufficient support, poor timing, or misaligned context? Leadership development requires experimentation. Each "failure" provides data about which approaches work for you and which situations bring out your strengths. Adjust your strategy based on these insights rather than abandoning development entirely.
Seek multiple sources of evidence: formal 360-degree feedback, informal observations from trusted colleagues, project outcomes, team engagement scores, and your own self-assessment of confidence in leadership situations. Improvement often shows up in subtle ways—stakeholders seeking your input more frequently, team members volunteering for your projects, or successfully navigating situations that previously challenged you. Regular measurement every 6-12 months reveals progress that daily proximity obscures.