Who, How, and When are leaders formed and what defines a leader and seperates them from the rest of the crowd? These are some of the questions that I am faced with as a mentor in my field. I am constantly looking for leaders. I am looking for those who are willing to and have the ability to step up and take a stand for their own life and the lives of many other ambitious entrepreneurs. In finding some of these leaders I also run into so many others who have the desire to be a leader of many, but aren’t really willing to take the opportunities that are handed to them to do so.

So the questions lies: Are leaders born with the gift of leadership? I have been to seminars and workshop that were designed to attempt on creating leaders out of the people who attend. Can you create a leader, on your time, as a mentor? Can you teach leadership to someone who has a burning desire? Is there a course that can instruct leadership and speed up the process? I mean, we have all seen it. In a group of children, it is very clear which ones have the natural ability to lead. Is it the same for adults?

I think that many people are born with the natural ability to lead, and we are all given different talents that can be nurtured and exercised in order to reach their potential. But even if we are born with the natural ability to lead, there are still choices to be made in order to nuture and harness that ability. Just because someone is incredibly athletic doesn’t mean that they choose to be the next Michael Jordan of our time. People CHOOSE to be leaders. It is something that is learned, and not taught. One has to want to lead, in order to be a leader. We are not born with the ability to lead…..we are given the opportunities to lead. We are not born courageous, we are given opportunities to be courageous.

It is by acting on those opportunities we are faced with everyday, opportunities to demonstrate our leadership, is what makes us a leader. I once heard that you do not fail all at once. It is not one sudden moment where everything comes crashing down. It is one small moment after another over a longer period of time that causes our ultimate failure. The same goes with leadership. It is one small, or large act of leadership at a time over a long period of time that turns followers into leaders.

I was having a conversation with a gentleman today about this business opportunity, and he said something that is so true. I will tell you what he said in a minute. First, let me ask you a question. What does it take to become a successful entrepreneur? Is it difficult? Is it easy? Does it require you to change a little?

Let me give a story as an example really quick. The once lived a bum, or a guy without a job or a home to live in. He was broke, but he did have one thing going for him, at least in his world it was a good as it gets. He had claim on the busiest corner in his town. That meant more profits for him in the form of donations. He was doing well in the land of the bums.

Now one day a guy comes along and feels inspired to assist this bum in getting his life back together. So he goes and offers the bum a job, room and board, and even a car to drive to a from work in. The pay would be good and it would give this bum an opportunity to set things straight and to have a normal life. Well, the bum got all excited at first but then came a worried look across his face. He looked up at the guy who had offered him all these great things and asked, “Well, what will happen to my corner? Someone will get my corner if I leave!”

It was once said that it is easier for a bum to transition into being an employee than for an employee to transition into an entrepreneur. Why? What is the gap there and what is so difficult about making that transition?

Think about the mentality of both the employee and then an entrepreneur. An employee is used to being the guy behind the scenes instead of being the director. He is used to structure. He is conditioned not to make big decisions, but to leave that to his employer, the entrepreneur. Risk taking is non-existent in the employees life. He is used to getting that paycheck every other week. So to make that shift from exactly opposite of everything he is conditioned with, is difficult for a lot of people. When you make the transition from employee to entrepreneur you make the shift from being told what to do by someone else to telling yourself what to do.

Do you have the self-confidence and qualities of leadership to be effective as an entrepreneur? To you have what it takes to play all out? Do you have what it takes to take risks that may involve sacrifice? Are you willing to step away from the bi-weekly paycheck?

The gentleman I spoke to today said that he had the itch, the entrepreneur itch. He is just waiting to take the next risk because he thrives on it. It is part of his make-up and who he is. He has the spirit of Entrepreneuralism. Then he said, “You take the risk, you give it your all, and hey, if it doesn’t work out…you can always go back to diggin’ ditches! But who wants to do that anyway?” That is exactly why he will succeed. He knows what else is out there. The only way to living his perfect lifestyle, is by becoming an entrepreneur.

So if you feel as if you are unfulfilled, unchallenged, underpaid, and looking to create some freedom in your life….chances are, you have the spirit of an entrepreneur!