a leader can be made!

The Behavioral theory is the complete opposite of the Great Man theory. It states that leadership can be studied because there are certain behaviors associated with the concept of leadership. This theory is more modern because it is what is used today. Many people now study and learn to become good leaders, hence the Blue chip organization. I think this theory is more accurate and more relatable than the Great man theory. I believe that many of the leaders in the near history weren’t born leaders, but they had to learn and they used a window of opportunity to breakthrough and achieve recognition. Let’s take an example of Hitler, though many wouldn’t view him as a leader today, during the German depression, Hitler was seen as one of the greatest leaders Germany had. Well, Hitler wasn’t born a leader; he was born in poverty and lived as a low class teenage boy. Hitler would have never been viewed as the ideal candidate for leadership according to the great man theory because he wasn’t born a leader. His family background definitely didn’t qualify him to become a leader, but because he had the zeal to become a leader he did. He seized the opportunity to achieve leadership.

The Behavioral theory also relates to my personal journey with leadership. I wouldn’t say that I was born a leader because in my earlier years, my timid and shy behavior caused me to follow others. Leadership was something that grew on me as I became older, and I had to learn the qualities of leaders. I have attended numerous leadership camps where I was slowly molded to become an effective leader. I joined my school’s student council and other leadership oriented organization to keep improving on these skills. This is also the reason why I joined Blue Chip because I believed that I could benefit from the skills and the lessons that this organization offers.

Also, I do associate with the situational theory. I believe that each leader has their strengths and weaknesses and while they could excel in one situation, they can also fail is put into another situation. There is no one ideal and all rounded leaders because no one is perfect. This theory supports the idea leadership is a collective process and every leader needs a group of individuals around who can supplement him in the areas where he is lacking. A perfect example could be seen through the presidential office structure. In the U.S and many other democratic countries, the President has a group of individuals/cabinet members that assist him in his duties of leading the people. These individuals all have strengths in specific areas, some of the strengths which the presidents lacks and they all work together to lead our country. This structure of government is a very good example and support to the situational theory.

- Rebel flower