History of Leadership

Leadership roles have changed greatly over the years. They begin as
men born into the right kind of families to anyone willing to learn
the rules of leadership. From 1776 on, leadership roles have been
given a place in history and have come to shape history itself.
Without leaders, the world would not have the same societal
organization it has today. Leaders have transitioned into different
phases over time, and these phases have contributed society’s beliefs
and moral code. Leadership began with the blue bloods, and we see a
form of that leadership in today’s world with constitutional monarchy.

Great Man Theory is known as a very narrow form of leadership.
Leaders are born in the “right” families, sent to the “right” schools,
and brought up with the “right” values to later assume a leadership
role within that society. Prince Rainier, the deceased king of Monaco,
assumed the role of king by birthright. However, his position is an
abnormality in leadership as by the time of his rule, Trait Theory was
in effect.

1907 is the year Trait Theory gained popularity and made it possible
for more people to become leaders. It didn’t rely on bloodline, but
genetics. The requirements for leadership became simply whether one
had the right visible traits, such as height, weight, strength, and
health. The general population desired those who were tall, big,
strong and healthy. These figures of leadership were so chosen for
their ability to keep everyone else protected as a form of security.
In the 1950s, leadership was redefined to include those who could lead
through model.

Behavioral Theory is known for either positive or negative
leadership. There are many example of both. Gandhi, an Indian rights
leader, taught the principle of civil disobedience by telling his
people to resist the evils done to them, but not to fight back. As a
result, the world realized the wrongs being done to the Indian people
and gave rights back to India and her people. Martin Luther King
Junior, another important leader of our time, actually borrowed
Gandhi’s model of civil disobedience and taught it to his followers.
These leaders learned how to lead and in turn taught their lessons to
others hoping to make a difference and achieved human rights as a
result.

However around the same time that Behavioral Theory flourished,
another form of leadership was floating around: Situational Theory.
This theory asserts that rather then learning through model, that
situation itself is more important to the function of maintaining
leadership. When one is put in a set of circumstances (out of their
control) with a group of other people, someone needs to step up and
lead everyone. The person who does so, is in fact proving this theory.
Today, leadership revolves around the concept of Process Theory.
Process Theory is, for example, what we are doing right now in my Blue
Chip program. We are learning the basics for becoming a leader through
a classroom setting.