Too many leadership scholars and executives are obsessed by a pointless question: Are leaders born, or are they made?

The answer is irrelevant.

The truth is, you do not know what you are born with until you try very hard to express it.

Aspiring executives who wish to gauge their ultimate potential, or that of others, should ask instead: What level of leadership do they aspire to? And are they willing to invest the effort and make the sacrifices required to take on the responsibilities of the position?

The most senior jobs present tasks that are massive, complex and full of conflict. The playing field and rules become less certain. Indeed, part of a leader’s job is to shape these things.

Also, the further an executive rises, the more he or she must deal with high-caliber people who know how to get what they want, are difficult, strong-willed and have a sharp appetite for power.

Here are three questions that executives should ask themselves to assess their own leadership potential.

How far do you want to go?
To reach higher office and to fulfill its obligations, you must continuously make choices that will affect other people’s money and lives. And you will be doing this in a context where other people will want your position or will be competing with you for the next higher position.

It is easy to criticize the competence of those with greater responsibilities than ourselves, and even easier to fantasize about how we would do the job better.

A useful exercise: Look at your immediate boss’s job and ask yourself if you could do it as well, or better—honestly. Then, stretch even further and consider the most senior leader in your line of sight—perhaps the chief executive. Learn about what that person must deal with. Get a feel for the time, energy and capabilities required to do those jobs. What would those jobs require you to do that you can’t do now, or that you don’t enjoy doing? What do you enjoy now, but would have to give up?

We see too many executives who set themselves up to fail because they don’t realistically assess the role they are pursuing in comparison to their true capabilities.

What are