Can Leadership Be Taught?

by Michael Carson and Chris Earley 

October 2010

Is leadership an inherent skill, or can it be learned? Two Consortium alums tackle this issue.

Michael Carson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill '08, argues that people can lead only so far as their natural leadership abilities will allow. 

He currently works for BB&T in North Carolina and has previously worked at Bank of America and served in the United States Navy. In conjunction with earning his MBA, Michael also received his Juris Doctor. Michael's personal resume is available at http://www.mtcarson.com. You can find him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/michaeltcarson. 

Christopher Earley, The University of Texas at Austin '99, argues that leadership can be learned. He serves as the Development Finance Manager for the Department of Housing and Community Development in Washington, DC. In this capacity, he leads the day-to-day management of the agency’s Development Finance Division, which has provided an annual average of approximately $100 million in affordable housing and community development financing to the development community of the District of Columbia over the last three years. Christopher has been certified as a Housing Development Finance Professional by the National Development Council, and is a member of the Urban Land Institute, with over 15 years of finance and real estate experience in both the public and private sectors.

Their debate follows.

Leadership: Is it Inherent, Can it be Taught, or Are Both True

By Michael Carson