MBA 683
Trait theory – “Patton”
The trait theory is a very particular concept of leadership that reveals a specific list of skills and capabilities that all the most successful leaders have in common. In particular, these traits are identified into a variety of characteristics: physiological, demographic, intellective, task-related, and social. Many argue that this theory is subjective because there are no specifics in regards to what traits are more important and because it implies that people are born with these leadership traits. Moreover, certain skills do not apply to all environments. This theory serves as an understanding of an individual’s personal strengths and weaknesses, and this is how people can learn about their leadership capabilities. It implies that certain traits produce certain patterns of behavior, which are consistent across different situations.
“Patton” is, in my opinion, a double example of trait theory. On one hand, he was this incredible soldier who lead thousands of people in war and who represented the epitome of courage, strength, and devotion, exactly what leaders on the battlefield are recognized for. On the other hand, his behavior outside battle was not reflective of a leader and caused many controversies, such as the infamous slap, which in the end lead to his suspension. We can clearly see how Patton is lacking specific traits that are common to successful leaders, such as poise and responsibility. He should have focused on enhancing his battlefield strengths and keeping his weaknesses under control.
Contingency theories – “The hunt for red october”
In contingency theory, the success of the leader is a function of various contingencies in the form of other variables such as the subordinates, the tasks, the language that is used for communicating, the culture of the organization, etc. These theories emphasize the use different styles of leadership depending on the different type of situations, and how past theories may not work as well in present contexts. Hence, the best leaders are those who are able to identify a situation and adapt their leadership style accordingly.
In ‘The hunt for red october” we see how different characters and different types of leaders react when the variables around them change. For example, Ryan struggles to remain calm during high pressure situations. Moreover, his group does not believe in his conspiracy ideas, and fhe falls under even more pressure because he has to convince them without any actual proof to his advantage. On the other hand, Ramius is forced to act confident in front of the soviets to hide his discoveries from the crew, and in effect keeping them from discovering the real truth about their mission. There two characters are on the opposite sides of the spectrum and adapt their leadership roles accordingly, in very different ways.
Skills and styles – “Guardians of the galaxy”
The skills and styles approach mainly focused on how leaders could impact the youth, and ended up distinguishing three very different approaches. Autocratic leadership relates to individuals that act as one and that do not include others in the conversation, the polar opposite of the laissez-faire approach which, instead, gives complete power to the group. In the middle of these two, we have democratic leaders that use their power, but also involve others.
“Guardians of the galaxy” is the story about five dysfunctional individuals that come together as a team. In order to create a united front, Quill focuses first on understanding what motivates each individual and why they want to fight. After doing so and engaging in deep, meaningful conversation with them, he is able to promote the common goal of saving the galaxy and everybody comes together as one, all while understand their role in this pursuit. We can clearly see that Quill is a democratic leader and that he strives to collaborate with his group members. Moreover, he is able to identify each individual’s strengths so that they all can have the same amount of responsibilities according to their experiences, all while working to commonly achieve their goal.
Path goal theory – “The lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring”
Path goal theory relates to leaders and subordinates that collectively achieve goals by delineating clear paths of work. Specifically, it relates to the ways leaders incentivize and motivate others when set goals are on the line. I believe that this theory can be considered the “most realist” of all, because of its cynical views on how people act solely based on their goals. Moreover, it does not account for people’s personalities and values. I can totally see this theory being applied to business environments, but I also believe that leaders must create certain types of connection with their subordinates. If nothing on a more personal level is exchanged, at one point or another they will feel the lack of personal connection and this will be counterproductive for the long-term goals.
In “The lord of the rings” we can clearly and figuratively see that the men are on the run from the endless enemies that come their way. This “path” leads them throughout the entire length of the movie. In fact, Frodo has to resist the temptation to wear the ring for short-term pleasure, and instead focus on the long-term goal. He could simply leave the ring behind, however he knows that it will end up in the wrong hands and that he has to fulfill his duty, so he decides to stay true to his mission and keep the ring safe with him, all while leading his companions and followers. On the opposite side of Frodo, in fact, we see Sauron and how he also delineates a path for his goal of finding the ring. If we focus on the other characters, we can clearly see other very delineated leadership theories.
LMX – “The help”
LMX theory is a more complex theory that focuses on how individuals maintain their leadership roles by working alongside others. Being a descriptive theory, it is solely intuitive and it is composed of theories of what is expected from group structures, as well as ways to strengthen or weaken these dynamics between leaders and people. On the other side, this theory does not consider personalities at all. LMX is composed of three phases: stranger phase (assessment of individuals’ capabilities and talents), acquaintance phase (negotiation of roles and duties), and partnership phase (constant social exchanges between the leader and the individual).
In the movie “The help” we are introduce to Skeeter as a white privileged white woman that lives with african american maids in her house. When she decides to explore the help and approaches one of the maids to write about her, she does not trust her and is scared that what she tells her will not be kept anonymous as she is promising them (stranger phase). After a reluctant initial stage, Skeeter and the maid agree to keep all confessions anonymous and publish the first story. Briefly after, more maids share their personal stories and trust Skeeter with the publication (acquaintance phase). In the finale, Skeeter is persuaded to publish a heavier type of story in her book, that specifally impact the people of Jackson (partnership phase).
Charisma – “Dead poet society”
If I think about the most charismatic leaders and people, they all share the common denominator of being very eloquent in the way they relate to others and project their ideas out, as well as being great public speakers. They are great at communicating with the people, but it does not just stop there. In fact, they are able to both reach people emotionally, as well as evoking strong feelings. It is that inner connection that they create with whom they are talking to that sparks creativity and make people feel motivated and inspired.
I remember watching this movie in high school and thinking that it was a great story about courage and pursuing your dreams. However, after re-watching it, I can definitely see that this is more about how the inner power we all have to positively influence each other. In my opinion, this type of power is often misused by individuals that say they are acting for the good of the people, but instead are solely focused on themselves. Mr Keating is a representation of purely positive impact. His teaching approach clearly checks all the marks related to charisma theories. He does not want to influence others with his ideas or thoughts, he just wants the students to go out there, live life, and figure out their own ideas and thoughts. By doing so, the students are inspired to be great and to do great.
Gender and leadership – “The devil wears Prada”
I feel like there is no better time than now to discuss gender and leadership, especially after all the women movements these past couple of years. Being a woman in today’s society is hard because we are often “dismissed” by men for the pure fact that we are different from them. It does not matter what type of environment you are in, women are always considered “less.” If you ask anybody what is their favorite team or athlete, the chance of receiving a women’s team or athlete as an answer is very slim if not close to none. The prejudice that women’s sports cannot compete with men’s sports has influenced us the entire sport community and seems to be stuck in our brains for good.
“The devil wears Prada” is a power movie. It speaks volume for women who do not have as strong of a voice. Despite being an overall fun movie, I love how the figure of Miranda is depicted not as a lady-boss, but simply as a boss. The movie does not want to show that there are women in power out there, yet it wants to show that women can be just as powerful as men in business environments and that genders do not affect our society as much when people are “judged” on their capabilities and skills, not by their gender.
Authentic leadership – “Life is beautiful”
Authentic leadership focuses on behaviors based upon what is considered to be good or bad for people as individuals. For example, there are certain matters that are universally good or bad (ex. Inclusion and racism), but there is also a wider variety of situations in which different individuals would act diversely, based on their own upbringing and values. In a business environment, when we examine authentic leaders we discuss those individuals that act in the best interest of the company and follow golden rules such as do not cheat, do not steal, and do not lie. Leaders are authentic solely based on their characters, not on the style used to guide others. A leader is either authentic to himself/herself or not, and there is no in-between.
“La vita e’ bella” is one of the most critically acclaimed war movies. I remember watching it when I was very young, so re-watching it 20 years later had quite an effect on me! Guido represents the most authentic father to Giosue’, wanting to protect and shelter him from both the sight and idea of the war at all costs. Overall, he is just a very positive and inspiring character. He screams enthusiasm and passion for life, and he refuses to let his own fear of the war and overall frustration and anger towards the soldier affect Giosue’s safety. One of my favorite scenes has to be the one where he “translates” what the german guard is saying. It warms my heart seeing his devotion for his son and his goal of not letting the war touch such a beautiful, young soul.