Leadership as a virtue

By Manzi Prince Mugisha.

What is leadership? Can anyone be a leader? Those questions that have been at the back of my mind, which caused me to write this article. I am going to discuss two interesting theories concerning leadership. In the end, I will highlight the theory that appeals to me the most. Feel free to reflect on the theory that appeals to you the most.

The first theory is known as the Great Man theory. As the title suggests, a leader is a great man, but not any great man. That great man is born with the characteristics of becoming a leader. Thomas Carlyle, a writer, and teacher, greatly popularized this theory. Simply put, the theory argues that a great leader is born, not made. This great man I have been referring to is not some mysterious stranger you happened to sit next to on your commute to work. It simply alludes to the specific people that are born with the traits and characteristics that will make them great leaders.

We often see those kinds of people, even from childhood. Those outstanding young kids that are active in any group project can speak, and crowds are moved; they possess a unique kind of confidence in all that they do. This theory argues that these individuals are born to lead and nobody else. Is it really true, though? Did all the renowned leaders we hear and talk about today show leadership traits from a young age? I will leave it for you to think about.

Secondly, we have the trait theory, developed between the 1930s to 1940s. This one argues that leadership requires certain character traits, and people who possess these traits are sure to become leaders. This may sound very much like the first theory, but it is not. This one focuses on the traits, not people with the traits (the great man theory). The traits can be a sense of responsibility, creativity, intelligence, and more. If you have such traits, you are bound to become a leader in any given situation or environment (I don't know about the great part, though). It is this second theory that I agree with.

You see, the first theory looks at leadership as a grand fate. The likes of Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Theresa are examples of this theory because they all achieved grand fates and influenced the lives of hundreds of people. That is what true leadership is under this theory. In my opinion, true leadership is all about traits, as we see in the second theory. To be a leader, you have to be responsible, confident, you name it. These traits can be learned. If you are not confident, you can learn it. That means everyone can be a leader, you just simply have to find out what it takes (the character traits), learn them, and you are good to go. Even if you don’t go on to hundreds, yet you possess these character traits, and they are evident just within your family; trust me, you are already a leader.

I look forward to hearing your different opinions on either of the two theories in the comment section below or even in emails. Thank you so much for making it to the end, and God bless you.