GHENGHIS KHAN - An Autocratic Leader

Leadership style of Genghis Khan Autocratic leadership was the style of leadership which he
followed. Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian leadership where an individual
control over all decisions. Autocratic leaders typically make choices based on their ideas and
judgments and rarely accept advice from followers. His actions as a leader had proven to be
much better than most leaders as he was one of the few leaders who engaged into war with his
allies.

Personal Details
Name: Temujin
Born: 1162 in Mongolia
History says that Genghis khan was not educated. Whatever he learned was from the
observation he made during wars and lessons from his mother.

Leadership Traits that support his Leadership Style

Visionary
“Unite the whole world in one empire.”
Genghis Khan was a leader who knew how to unite his people. His leadership style had united
what once were enemies into a single army that followed him to victory.
Communicator
He promotes communication and working in teams which led to the success of his invasions.
His management was indeed brutal, but it still proved very effective and the army dared not to
oppose him.
Ambitious
Genghis Khan was determined to unite Asia, and he succeeded.
Command and Control
Genghis set strict rules within his tribe and empire. For example,
 Anyone who rapes women is sentence to death
 Everyone who do not go out to war must work for the empire without reward
 He decides what people can and cannot do
Diverse in learning
Genghis Khan's inner circle consisted of people who came from diverse religious backgrounds
and interested in learning philosophical and moral lessons from other religions.
Discipline
Genghis Khan ruled his government with meritocracy, which means to have a government or
the holding of power by people selected based on their ability, not due to royal family
bloodlines.
Fearless
 Genghis older half-brother Begter began to exercise power as the eldest male in the
family, since Genghis wasn’t happy with it he killed his elder brother to gain power.
 After marrying tribal chief’s daughter, he himself declared him as their chief and killed
all the others who opposed him.
 Genghis Khan, demanded control of the trade relations with the Khwarizm dynasty
which controlled Turkestan, Persian and Afghanistan. When Shah Muhammad refused
he went and attacked whole kingdom.

Qualities of Genghis Khan

Self-reliance
In his own words: No friend is better than your own wise heart! Although there are many things
you can rely on, no one is more reliable than yourself.
Exercise Moderation
Genghis Khan hated luxury and thinks that it makes a man lose everything.
Tactical
Genghis Khan was able to make his people listen to him because he strived for a better lifestyle
for all, and he made sure his people lived peaceful lives in Mongolia.
Freedom of Religion
He gave the freedom of religion to his supporters, and therefore, he gained many Christians,
Muslims, and Catholics because they wanted to practice in what they believed.
Military Genius
His army was in that period considered the first modern army and Genghis Khan’s leadership
methods were developed from experience from the battlefield and from his army’s input. He
uses Mayo’s theory of motivation by engaging himself with his army.