Are Great Leaders Born to be Great?

History suggests not

It was Malvolia in Twelfth Night who said: “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em”. There have been countless great leaders who achieved magnificent things. Many of these leaders, such as Martin Luther King or Gandhi, are still inspirational today. But are great leaders destined to be great?

Countless examples show whether someone becomes great largely depends on the political, cultural, or social landscape they live in.

Great military leaders

Napoleon Bonaparte has gone down in history as a military genius as he led an army of 600,000 men (the largest army ever assembled) to sweep across Europe. Yet, Napoleon could only rise to prominence because of the instability caused by the French Revolution. One of, if not the most important, events in human history.

It was only a result of the exceptional times Napoleon lived in that he was provided with the platform to become great.

Without the revolution, it would be inconceivable to imagine Napoleon becoming an emperor. There would also have been no cause for France to invade the rest of Europe — the very reason he is seen as a military genius.

Another example is Winston Churchill. In a BBC poll, Churchill was voted the greatest Britain to have ever lived. His brilliant leadership during World War II is unquestionable. But Churchill would never have become a great wartime leader if the war had not broken out while he was prime minister.

The fact Churchill was such a great wartime leader hides a fact that may surprise some. His second term in office, beginning in 1951, was a failure. Roy Jenkins described how Churchill was “gloriously unfit for office”.

Everyone rightly remembers the great military leader, but Churchill would have been just another prime minister if it were not for the war.

Great human rights leaders

The context being all-important is clear through great social movements.

Martin Luther King was an inspirational leader who used non-violent direct action, a form of peaceful protest, to fight against a system of oppression.

The Civil Rights Movement had exploded into life through a simple gesture by Rosa Parks. Her defiance led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Without the Civil Rights Movement, MLK would not have had the platform to become the great civil rights leader he’s known to be. The social context he lived in provided him with the platform to be the great leader he became.

MLK adopted similar tactics to another great leader of a social cause. Gandhi’s non-violent resistance was a peaceful protest that defied British rule in the most brilliant way.

Gandhi was an inspiring leader who helped bring an end to British rule in India.

Yet, Gandhi and his philosophy would not have become well known if it wasn’t for the system of oppression he was fighting against. Again, Gandhi was a product of India's social situation when the fight for independence was gaining momentum.

Would MLK or Gandhi, undoubtedly incredible human rights activists, have gone down in history if they were born at a different time? Not necessarily, because what shaped and defined them more than what they could shape was the social and political landscape that provided them with the context to become great.

It’s all about the situation

If Genghis Khan lived now, it’s unlikely he would create the greatest empire the world has ever known. It’s more likely he would be an unknown nomad roaming Mongolia. The conditions that prevailed while he ruled the Mongols were just right for him to build his great empire.

Many born today may well have become great in a unique set of circumstances. But in our social, economic and political structure, they are ordinary people as they do not have the platform or conditions that would otherwise allow them to thrive.

It makes you realise how unlikely it is for a brilliant person to become that great leader. That person has to be born at just the right time and into just the right situation for them to have just the right platform they need to become great.

Whether it be a discovery someone has made, a revolution someone inspires, or a social movement someone leads, they could do so because the conditions were set up for them to do so. That is not to take away from their magnificent achievements, but it’s important to put those achievements into context.

This brings us to the present day.

In environmental destruction, the climate crisis, and increasing social and political tensions around the world, the stage is set for the great leader of our time. But that great leader will only become great if they are in the right place, at just the right time.