A model of successful leadership was developed using a qualitative research method in a reanalysis of Kaltman’s analysis of General Ulysses S. Grant’s leadership. The model rests on a person by situation interactional perspective but has a person-oriented focus. It suggests that leader actions are affected by task-related competence, management competence, and social competence. These competencies, in turn, are affected by the leader’s physical shape, psychological base, and value base. The model was related to two leading models in the field: situational leadership and transformational leadership. The study constitutes an attempt to elicit tacit knowledge and put it into a scientific framework.