Study says ability, opportunity and hard work make leaders....

Managers who want to develop leaders in their ranks take note, a Vanderbilt University report reveals that a complex mix of factors creates intellectual leaders. “The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth,” a 50-year study that tracks individuals identified as exceptionally gifted at a young age across their lifespan, began in 1971 and includes 5,000 participants. (Published in the journal Perspective on Psychological Science.) The research has been undertaken to help identify those who have the most potential to become exceptional leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But the implications are apparent for a broader field of potential leaders.

So just what does it take to give those of exceptional ability the best chance to become leaders in their fields? The report found that cognitive abilities, educational opportunities, investigative interests and old-fashioned hard work make exceptional students, or those showing the most promise into exceptional leaders.

We found that mathematical gifts and a variety of aptitudes have a significant impact,” says David Lubinski, professor psychology at Vanderbilt, “but that special educational opportunities and commitment can dramatically increase this impact. These students are intellectually gifted, and those gifts are best fully realised when they have the full support and understanding of their teachers, their parents and their social network.”

Managers should be on the lookout for those of exceptional ability who are willing to work hard. And when they are lucky enough to find these people, they should throw their full support and understanding behind them. That’s how leaders are made.