Assumptions Leaders are born and not made. Great leaders will arise when there is a great need. Description Early research on leadership was based on the the study of people who were already great leaders. These people were often from the aristocracy, as few from lower classes had the opportunity to lead. This contributed to the notion that leadership had something to do with breeding. The idea of the Great Man also strayed into the mythic domain, with notions that in times of need, a Great Man would arise, almost by magic. This was easy to verify, by pointing to people such as Eisenhower and Churchill, let alone those further back along the timeline, even to Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddah. http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/great_man_theory.htm ======================================================== Just wondering, Do you believe great men (leaders) are born or are created by inviroment they live in. Do we need them (great leaders) to improve our society/civilization? Do we have to take care of bringing a leader when there is a demand for one or they will arise when there is a great need?
The Great man theory is a philosophical theory that aims to explain history by the impact of "Great men", or heroes: highly influential individuals who, due to either their personal charisma, intelligence and wisdom or Machiavellianism, used power in a way that had a decisive historical impact. The Great Man theory is associated most often with 19th-century commentator and 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. One of the most vitriolic critics of Carlyle's formulation of the Great Man theory was Herbert Spencer, who believed that attributing historical events to the decisions of individuals was a hopelessly primitive, childish, and unscientific position. He believed that the men Carlyle called "great men" were merely products of their social environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_man_theory
I think there's truth in this, although I would call it the "Great Men and Women Theory". The most influential individuals aren't always the CEO's, presidents, and prime ministers. They're also teachers, parents, coaches, grandparents, etc.
Some of the men who history has defined as "great leaders" were no different than anyone else except for one thing: the circumstances they faced. I've repeatedly seen people "rise to the occasion" who didn't previously look nor act like leaders - until the circumstances arose that spurred them to action.
Calico, well may be there was smthg great in them, that has emerged when circumstances arose. Caliente, yes, there were Great Leaders among simple ppl and lower class the question is, what does it take to become one. because I also saw quite a few ppl who had all the skills to lead, and the circumstances did force them to do it, but they just didn't. so I assume, it is a strong will that determines one's decision to "rise to the occasion". but then again it seems that a strong will is influenced by the environment, so probably certain characteristics required in combination with certain circumstances to create a leader. Some info I found about "a strong will", thought it might be interesting ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- [SIZE=+2]Origins, Benefits and Challenges of[/SIZE] [SIZE=+3]A Strong Will.[/SIZE][SIZE=+1]One's Ego can be strengthened with:[/SIZE] pride, shame, abandonment, abuse, power, reward, deprivation, denial, hatred, sacrifice, and the demands of others --- (imposed coercively as requirements for either acceptance or for avoidance of pain or penalty). [SIZE=+1]A strong Will is the outcome. [/SIZE] Without the discipline and management of the Personal Spirit, such a will adopts dictatorial power and denies access to one's Higher Self as well as dominating the Unconscious and enslaving the Personal Spirit. Conversely, an Identity built upon balanced principles exhibits a Flexible and Moderate will. A strong Will is created and developed by the influence of Energy Blocks. Releasing those blocks provides an opportunity to the Personal Spirit to assert its identity management capability over the Will and build an Identity Team. If a Strong Will can be guided and appreciated from that point, Power will be added to the Purpose of the individual's identity. A strong Will can be: obeyed, denied, frustrated, destroyed, or, managed. [SIZE=+2]Origins, Benefits and Challenges of[/SIZE] [SIZE=+3]A Strong Will.[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Origins:[/SIZE] Challenges to physical survival from biological sources; Emotional abandonment or a confining of emotional expression; Loss of personal autonomy through co-dependency expectations; A reality confused by the fantasy of idealistic perfectionistic expectations; Emotional traumatization from the criticism, gossip, victimization from others; Felt rejection by self and others resulting in an intense need for acceptance; Other Energy Blocks of a spiritually weakening nature. [SIZE=+1]Benefits:[/SIZE] Socially rewarded for achievements and aggressiveness/passivity; Politically rewarded for one's intolerance, pride, perfectionism; Reality is simplified to a game of win-at-all-costs --- end-justifies-the-means; Achievements are simplified to personal material gains and benefits; Enforced powerlessness is converted into obsessive demands for power/control; Most of one's negative and hurtful experiences are simply forgotten in amnesia; One's Higher Self is shut out to enable a robot like safe predictable existence. [SIZE=+1]Challenges - [/SIZE] Passive-aggressiveness results in abuse from/to others; Intolerance and pride encourage emotional, spiritual, and physical violence; Reality constantly defeats, complicates, frustrates, depresses, and angers; Achievements of true global benefit are non-existent; Sustaining relationships are rare, limited, role-driven, unsharing; Failure of identity growth = energy block compulsions/addictions; Denial of Higher Self results in failure of one's Life Goal. http://www.earthtym.net/13-strong-will.htm
Yeah but strong will can only get you so far. I think I'm with Spencer. "Before he can remake his society, his society must make him"
according to this statement, a leader is created by his society, which I agree, just wondering what makes some people rise and try change their society and others just say "i don't care"
I found Tolstoy's thoughts on this subject to be very interesting. Especially after reading War and Peace....the way he addresses Napoleon being more in the "right place at the right time" than actually being a "Great man." Moreover, I think that he was the right man for the right time...so a combination of the two. He believed that "causation" does not go in order from the "Great man" to the masses, rather the other way around. A great man may serve as a figurehead for something that is already set in motion, however it is not always as such. Using Napolean as an example is a little more difficult though, because he was a simple Corsican that worked his way up the rankings in the French military to become "Emperor." Then again, with the happenings of the French Revolution and the aristocracy being overthrown, which meant many generals were constantly being either killed or replaced the time was ripe for someone with Napoleon s characteristics to take power and lead.
