Introduction
Leadership is the ability to seek and sustain support from others to achieve certain goals and objectives. Different leadership styles including transaction, transformational, autocratic, and consultative leadership can be applied (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2009). The leadership models used to explain the approaches include transformation model, contingent model, influence model, behavior model, and trait model. In the attempt to understand the nature of the leadership models and the styles, six clips are used in this paper for the analysis and discussion.
Leadership Style Uncovered In the Clips
The Dead Poet’s Society
In The Dead Poet’s Society, Mr. Keating and Mr. Nolan use different leadership styles. In the film, Mr. Nolan is apparently using an authoritarian and dictatorial leadership. As a leader, he does not tolerate challenges from either of the individuals in the institution. He cannot stand anyone thinking differently from his point of view and does not want new ideas because of the desire to preserve traditionalism and austerity of the institution. With such a leadership style, the followers are not allowed to make any decisions, but to follow directives from the leader without questioning. On the other hand, Mr. John Keating used a different leadership style. He used charismatic and visionary approach to the extent that he is considered to have gone against the school’s rules. John Keating is presented as a master of an orchestra and tries to get the best from the student. He offers the guidance to the students and is seen as a spiritual leader. The leader makes the students feel as determinants of their destiny by choosing their path. With this leadership, the students have an opportunity to believe in themselves. The difference between the two leadership styles is that John Keating creates an environment for the students to play active roles in their lives, but Mr. Nolan dictates all the decisions made by the institution. The trait model of leadership is highly demonstrated in this case (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2009). Keating is particularly a likable teacher because of his character and approach, which comes out naturally despite restriction in the school rules and regulations.
Office Space
In the script from Office Space, it is clear that Lumberg is the leader to three subordinates, including Michael, Peter, and Samir. The leadership applied in this clip is the situational model of leadership. Lumberg gives orders to his employees and believes that they would be followed to his expectation. According to the model of relationship, the leader changes the leadership style with the changing situation. He gives specific orders and supervises the employees to work within the given directives. The relationship is characterized by a high task and low relationship approach (Iqbal, 2011). Additionally, the leader does not support the employees in addressing their personal needs. The issue arises when he calls Peter to come to work on a weekend, a time when he is expected to rest and attend to individual needs after a weeklong engagement. The reason he used this method is that Lumberg believed that the employees were unable and unwilling to undertake their jobs. The leadership applied by Lumberg is not preferably the best. In fact, the leader should be ready to listen to the views of the followers and give them the opportunity to make some of the decisions. For Lumberg, he should delegate some of the decisions to Michael, Peter, and Samir. In response, the employees would develop confidence and perform their tasks better. The leadership model represented in the script is Behavioral Models, in which a leader is concerned with work or relationship. The leader, in this case, is concerned with the task.
Remember the Titans
In Remember the Titans the coach tells the players about the Battle of Gettysburg as a story to drive in his opinion on how the team should operate. In the story, the coach revealed how men died while fighting the same fight on the battlefield. Soldiers who were expected to win against the enemy fought amongst themselves at night because they lacked unity. By the time he was narrating the story, the teams had experienced divisions. The assist coach, Herman Boone, an African- American had a hard time to manage the players because of their mixture of African- American and the white players. Coach Boone told the players that it was hard for the team to succeed with the continued hatred and fighting among themselves. In this case, the coach is making use of transformation leadership, to change the perception of the players and encourage them to work as a united front to achieve a common goal (Dean, Cleavengera & Munyonb, 2013). He calls the players to come together and respect each other irrespective of their diversity because they are united to reach the same target as a team.
Battle of the Wits
Battle of the wits clip is from The Princess Bride, which represents the battle of wits between Vazzini and Roberts. Vazzini as the leader is a clever mastermind; he is a despot and a braggart. As a result, he thinks to be the smartest individual in the group and expect others to have a similar opinion. He is horrible to others, and cannot trust anyone. Indeed, Vazzini trusts and regards himself highly; hence, does not value the opinion of others. He is satisfied when those with a different opinion decide to quit. The Influence (Power) Model of leadership is highly exposed in this case (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2009). In fact, Vazzini strives to influence others and remain prominently at the top. As a result, he is not ready to take up the challenge from others like Roberts, who had the opportunity to become a leader.
The Blind Side
In the clip The Blind Side, two individuals, including Michael’s coach and Michael’s mother play leadership roles. The coach as the manager of the team had the role of directing, mentoring, and preparing the team in winning the matches. The coach uses the autocratic leadership style where he directs the players towards the appropriate direction (Iqbal, 2011). At first, he allows Michael to do what he deems right with limited control, and hence after he failed to reach the expectation he comes in with strict and rigid directives. For example, in one instant, the coach repeated the same thing when Michael seemed not to understand. In this setup, he projected his voice to ensure that his point is understood. On the other hand, Michael’s mother recognizes the potential in his son, and when she asks him to take a firm stance and defend the team, he feels energized and the entire time experience improved performance. The mother portrays transformation leadership.
The Devil Wears Prada
Lastly, the clip from The Devil Wears Prada provides an idea of the leadership style applied by Miranda as a business leader. She is portrayed as a strict and job-oriented where she wants things done the way they should be. Miranda used masculine and authoritarian approaches to lead others. She is competitive, impatient, dominant, and demanding. The employees have to follow the set rules such as dressing and remaining committed to achieving the organizational objectives (Iqbal, 2011). In this case, she strives to influence others to perform their jobs efficiently, and hence Influence Models of leadership is adopted.
In conclusion, leadership is a diverse concept when it comes to the leadership approach adopted, and the model applied. A leader can use an approach depending on his/her traits and the situation under which the leadership is exercised. In essence, the effective leadership is the one in which the followers are comfortable with and where the objectives of the organization are realized in a sustainable manner. A leader with a long-term orientation should try to build a strong relationship with the employees to enable her keep the skills and experience possessed by the employees.
References
Dean J., Cleavengera, D.J., & Munyonb, T.P. (2013). It’s how you frame it: Transformational leadership and the meaning of work. Business Horizons 56(3), 351-360.
Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W. (2009). Organizational behavior. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Iqbal, T. (2011). The impact of leadership styles on organizational effectiveness: Analytical study of selected organizations in IT sector in Karachi. Munich: Grin Verlag.
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