We often hear that leaders are born, not made; that you have either got it or not. At Brilliance Inc we fundamentally disagree with this “can’t teach an old dog” philosophy. We believe that great leadership is no accident; that it is cultivated over time by our experiences.

And recent findings by neuroscience support this belief. Modern research proves that human brains of all ages are plastic, i.e. changing and impressionable. Contrary to old beliefs that our brains stop regenerating during adulthood, scientists have shown that our brains are constantly evolving in response to our experiences, and amazingly, our reactions to our experiences-our thoughts shape our brain structures. So regardless of how your brain looks in your youth, you can learn to be more compassionate, more patient, more joyful, or any other attribute. And since leadership is a combination of attributes, you can learn to be a great leader.

In essence, you can learn to be brilliant. And by brilliant, we mean being great at what you do, being passionate about it, and engaging others.

Here’s the rub. You cannot learn to be brilliant at just anything. You are predisposed to be brilliant at something.

Each one of us is brilliant in a unique way. Look to nature to see this in action. Birds have a very different brilliant skill set from dogs. You won’t teach a dog to fly no matter how many biscuits you give him. You don’t see animals trying to learn traits that don’t come naturally. Likewise, some people simply don’t want to lead, and no compensation plan will change that. So, while we can teach you how to do the actions that comprise leadership, if you have no passion for leading others, you will not shine (for long).

Being aware, discovering your brilliance, is the first step. The next step is finding out how to access it so that it can be a central part of your life or the lives of others. Then you build the skills that will allow you to shine. For example you could be brilliant at engineering or design, but you might not currently have all the skills to manage a team of engineers brilliantly.

Some might argue that they are just not a “people person” and they can’t be a brilliant manager. We disagree. If you are passionate about it and want to manage people, you can learn the skills that allow you to be a brilliant manager.

Scientists have proven that the brain develops new neural pathways as a result of new inputs (practices, thoughts, habits). Scans of the brain show how people’s brains literally grow and connect differently after practicing particular behaviors. We can change our physiology by thinking differently and practicing new behaviors. Coaches can you help you identify practices that will help you design your ideal brain.

Now, that is brilliant.