Great Man Theory
What is the Great Man Theory?
The Great Man Theory posits that leaders are born, not made.1 This theory suggests that individuals rise to positions of power due to inherent traits rather than acquired skills. According to this perspective, this naturally predisposes certain people to leadership, making them naturally suited to lead and inspire others.
The Basic Idea
If someone asked you to think of great leaders, who comes to mind? If asked to explain your reasoning, are there certain characteristics you would point out or choices they made that proved their leadership abilities? Do you think they were destined to become leaders from birth?
Great leaders come forward when they’re most needed to become the foundation upon which history is built. But exactly why specific leaders rise to positions of power has long been a topic of debate. Are leaders born with some inherent qualities that set them up to be visionary icons? Or are they shaped by their life circumstances, acquiring leadership skills and becoming influential because of their environment? The great man Theory suggests the former: leaders are born, not made. Essentially, according to the theory, people in positions of power deserve to lead because of characteristics granted to them at birth, which ultimately helped them become heroes.
Now considered quite outdated, this theory was a popular approach to studying history in the 19th century.1 The great man Theory explored historical events through the acts of “great men” who, born with natural traits like superior intellect and innate leadership abilities, rose to power when needed and made significant contributions to human history. Specifically, the theory focuses on the ambitions and actions of notable figures rather than the small-scale contributions of “common folk.”
Though historians no longer view history through the antiquated lens of the great man, we still look back on individual figures—whose actions truly did shape the course of history—as symbols of outstanding leadership. From political leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, George Washington, and Nelson Mandela to military leaders like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte, these notable people remain iconic examples of “natural-born leaders.”
No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men.
– Thomas Carlyle, Scottish historian and author of On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History
About the Authors
Dan Pilat
Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.
Dr. Sekoul Krastev
Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.
