Two Biggest Concepts in Leadership and Self-Expression - Case Study Example

Self-expression in Movies Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name Insert Date Here (Day, Month, Year) Success is not an easy ladder to climb, as it requires lot of efforts and various steps and attributes to adopt in one’s character. Success comes only to those who strive for it and inculcate within one those characteristics that ultimately lead them to their destination without knocking at the doors. Yet people cannot inculcate in themselves the power and influence to develop themselves into an incredible leader. Here the media and many films with their overpowering characterization and personalities come forward to make us realize, know and understand the way we could make good leaders in our life and the way media and movies espouse the self expressing power. Expressing power of leaders is a strong motivation force that is required to learn and analyze. Among various forms of media, it is the film that has a great role and cultivating power to motivate and inculcate within us the feeling of virtues, and duties that could be adopted by a leader. There is no doubt of the fact that there are various teaching methods and various theories that delve with the theme of leadership whereby people in particular and managers in general can learn about leadership traits and the way they could express themselves. But when we see from psychological perspective, movies are the best teachers because they can teach us more and help us to be a more effective leader. Good films make us realize about those values that we generally forget and help us to reveal those conditions of human beings and make us reveal what the people think, the way they act and the way they dream. And what else could be more important for a leader than to prepare and understand of how to influence their subordinates and other people. Good films continue to thrill, entertain, amuse and even make us cry but more than that make us realize many alchemist of qualities that are required for a good leader. For the last many decades, authors are using movies to give training to the new managers in main management techniques. Movies are also used to discuss the various issues like “succession, strategic planning, product development and creation of mission statements.” (Higgins & Striegel 1999: 1) What the best example can be given than that of Sally Field who would be remembered for her speech in You Like Me, which she delivered for television viewed by millions during Academy Award ceremony of 1980 and her silence approach in front of the many hundred textile workers in film Norma Rae. The way she resisted her removal from the mill is really adorable. Based on a true story of the Industrial South, Martin Ritt’s Norma Rae is a portrait of a woman whose fighting spirit is an example for other women who are struggling every day to improve their lives. She fought for the rights for herself and for other mill workers. The character of Norma Rae has been played by Sally Field who was working at the textile mill for the last many years, but when once a union organizer of New York came to her town, Norma took upon the initiative to create a union of her co–workers of the mill and rise against the apathetic attitude of the management of the mill towards them. Field had played the part of the Norma Rae as the most passionate women who was very well aware of her true potentials and her need to show rebel against the prescribed rules of the mill. When Norma, who was the most depressed and uneducated women, finally got the courage to show her aggression and the way she was able to unite her co-workers was itself the most commendable and thrilling in itself. When Norma scribbled the word union on a board and tousled the same on the table, for complete three minutes she kept standing there feeling scared but steadfast, holding her declaration in the most resolute manner whereas other workers shut down their machines holding the factory floor in the most silent node. This scene created the most powerful reaction among the viewers in way this lady even without the powerful use of words could stimulate an environment of motivation and silent move of aggression among the workers. This movie is an ample proof to show that leadership trait is not just the quality of few and educated elite but the quality that could become a garner of hope for expressing their voice by even the most uneducated. Initially mill workers could not put any attention to the Norman Rae’s call because she had already through her behavior inspired every body. Every body knew about her and about her past life but as Norma realized her potential and assured about herself, she became a personified symbol of courage and self possessed and determined person. Reuben Warshofsky, a New York City labour organizer who was the most perfect leader, brought this realization in her. His intellectual engagement with Norma produced motivation in her and inspired her. As a role of a leader, she never forgot her true nature and from where she belonged and this enabled her to gain confidence and respect of other workers while moving along their steps. Her unpretentious nature and simplicity taught us to be an effective leader; there is no need to be better than others and there is no need to believe in yourself too rather there is only a need to know and believe in what you are doing. There are several leadership qualities Norma and Reuben Warshofsky with their traits had shown us to develop. These qualities are what is known as “Wildland Fire Leadership Values and Principles” involving proficiency in a job as a leader and adhering oneself to professional standards and developing plan to achieve objectives, making appropriate decisions conducive to the environment, maintaining contingencies and taking into consideration several of the consequences, making quite sure that all the tasks are easily understood by the workers and able to handle changing environment etc. (McDonald: 4) In the movie, Ruben always showed professional courtesy to the mill workers by wishing Good Morning following the professional standards. In other scene, Norma Rae took charge when Rueben felt that he was not able to put his problem across, this showed that a good leader is the only one who had an ability to come to the rescue of co worker as a consequence of non action on his part complying with the professional ethics of helping colleagues. Norma Rae faced management with courage when they had wanted to remove her for copying the letter; she then became a leader and must take decision accordingly. Here the leadership qualities entail participants to adhere to the changing environment. In almost whole movie, we could learn one or the other leadership traits and our self-expressing power. It is none other than the expressing power of Gandhi and his leadership traits that provoked millions of Indians and people from all over the world to advocate the value of non-violence. Several segments of the film Gandhi made in 1982 had been portrayed as having leadership qualities, power of self-determination, courageous attitude and leadership traits that not just created an influence on the local Indians but also on the world. At the first instance, he was seen in the movie initiating a public meeting of citizens of India to show their protest against the South African pass laws, and when British soldiers threatened him that he would be arrested, he refused to abide and after getting brutally beaten, he again ignored the warning of soldiers. In the third segment of the film when Indian workers went on a strike and took up a march to make a demand for their civil rights, police decided to charge at the marchers in a bid to disperse them. Gandhi kept himself cool and gave instruction to the marchers to just lie down on the ground as he had judged it right that the horses would not trample demonstrators. He was right and the soldiers rode away and Gandhi won again in his fight for the human rights and in his expression of self-power. Later in the movie when he was shown giving a speech to the huge crowd, he proved his intention beyond doubt for the adoption of the non-violence when he said, “It takes courage to resist and not strike back. It takes courage to risk going to jail. But I say nonviolent resistance is the only practical means at our disposal. It will force the British to see the logic of our demands.” (Herndo 1998: Online) Gandhi was very well aware of the fact that if maximum number of Indian workers were sent to jail, who formed the maximum labour force in the British Empire, England would lose maximum profit which could force the government to sit at the negotiation table with them. There was something exceptional in Gandhi’s words and actions that could make him a natural leader whose followers reached across the borders. His character and natural abilities he showed when he spoke left an incredible print on the heart of those millions, who were living a subjugated life under the colonial power of British. His qualities that he showed and the views that he spread with great dexterity were enough for the Indians to realize that freedom for them was not far off. His nature was itself a beckon of hope for those Indians and a final call for the British to leave India. Through the film Gandhi, there are certain questions that are raised in the minds of students gaining the know-how of leadership traits. Was he very well certain about his views and objectives and impact his actions might have on the people? In fact we should view him as a person who had important and innovative ideas, which needed to be tried out. He had utmost faith in his principles of truth and nonviolence. He told the people to follow the path of truth and adopt righteous attitude that would eventually lead them to victory. He also said and is shown in the movie that civil resistance, which Gandhi called by the name of ahimsa, is one of the methods people should adopt to win. From the above two films, two biggest concepts in the leadership and self expression appear to come forward: one is Intellectual Stimulation and another is Idealized Influence. Intellectual Stimulation is the way for the followers or the subordinates in the company or organization to form new and different solutions to solve problem and conduct work in different ways. They initiate the followers to adopt several innovative ideas and raise questions against own beliefs and attitudes. It encourages followers to think innovatively to handle various organizational issues. (Puccio, Murdock & Mance 2006: 11) In both the movies above, main protagonists develop the intellectual stimulation by challenging the old orders and adapting new for the welfare of all. This is also the most crucial element of self-expression. Idealized Influence is an adoption of the behavior followed by the respect, trust and admiration of the people. Leaders act consistently through out and are dependable for those who follow. It also involves sharing of the risk by the leaders, showing consideration of the needs of the followers and ethical and moral conduct. According to Bass in Idealized Influence, “Leaders display conviction; emphasize trust; take stands on different issues; present their most important values; emphasize the importance of purpose, commitment and ethical consequences of decision making. Such leaders are admired as role models in generating pride, loyalty, confidence, and alignment around a shared purpose.” (Austin. & Hopkins 2004: 153) For achievement of any goal, maintaining qualities of effective leadership is the most important concept in the whole of management process whereby self-expression is one of the most important components. Self-expression means ability to express oneself. Sally Field portrayed as Norma Rae was fighting not only for gaining the rights of the workers but also right for self expression which she adopted through her personality and unspoken words. Gandhi’s concept of nonviolence was his way of expressing himself and to show the light of freedom and many qualities to the people. Reference List Austin, M.J. & Hopkins, K.M. 2004. Supervision as Collaboration in the Human Services: Building a Learning Culture. London: SAGE Clemens J. & Wolff, M. 2000. Movies to Manage By. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2000 Cloud H. 2006. INTEGRITY: the Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality. Collins Publishers. Cunningham T.M. 2002. Leadership 101: Integrity. [Online] Available: http://www.withthecommand.com/2002-Aug/MD-TMC-leader-integ101.html [24 December 2008] Herdno, P.N. 1998. Mohandas Gandhi: The Art of Nonviolence. [Online] Available: http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1998/3/98.03.05.x.html [24 December 2008] Higgins, S & Striegel, C. 2003. Movies For Leaders. Spoken, Washington: New Media Ventures Higgins, S., Striegel, C. Lessersohn, J. & Lessersohn, N. 2003. Movies For Business. Spoken, Washington: New Media Ventures Muniapan, B. 2007. Transformational leadership style demonstrated by Sri Rama in Valmiki Ramayana. Int. J. Indian Culture and Business Management, 1( ½): 104-115 Puccio, G.J., Murdock, M. & Mance, M. 2006. Creative Leadership: Skills that Drive Change. London: SAGE Publications McDonald, P. LEADERSHIP IN CINEMA: Norma Rae. [Online] Available: http://www.fireleadership.gov/toolbox/documents/movies/Norma_Rae.doc [24 December 2008] . Read More