If recent genetic research at Kansas State University is correct, then leaders are both born and made.
A study conducted by K-State researchers and published earlier this year in The Leadership Quarterly suggests the same genes that help workers become executives and leaders of industry might also hinder one’s path to leadership. The nature vs. nurture debate is nothing new, but the results identify a leadership gene that produces positive and negative characteristics, depending on one’s environment.
Leaning on data sets from a 309-person National University of Singapore study and 13,000 individuals who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Health, the findings honed in on the dopamine transporter gene “DAT1.” The gene is important for reward and motivation systems in people, according to a May report from K-State.
But the leader at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce isn’t buying the whole enchilada.
“I’m skeptical of some type of leadership gene,” said Matt Morrow, the chamber’s president and CEO. “I’m sure that like with many skills there are different ranges that different people have within their capacity to achieve or not achieve, but by and large, I would say the biggest influences in my life have been other people.”
According to researchers, those with the leadership gene often exhibit mild rule-breaking tendencies, such as skipping classes in school, which can be an indicator of those who are willing to challenge boundaries. That can be a positive attribute of a CEO or business owner. On the negative side, these same professionals often find it hard to regulate their behaviors – too persistent, for example – which could hinder leadership opportunities by creating distance with others.
For city of Springfield leader Greg Burris, he is more stubborn than he’d like to admit. That trait manifested itself in the form of the occasional schoolyard fight as a child.
“I got into fights on the playground, even if I was not the biggest guy,” the city manager said. “I found it hard to back down.”
Later, under the guidance of administrative leaders at Missouri State University, he developed a drive to do more for people, a desire to solve problems.
An implication of the study is that environmental factors, such as upbringing, supportive families and the workplace, can equally influence leaders.
Pension Consultants Inc. founder and President Brian Allen, an entrepreneur like his father, started the company in 1994. Today, the Springfield-based retirement-plan advisers serve clients throughout the Midwest and Southern states, crossing the $2 billion in assets under management milestone in 2012.
“My dad was self-employed. He owned a car dealership in Poplar Bluff for many years. My mom was a stay-at-home mom her whole life, so it was a very traditional family,” Allen said. “The self-employed thing was not unusual for me. I think for a lot of people, who don’t come from that background, it might be scarier.”
Like others with the leadership gene, Allen was known to push boundaries. One person who helped keep him in line was a former football coach.
“He was somebody that had high expectations and a higher level of discipline, but he also was pretty approachable,” Allen said.
Burris, who was placed into a leadership position at City Hall in 2008, said his parents were highly creative. He thinks he inherited his father’s “fix-it” gene.
“I got that from my dad. He would look at things and say, ‘I can make that better,’” he said.
Lee Roy Burris, a longtime employee of Dayco Products in Springfield, developed nine patents on the job for the manufacturer of belts, tensioners and pulleys for industries including transportation and construction. He was an architect in his spare time.
Today, Burris doubts city manager would be on his resume if not for the desire to push the envelope. He began his career as a junior computer programmer at Missouri State University before working his way up to vice president for administrative and information services and chief information officer.
“When I was selected as city manager, I think there were a lot of people saying, ‘Well, this is weird. This guy doesn’t have any city management experience at all. He doesn’t have his (Master of Public Administration); he has an MBA instead,” he said. “But I think it has allowed me to look at things a little differently than a traditionally trained city manager.”
With Morrow, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
His dad is a former youth minister, but the bulk of Steve Morrow’s career was spent at Southwest Baptist University as vice president of student development. An author who has written a book on leadership – “Leadership, not Salesmanship” – the elder Morrow also was a job advocate for the state of Missouri, appointed by the governor. Matt Morrow’s mother, Jean Morrow, had helped her college sweetheart through school and stayed at home with Matt and his sister before earning her MBA. She has worked for three decades as the administrative director for Citizens Memorial Healthcare.
Before taking the top chamber post, succeeding its longtime leader, Jim Anderson, Morrow led two home builders’ associations and worked as an aide for then-senator John Ashcroft – another of Morrow’s influences.
Whether it’s one’s workplace, teachers, trainers or peers, the K-State study suggests a person’s environment can have a big influence on their leadership skills.
One of the experiences that helped develop Burris’ understanding of leadership was playing basketball for Nixa High School.
“There is maybe no better training for being a leader than being the point guard on a basketball team. We won state in 1978 and got third in state in 1979, when I was a senior,” he said.
In his chosen position, Burris said he learned to control the ball and run the offense, but also to keep a cool head.
Burris said a somewhat stubborn drive to always do more has helped make him a leader.
“I’m never satisfied. I could always do more. I could always do better,” he said.
Allen said he’s results-oriented, too. That mentality, which he might have been born with, has served him well at Pension Consultants.
“I’m sure there are instances where results are not the only measurement of leadership, but I think in business, that’s a very important thing,” Allen said.[[In-content Ad]]
