My mental model for this phenomenon is that great men aren't single human beings, but more like a corporation or a brand. Many supposed "great visionaries" sim

My mental model for this phenomenon is that great men aren't single human beings, but more like a corporation or a brand. Many supposed "great visionaries" simply formed a team that collectively had the vision that we attribute to the leader. Steve Jobs had Jony Ive George Lucas had Ralph McQuarrie Christopher Nolan had Hans Zimmer Etc.. I'm sure there's many more who's names aren't public enough to have become general knowledge, but the point is that great generals don't win wars by themselves. They have trusted officers, which in turn have trusted men. The figurehead is just that. They may be important in the sense that they attract the best officers and the bravest soldiers, but in the end, they could not "do it on their own" in any sense.