25% of Leadership Abilities are due to Inherited Genes

Will leader’s son be a leader?  The Bushes, the Gandhis/Nehrus, the Clintons, the Kennedys, the Bhuttos – does a leader beget a leader off-spring?  Well, a new study seems to suggest that Leadership – although largely a learnt skill – is also inherited in part due to a Gene Sequence.

The study, published online inLeadership Quarterly, is the first to identify a specific DNA sequence associated with the tendency for individuals to occupy a leadership position. Using a large twin sample, the international research team, which included academics from Harvard, NYU, and the University of California, estimate that a quarter of the observed variation in leadership behaviour between individuals can be explained by genes passed down from their parents.
“We have identified a genotype, called rs4950, which appears to be associated with the passing of leadership ability down through generations,” said lead author Dr Jan-Emmanuel De Neve (UCL School of Public Policy). “The conventional wisdom — that leadership is a skill — remains largely true, but we show it is also, in part, a genetic trait.”

25% of the differences in Leadership behavior between individuals can be attributed to Genes difference.  That’s a huge strike against the non-leaders and their families!

What one wonders is how does environment and a person’s personal behavioral changes over ride the gene differentiation?  And is that passable to the next generation?

Source

Newly Discovered “Leadership Gene” May Identify Those Who Are Born to Rule

Scientists uncover gene that may help create born leaders

Born to lead? Leadership can be an inherited trait, study finds

Born to lead? Leadership can be an inherited trait, study finds

Leadership skills may be genetic, study suggests

The Secret to Being a Great Leader? It’s in Your Genes, Researchers Say

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