Understanding The Making Of A Leader
The Making Of A Leader is Frank Damazio's foundational leadership development program. It's structured around twelve principles that form the basis of what he calls "leadership dynamics." The program includes audio CDs, workbooks, and a community component. People pick it up for corporate training, church leadership teams, or personal development. It's been around since the early 1990s. The basic premise: leadership is a learned skill, not an inherited trait. Damazio argues that anyone can develop leadership ability through intentional practice of specific behavioral principles.
The Making Of A Leader Frank Damazio
Here's how the program actually works in practice. You get the audio tracks, which are essentially lectures mixed with real-world examples. Each principle gets its own section. The workbook has exercises and self-assessment tools. You're supposed to listen, work through the material, and apply one principle at a time over several weeks. The twelve principles cover things like: understanding your own leadership style, building relationships, developing a vision, delegating effectively, and creating a culture of accountability. Nothing groundbreaking if you've read any leadership material, but the structure is coherent.
Working Through The Material
I went through this program about ten years ago when our team was struggling with communication breakdowns. We had people doing good individual work but nothing was translating into coordinated results. The facilitator suggested we all go through The Making Of A Leader together so we'd have a common vocabulary. Here's the practical approach I found that actually worked: Don't try to consume all twelve principles at once. Pick one per week. Listen to the track twice - the first time for general understanding, the second time while going through the workbook exercises. Then identify one specific situation at work where you can apply that principle that week. Write down what happened. The program talks a lot about reflection, but most people skip it. The reflection is where the actual learning happens.
Get the Full Details
The self-assessment inventory at the beginning is useful if you take it honestly. It categorizes you into a few leadership styles. I was surprised to see how my style came out as more directive than I thought, which explained a lot about why my team was hesitant to bring me problems proactively.
Where It Actually Falls Short
Be upfront about some limitations. The program is somewhat dated in its examples. Much of the case studies pull from corporate environments that look nothing like how most people work now, especially with remote and hybrid teams being common. Some of the language around authority and hierarchy feels like it's from a different era of management thinking. The audio format itself is a constraint. There's no interactive component beyond the workbook. If you're someone who learns better through discussion or role-play, you'll find yourself wanting more engagement with the material. I had a few team members drop out because they found the passive listening format boring after the third principle. Another issue: the program assumes you have some authority to implement changes. If you're going through this as an individual contributor with no direct reports and no influence over team structure, most of the principles about delegation and culture-building become abstract exercises. You can still work on the relationship and communication aspects, but a significant portion of the curriculum requires positional authority to practice effectively.
A Specific Problem I Hit
When we tried applying the principle on delegation, my team kept bringing work back to me instead of owning decisions. The workbook explanation was thin on this specific scenario. After a couple weeks of frustration, I worked around it by creating a simple decision framework: anything under a certain budget threshold or timeline, team members could decide without checking in. I posted it somewhere visible. The principle in the program gave the "what" of delegation but not the "how" of actually getting people to follow through when they're used to seeking approval. This is a gap I've noticed in a lot of leadership programs. They describe the ideal state well but don't always address the transition mechanics of how people actually change behavior over time.
Who Should Use This
New managers who need a structured introduction to leadership concepts. People who prefer written and audio material over live workshops. Teams that want a shared framework to discuss leadership dynamics together. If you already have significant leadership experience or have worked through other established frameworks like situational leadership or servant leadership, you might find the content fairly basic. The program runs about $100 to $150 depending on whether you buy individual components or the full package. Churches and small organizations sometimes get discounted group rates. You can find it through Frank Damazio's website, Amazon, or Christian distribution channels since the program has strong adoption in faith-based organizations. If you're looking for something more modern or culturally relevant, there are alternatives worth considering. But for a straightforward, no-nonsense introduction to leadership principles with a practical workbook component, this remains one of the more accessible options on the market.
