TRAIT BASED LEADERSHIP THEORY:

The trait based leadership theory makes the assumptions that people are born with inherited traits that are particularly suited to leadership and that those who possess the correct combination of these traits will be a good leader.  Extensive research has been conducted to discover these traits by studying past or current successful leaders. I do not support this theory.  I do however believe it has proven useful by discovering and compiling a list of traits that a majority of followers desire for their leaders to have. 

My main disagreement with this theory is the idea that leaders must be born rather than created as a result of their life experiences, education and interactions with others in society.  I believe it would be ignorant to dismiss an individual as a potential leader at the moment of birth until scientist discover a gene that every successful leader has present in their DNA that separates them from all others. 

I am a strong believer that our personality is greatly altered and shaped by each experience and encounter we have with our environment.  Traits such as integrity, dedication and knowledge can be taught. 

For example, look at a child who was raised by a family who owned a farm.  There are daily labor intensive tasks that must be completed by each member of the family in order to keep things running smoothly.  A child growing up in this atmosphere will be instilled with a strong sense of dedication, work ethics and loyalty to a process.  A child who is raised in the luxury of the suburbs by a wealthy family would not experience the same lifestyle or be instilled with the same values.  [I am not saying that each child would not grow up to be successful in their own right or that either lifestyle would create a better leader.]

A better example might be the difference between a military leader versus an effective business leader.  The traits that they each possess will vary depending on their situation.  My point being that certain traits can be learned from ones predecessors, life experiences, and effects of their environment.