(Supplement to Leadership Qualities article)
Two examples of how leadership qualities depend on the context can be found in the play The Admirable Crichton and the film Twelve O'Clock High.
The Admirable Crichton
The Admirable Crichton is a play by J M Barrie about how leadership qualities required to succeed can vary in different contexts.
It tells the story of an aristocratic family and their servants; leadership is provided by Lord Loam, because his qualities are ideally suited for English high society. Crichton, the butler, performs a subservient role. However, when the family and servants are shipwrecked and marooned on a desert island, the qualities required to lead them through their struggle for survival are very different: Crichton's qualities are more suited, so he assumes the leadership role.
Ultimately, when they are rescued, Crichton demonstrates great understanding of the importance of adapting to the context, and quickly relinquishes his leadership role.
Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High is a film starring Gregory Peck that illustrates how "unacceptable" behaviours can sometimes play an important role in leadership.
The film tells the story of a failing bomber group that is transformed by Brigadier Savage (Gregory Peck). One of the key actions he performed was to demote and humiliate Lieutenant Colonel Ben Gately, forcing him to write the words "leper colony" on his plane.
In many modern business contexts, such behaviour by Savage might be labelled unacceptable, being classified as psychological bullying or providing grounds for claiming constructive dismissal. In the context of the bomber group, however, Savage's action is usually taught as an example of great leadership.
Return to Leadership Qualities article.
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