Anatomy of a leader.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Yoly Villanueva-Ong, Contributor

THERE are established theories on how leaders are shaped. According to Bass, there are three ways to explain how people become leaders.

The first is the Contingency or Great Events Theory. Here, a crisis or a significant occurrence induces extraordinary leadership qualities in an ordinary person. The event is so striking that it impels the protagonist to step up to the plate.

The second theory is the Traits or Great Man Theory where the hypothesis is that some personality traits such as charisma, eloquence, intelligence or courage, naturally lead to a leadership role. These two theories explain leadership development for the chosen few.

The third premise is the one with the most widespread credence. This is the Constitutive or Transformational Leadership Theory. Here, the belief is that people can choose to be leaders and acquire the necessary leadership skills and qualities.

The Contingency Theory

Rosa Parks was a seamstress from Montgomery, Alabama. When she boarded the bus after a very long and arduous workday, she had no idea she would spark the bus boycott that would end racial segregation in Alabama. Rosa was just too exhausted to stand and give her seat to a white man as was required by law in 1955. Even the specter of punishment was not enough to get her off her seat. Parks was sick of the treatment African Americans …