The Great Man theory of leadership assumes that leaders are born and not made, and that great leaders will arise when there is a great need.

Early research on leadership was based on the the study of people who were already great leaders. These people were often from the aristocracy, as few from lower classes had the opportunity to lead. This contributed to the notion that leadership had something to do with breeding.

The idea of the Great Man also strayed into the mythic domain, with notions that in times of need, a Great Man would arise, almost by magic. This was easy to verify, by pointing to people such as Eisenhower and Churchill, let alone those further back along the timeline, even to Jesus, Moses, Mohammed and the Buddha.

Gender issues were not on the table when the 'Great Man' theory was proposed. Most leaders were male and the thought of a Great Woman was generally in areas other than leadership. Most researchers were also male, and concerns about androcentric bias were a long way from being realized.

Assumptions of the Trait Theory, closely related to the Great Man theory, are that people are born with inherited traits; some traits are particularly suited to leadership; and that people who make good leaders have the right (or sufficient) combination of traits.

Early research on leadership was based on the psychological focus of the day, which was of people having inherited characteristics or traits. Attention was thus put on discovering these traits, often by studying successful leaders, but with the underlying assumption that if other people could also be found with these traits, then they, too, could also become great leaders.

Stogdill (1974) identified the following traits and skills as critical to leaders.

1. Adaptable to situations
2. Alert to social environment
3. Ambitious and achievement-orientated
4. Assertive
5. Cooperative
6. Decisive
7. Dependable
8. Dominant (desire to influence others)
9. Energetic (high activity level)
10. Persistent
11. Self-confident
12. Tolerant of stress
13. Willing to assume responsibility      
14. Clever (intelligent)
15. Conceptually skilled
16. Creative
17. Diplomatic and tactful
18. Fluent in speaking
19. Knowledgeable about group task
20. Organised (administrative ability)
21. Persuasive
22. Socially skilled

McCall and Lombardo (1983) researched both success and failure identified four primary traits by which leaders could succeed or 'derail':

1. Emotional stability and composure: Calm, confident and predictable, particularly when under stress.
2. Admitting error: Owning up to mistakes, rather than putting energy into covering up.
3. Good interpersonal skills: Able to communicate and persuade others without resort to negative or coercive tactics.
4. Intellectual breadth: Able to understand a wide range of areas, rather than having a narrow (and narrow-minded) area of expertise.

There have been many different studies of leadership traits and they agree only in the general saintly qualities needed to be a leader.

For a long period, inherited traits were sidelined as learned and situational factors were considered to be far more realistic as reasons for people acquiring leadership positions.

Paradoxically, the research into twins who were separated at birth along with new sciences such as Behavioral Genetics have shown that far more is inherited than was previously supposed. Perhaps one day they will find a 'leadership gene'.