Born or made?

Well, good question. The first thing to ask is what leader qualities really are. Is it "only" intelligence, persistence, determination, goal orientation, charisma etc or also negative traits like ruthlessness and excessive risk taking?

There is more and more evidence from many studies that we are actually born with very few personality traits. Very little is set in stone at birth. What we're born with is a set of "switches" that can be activated or never express themselves depending on our influences. Genes give us a framework on how to respond to our environment. However it's different people, different switches. Environment begins as soon as there is an environment to speak of which begins in the womb.

So it's both. You have to be born with the "switches" that could make you a leader if your personal influences allow them to express themselves. It could also be that you have the predisposition but it never gets switched on because your environment doesn't allow it to.