Factors and sources of leadership capabilities: Experience from Serbia

The question of the extent to which leadership skills can be learned and improved, and to which a man with certain qualities born, is one of the most controversial issues of leadership. This paper will be considering the features of successful leaders, as well as the most important factors affecting the formation of leadership capabilities. It will deal with personal characteristics related to creating a vision, willingness to accept the risk, creativity, self-confidence, as well as the cognitive and psychological characteristics. In addition, the paper will analyze the most important sources of leadership skills, related to a genetic predisposition, family heritage, the influence of parents in early childhood, but also influence of the work environment, training and experience. In this context, a survey was conducted on the perception and sources of leadership capabilities, across 17 organizations, including 35 leaders and 56 employees in the country.