Behavioral Theories of Leadership

While some leaders have certain traits that people think of when they imagine a good leader, behavioral theories focus more on what the person actually does. Actions speak louder than words, as the old saying goes.

Behavioral theories tend to propose that “leaders are made, not born,” and that people can be trained to be leaders. Just get someone’s actions tweaked enough, and he might have what it takes to be a leader. Or...a person is just observant enough to notice what well-respected leaders do, and is able to duplicate it. In other words, an expert copycat.