On Becoming A Leader Analysis

Every minute of every day we are exposed to some form of leadership, whether it be in a newspaper clipping about the presidential election, or on a famous pop star’s Twitter feed, leadership is prominent among a multitude of platforms in our society. In class we have learned about leadership through our understanding of articles like, “The Enemies of Trust” by Galford & Seibold Drapeau, and also through the classic leadership book, On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis. Through these lenses we have seen various different perspectives on how to become an effective leader, as well as what to watch out for once you have achieved this leadership. These steps and tips are very useful, but not always entirely applicable to our everyday lives. One …show more content…
As Bennis points out in On Becoming A Leader, trust from a leader’s constituents is “the one quality that cannot be acquired but must be earned.” (35). It is easy to tell that Keating earned the trust of his students throughout the duration of the play, especially in the final scene where all of his students display their appreciation for his efforts when he dramatically collects his personal items from the classroom. The students at Weston developed a close bond and appreciation for Professor Keating and it was difficult for them to see him be fired under such difficult circumstances, even though he was simply trying to bring out the best in his students.
Our second discussion of leadership proved to be our most eye-opening and complex analysis, coming from the ever-endearing Forrest Gump. This film takes us through the extraordinary life and tales of Forrest Gump, a small town boy from Greenbow, Alabama with very little intelligence, but a very big heart. Throughout the stories he tells to the many random strangers on a bus bench, we are taken through personal anecdotes and we learn who Forrest Gump truly is; a …show more content…
Maximus is challenged by numerous obstacles throughout the film, all of which he meets with the same style of leadership. That consistency is the one thing that stuck out our group about this movie. Maximus always sticks to his values no matter what challenge may arise. His consistency is what we believe proves Maximus to be an effective and successful leader, and how he accomplishes that consistency is developed by his own authentic style. We believe it is a combination of Maximus’ ability to communicate, master the context, and maintain trust that make him an incredible