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Ob Assignment On Leadership (Hitler)
Ob Assignment On Leadership (Hitler)
Leadership styles are often an extension of the personality of a leader and are shaped by the needs of the position. Example: Bill Clinton was considered one of the most charismatic leaders of out times. Idi Amin could not have been a democratic leader and still rule over Uganda. The position of leadership is not just limited to an office, a rank or a family. Leadership is a gift to influence the people positively towards a direction which is for the common good. While there is not point in arguing about an all encompassing definition of leadership, for functionality lets assume the above definition works. Lets put it the old fashioned way:
"Leadership is the art of influencing fellow human beings towards a direction which is of common good" Leader:
Hitler was, first and foremost, determined to command personally. According to his so-called Leader Principle, ultimate authority rested with him and extended downward. At each level, the superior was to give the orders, the subordinates to follow them to the letter. In practice the command relationships were more subtle and complex, especially at the lower levels, but Hitler did have the final say on any subject in which he took a direct interest, including the details of military operations, that is, the actual direction of armies in the field. Moreover, as time went on he took over positions that gave him ever more direct control. From leader (Fhrer) of the German state in 1934, he went on to become commander-in-chief of the armed forces in 1938, then commander-in-chief of the army in 1941. Hitler wanted to be the Feldherr, the generalissimo, exercising direct control of the armies himself, in much the same sense that Wellington commanded at Waterloo, albeit at a distance. The image of Hitler as a meddler in military operations is powerful and persistent. One should bear in mind, however, that his desire to control his armies' movements was not the most important factor in Germany's defeat. Hitler's truly critical decisions concerned strategy, that is, the war's timing, targets and goals. His was the only voice that counted at that level, and it was his strategy that led inevitably to Germany's eventual defeat. A final judgment on Hitler's role is one that calls for some balance. No commander works in isolation, no matter how absolute his power might appear. Germany's senior military leaders bear a large measure of responsibility for the onset, character and outcome of World War Two. Adolf Hitler is an example of the autocratic leadership style. Hitler and his administration were responsible for the deaths of millions of Jewish people.