Great Man Theory and Trait Theory

Leaders are born. Everyday, many new leaders are brought into this world by different families, cultures or backgrounds. Martin Luther King Jr. was born into a highly religious family, Rosa Parks lived in a segregated community, and George Washington had a highly decorated military background. However, the great man theory is not based off of what you did to become a leader it is if you were born into a family of royalty or wealth.

Traditional Great Man theory suggests that leaders are preserved through their offspring. Powerful men are to marry the daughters of other powerful men because women were not traditionally leaders. This concept is based off of Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Traditionally powerful men were born into the right families, white, wealthy, educated, and privileged. By marrying the right women, these families thought that they were creating future leaders. Their sons were expected to be models of their fathers during this time. This theory expanded over time, it was too narrow as society changed. It slowly changed into a new phase called Modern Great Man Theory.

Great leaders become heroic. They were known to stand up for what they believed in. Their family backgrounds no longer mattered as much as their actions. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was noted specifically for his actions of April 28^th, 1967 when he gave his “I Have A Dream” speech. Nobody cared who his father was or who he had married, but people did care about his words, which inspired unity. Martin Luther King Jr., is an example of modern great man theory because of his influence on America. People today pick up aspects of his leadership and use it in a new theory known as trait theory.

Trait Theory focuses on the leader and not the followers or situations. The difference between this theory and the modern form of Great Man Theory is that leaders are formed primarily around their physical makeup, such as height or strength. Though their parents matter from a hereditary point of view, they do not play a key part in the leader’s assumption as leader. Current President Barack Obama, for example, has a Kenyan father. Though he gets his height and darkened skin from this man, the father does not play any real role in how people perceive of President Obama’s leadership. President Obama is the first black president of the United States and that is how future generations will remember him.

No matter what kind of theory a leader subscribes to, they all overlap in terms of being strong and heroic. In America, leaders are admired most when they stand up for their principles in a cause. What other factors might have influenced that leader’s ascent to power (family connection, social recognition, or appealing features) do not matter as much as what that leader does with his position. Whenever the nation is thrust into a period of national mourning (most recently being the Tucson shootings) President Obama has always stepped up to offer words of comfort and strength through his position, and that is what I admire most about him as a leader.

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.

The Definition of Leadership

Being a leader doesn't necessarily mean to be the most skilled or the smartest. It is a word reserved for those who guide both themselves and others. Situations come up where individual accomplishments can’t always be done, because the target goal is one that is bigger than a single person. In such a case, a leader is not just a helping hand, but also a hand that keeps chaos from occurring.

While having long and short term plans are important, humility is the best quality in a leader. A leader must recognize when he or she is wrong instead of keeping their pride. Those with their pride sometimes don't want to admit when they are wrong, so they just stick to what they've been doing and allow a bad situation to grow worse. This unhumble trait must not be permitted in any leader. Instead, a leader must be a person continuously growing and learning from their experiences with others.

Leaders should act as a mediator between their people and the obstacle(s) that must be stopped. They are ordinary people that others find inspiration within. As a result of being role models, they do their best to mentor others and share their personal wisdom. With their guidance, others are taught how to achieve individual goals, as well as being leaders of their own.

Attitude is everything in leadership. Sore losers and quitters are not ideal leaders. The leaders that history remembers are those who took their losses without giving up or throwing a tantrum. Having the right attitude is extremely important because it sets an example for those who look up to the leader. Positive attitudes are vital to any cause, as they contribute to optimism and give others hope for a better future and a path to follow.

Throughout history there have been many different types of leaders: the good, the bad, the sweet, and sometimes the downright evil. There are many who have led wicked causes, but also those who have led righteously. Both kinds of leaders have the power to change the world and the individual’s viewpoint.

Martin Luther King was an inspiration the day that he announced his dream for the world. His speech is the best-known speech in American history and many who heard him speak can recount exactly where they were when he said the words that gave a generation hope. His words resound today and continue to impact even my generation. His eloquence and his dedication to the cause of equal rights set the wheels in motion for racial equality.

Drugs are a growing problem in today’s society. A woman who founded my high school is also responsible for several drug clinics in Las Vegas. Sometimes a few of the teenagers affected by drugs would visit the school and share their stories. They all led difficult lives and are taking charge of their lives today by showing impressible high school teenagers that drugs ruin lives. I was so impressed by these leaders in making that I took initiative to start a community service project for the drug clinic. In order to make the drug clinic a warm place for addicts on the way to recovery, I had my graduating class come together to create inspiration for these future leaders. I set up for our whole class to paint words of hope on canvases to hang in the drug clinic. It not only helped the clinic become more beautiful but the contribution gave my class a small voice to these kids who might come in someday and teach other students about saying no to drugs.