The Great Man Theory

Introduction:

"Great leaders are born, not made"

This quote sums up the basic idea of the great man theory of leadership, that the capacity for

leadership is inborn. According to this theory, you're either a natural born leader or you're not.

The Great Man Theory was a popular 19th century idea and is associated most often with

19th-century historian Thomas Carlyle, who commented that "The history of the world is

but the biography of great men," reflecting his belief that heroes shape history through both their

personal attributes and divine inspiration.

Theory:

Thomas Carlyle popularized the theory in the 1840s. According to the theory, leadership calls for

certain qualities like charm, persuasiveness, commanding personality, judgment, courage,

intelligence, aggressiveness and action orientation which are of such a nature that they cannot be

taught or learnt in a formal sense. One either has them or does not have them. Leadership

qualities are carried in the genes. In other words, they are inborn, or- something inherited in

family from generation-to-generation. Examples are drawn from such great leaders like Mahatma

Gandhi, Mao Tse Tung, Kamal Ataturk, Abraham Lincoln and others. They were born natural

leaders with built-in qualities of leadership.

The term “Great Man” was used because, at the time, leadership was thought of primarily as a

male quality.

The Assumptions:

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The Great Man Theory centers on two main assumptions:

• Great leaders are born possessing certain traits that enable them to rise and lead.

• The Great leaders can arise when the need for them is great.

The further implications of the theory that leaders are born and not made, are as follows:

(i) Leaders are gifts of God to mankind. A measure of divinity is attributed to leaders and their

actions.

(ii) Everyone cannot aspire to become a leader and to attain greatness.

(iii) The inborn leadership qualities alone are necessary and sufficient for a leader to exercise

influence over his followers and to become successful.

(iv) Leadership qualities and effectiveness are independent variables. Situational factors like the

nature, needs of followers and the general socio-economic environment have no influence on a

leader’s emergence or effectiveness.

(v) Leadership qualities cannot be transmitted through education and exposure.

Critique of the Theory:

Not everyone in Carlyle’s time, however, agreed with the theory’s assumptions.

 In 1860, Herbert Spencer, a noted philosopher, sociologist, biologist and political

theorist, brought an argument to counter the statement of Thomas Carlyle. He

emphasized that such a great men are the product of their societies and that their actions

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 would be impossible without the social conditions. He suggested that the leaders were

products of the society in which they live. Before he can remake his society, his society

must make him.

 Those with opposing views say great leaders are shaped and molded by their times as the

traits necessary to lead are learned. The Great Man Theory is totally rejected by many

modern theorists and even by some leaders themselves.

The reasons are not far to seek and they are listed as under:

i. There is nothing inborn, divine or mysterious about leadership qualities. Born leaders are

imaginary characters. The so called born leaders tend to be misfits in the modern

complex fast changing conditions.

ii. Leadership qualities can be acquired and sharpened by anyone through proper education

and training.

iii. Leadership qualities and traits by themselves are not sufficient for achieving

effectiveness. Situational factors, in conjunction with leadership skills and qualities, have

considerable influence on both the emergence and effectiveness of leaders.

iv. The great man theory of leadership does not provide a scientific, verifiable and

predictable explanation of why, how and when leaders emerge and become effective.

Pros of the theory:

1. We can recognize great people for who they are, and what they’ve done.

2. All men are not created equally, i.e. aptitudes of via nature.

3. Great men are born and help shape themselves in the world.

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4. The theory encourages society to believe in the great man and heroes.

Cons of the theory:

1. Great men have not shaped themselves, they are shaped, in part by society.

2. The theory encourages society to believe in the great man, and not so much in itself or its

people, because you can’t learn to be great, but have to be born great, i.e. anti-societal.

3. This theory underestimates the ability of other people, especially women, to learn the required

skills to become a leader.

4. Many of the traits cited as being important to be an effective leader are typical masculine

traits. There is a significant shift in such a mentality.

Practical Implications in teaching:

1. By using The Great Man Theory educational leadership can improve an educational

community with blended responsibilities within like minded individuals with a common

goals in mind.

2. This theory teaches us to recognize greatness and great people for what and who they are,

i.e. people with born talent potential.

3. The theory could be used to identify great men, and use their life history and

circumstances to show the trials and triumphs that we all may go through.

4. This could also show that we all have the potential to be great.

5. We can be great too, individually and collectively, via collectiveness and collaboration.

Leadership this way benefits us all.

Conclusion:

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There are many different leadership theories and each one has their pros and cons to successfully

leading a group. Whichever theory a leader decides to use, as long as they build trust and good

relations with each member within their group then the members will be much more motivated to

work hard and be successful

References:

 https://managementstudyguide.com/great-man-theory.html

 https://www.verywellmind.com/the-great-man-theory-of-leadership-2795311

 http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/leadership/great-man-theory-and-trait-theory-of-

leadership/28004

 http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/great_man_theory.htm

 https://www.coursehero.com/file/p7r80gs/Strengths-and-limitations-of-The-Great-Man-

Theory-Strengths-of-The-Great-Man/

 https://www.villanovau.com/resources/leadership/great-man-theory/

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