Pros & Cons of Trait Theory

Early leadership theories would suggest that only men can be leaders and that people who posses certain traits can be effective leaders. Here are the pros and cons of both Great Man Theory and Trait Theory.

Great Man Theory would suggest that only men could be leaders. And as history would suggest, this would hold true. If we look at the greatest leaders in the past, they were all men; Malcolm X, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. to name a few. Some of the pros of Great Man Theory is that it paved the way for certain traits of an effective leader to emerge. Some of these traits include, dominance, perseverance and decisiveness. However, some of the cons of Great Man Theory are that not only men can be great leaders and that an effective leader must posses the fore mentioned traits.

A more evolved leadership is Trait Theory. Trait Theory focuses more on the traits of an effective leader, rather than the sex of the leader. In Brownell’s article “Leadership in the Service of Hospitality”, states, “similarly, trait theories assumed that certain characteristics and personalities made an individual a better leader and consequently sought to identify those qualities (Mann 1959; Stogdill 1948). The pros of Trait Theory are that there are defined traits of an effective leader. The cons of Trait theory are that people may think that these are the only traits of an effective leader.

Both early theories have both pros and cons, which everybody could take into account when defining their own leadership role.

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction" - John F. Kennedy