Have you ever heard the term, “Great leaders are born, not made”? This quote sums up the fundamental tenant of the great man theory. According to the theory, you a natural leader or you are not.

The expression”Great Man” was used since, at the moment, ​leadership was thought of primarily as a man quality, particularly concerning military leadership.

History

The great man theory of leadership became popular 19th-century. The mythology behind some of the world leaders like Julius Caesar Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Alexander the Great helped contribute that leaders are born and not made. Oftentimes, it appears as though the man for the job appears to emerge magically direct a group of individuals and to take charge of a situation.

Historian Thomas Carlyle had a major influence on the particular theory of Leadership, at one point saying, “The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” According to Carlyle, successful leaders are those gifted with the characteristics and divine inspiration.

Some of the research on leadership looked Already, leaders. These folks included rulers who achieved their position. It contributed to the concept that leadership is a skill because people of a lesser standing had chances to practice and attain leadership roles.

Now, leaders are often described by people as having the Right qualities or character for the position, indicating that inherent traits are what make these people effective leaders.1

Arguments Against the Great Man Theory of Leadership

Sociologist Herbert Spencer suggested that the leaders were products of the society where they dwelt. In The Study of Sociology, Spencer wrote, “you have to admit that the genesis of a wonderful man depends upon the long series of complex influences which has produced the race in which he appears, and the social state into which that race has slowly grown. Before he can remake his society, his society must make him.”

One of the problems with the great man theory of leadership is That not all folks who have the leadership that is natural Qualities become leaders. If leadership was an Inborn quality, then all men and women who have the ​necessary characteristics Would find themselves. Research has Discovered that leadership is that and a subject A lot of factors affect how successful a specific leader may or may not be. Attributes of this group And the situation all interact is Needed and this leadership’s efficacy.