Are Leaders Born or Taught? w. Brent Adamson

Grody & UnPrOfEsSiOnAL · Jul 9, 2026 · 43m

Host Justin McMenamy continues his conversation with Brent Adamson, co-author of “The Challenger Sale” and “The Framemaking Sale”.

When asked if Challengers are born or taught, Adamson argues Challengers are made, not born, noting their research focused on trainable skills, knowledge, and behaviors rather than traits like charisma. Adamson reframes the key question from “Which profile am I?” to “What do Challenger reps do and how can I model those behaviors?”

In discussing hiring, Adamson emphasizes distinguishing fully realized Challenger skills from Challenger potential, often found outside…