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Introduction
All leaders possess the ability to influence people around them but choose different methods to achieve their goals. Some prefer authoritative strategies, while others encourage the followers through charisma and a hardworking attitude. Numerous factors, including time, place, and environment, affect the leaders’ decisions and position within society. Famous people throughout history represent different ruling and guiding styles, and only time can show whether their methods were good or bad for the people in the long run.
Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito, the 124th Emperor of Japan, is known for having the longest reigning in his country’s history – sixty-two years. Some believe that he caused his people’s participation in the Second World War (WWII), while others state that the leader acted solely under the command of the militaristic government. He took full responsibility for Japan’s actions during the military conflict and helped rebuild the country as a peaceful state afterward.
Hirohito was curious, well-educated, and a perfectionist in all his efforts. However, he also showed the rebellious side when choosing a future wife from a relatively simple family and refusing to take a concubine when the spouse gave birth to four girls. Nagako, his only love, later gave birth to two sons and another daughter (Bailey, 2017). She had always accompanied Hirohito on trips and supported him during challenging and prosperous times alike.
Emperor Hirohito was raised in a traditional noble disciplinary style, following the Bushido code and respecting the traditions. However, he also studied marine biology and showed general curiosity about the world. The factors that influenced his leadership style the most are noble upbringing and permission to visit other countries at a young age. This made Hirohito disciplined and open-minded, with later led to Emperor’s combination of visionary and autocratic strategies when ruling Japan.
He balanced science work, political business, and international communications during the complicated period of WWII. After the military conflict, the Emperor’s reasonable conclusions convinced the winners to allow him to live, rule, and transform his country. At the same time, the people of Japan supported and respected Hirohito even after he chose to abandon the traditions of staying inside his palace and never talking to simple people (Bailey, 2017). On the contrary, that was considered reasonable and changed the expectations of the Japanese.
Hirohito was born an emperor, a God on Earth, and he would likely have some influence on his people even without the popularity. The conflicts were usually resolved through authoritative decisions as he had the position of power. However, as the Japanese saw his choices and their consequences, a young ruler became a wise and charismatic leader trusted to change his country, open the borders, and encourage international communication (Bailey, 2017). Hirohito remained flexible during challenging times and chose beneficial solutions for Japan. Investing in the Emperor’s support either financially or diplomatically was the desired choice for many nobles. The genuine curiosity and discipline that he exhibited could be applied universally as an example of effective leadership.
George Washington
Many people today know George Washington as the first president of the U.S., but few realize how unpredictable his position was in reality. Nobody mentored him about how to rule a new country and solve social problems associated with it. His leadership style was authoritative and visionary as he did what he thought was the best for his country and people through orders and rules. On the one side, Washington was a man with a military career, an army General, and a congressman. On the other side, he supported his views and ideas even if they did not correspond with society’s expectations. For example, he confronted the English government after they tried to tax American colonies without their representation in the British parliament (Kaminski, 2017). Overall, Washington was a reasonable and intelligent leader, honestly supporting his ideals.
Many of George’s characteristics came from his family upbringing: he was born and raised in a wealthy Virginia family with land and political connections. Military career shows his ability to learn quickly, make adequate decisions, and network with the superiors. In some cases, Washington’s view on certain concepts changed with experience. For example, he inherited slaves and supported the South in their acceptance of the unpaid labor system to keep America united.
However, later in life, the realization that all people have a right to free life led him to releasing his servants (Kaminski, 2017). Washington respected his military and office colleagues, whether they were in favor of his ideas or against them. If George did not see a noble purpose in a conflict, military or civil, he chose to remain neutral. In cases when his intervention was inevitable, he used army or legal power to resolve it.
Washington practiced his authority as a military man and later a president, as well as his natural charisma. He was elected as the country’s leader twice in a row and unanimously, which showed his popularity among fellow politicians (Kaminski, 2017). To this day, George Washington is considered one of the most honorable supporters of the U.S. as a country. The time and environment contributed to his position of power significantly as the moment of a new country gaining its independence was unique. Washington’s reputation as a successful military man, his physical health, and mental agility also added confidence to electorate college choice. He was responsible, charismatic, relatively wealthy, and popular, which made him a good presidential candidate to support but may not be enough for a successful leader election today.
Lance Armstrong
Being a world-class athlete in a modern world is never easy, especially when something hurts the reputation. Lance Armstrong is a great cyclist who won a prestigious Tour de France race several times and defeated testicular cancer. Despite all his achievements, a large doping scandal deprived the cyclist of many titles and prevented him from participating in professional sport. As a non-conflict person by nature, Lance decided not to fight the system trying to clear his name because of the potential toll it could have on his family (Maciborski, 2018). The athletic world was divided into a group that supported the athlete and another that pronounced all his achievements invalid.
Lance Armstrong represents pace-setting leadership as many athletes do, using himself as an example of hard work. Since most people would not follow him after the doping scandal, his strategy description in this paper refers to the time of the active cycling career. Armstrong trained for many hours a day and won the races despite the stress, physical exhaustion, and competition. He gained leadership through athletic successes, which allowed him to become a hero in the community’s eyes (Meyer, 2019).
Achieving more fame and becoming a cancer survivor increased Armstrong’s influence and allowed him to make a positive social impact by forming bonds with the fans. Lance raised thousands of dollars to support cancer patients and researchers and promoted awareness about the disease he had defeated as well (Maciborski, 2018). In a way, sports are similar to religion or cult, and Armstrong represented a divine figure, a perfect example to follow for many people.
Media also contributed to his leadership position by covering sports events. Lance used news channels, sponsorships, and his athletic results to strengthen the influence. Money, fame, and sports talent allowed him to deepen the leadership; however, most of it disappeared when the doping scandal happened (Meyer, 2019). Armstrong tried to resolve the conflicts through negotiations, but that has proven not to be convincing in the world of professional sports.
The athletic sphere will always require competitors to be hardworking, strong-willed, and talented, so people like Lance Armstrong will lead by example and inspire the viewers. Sponsors and businesses support figures like him to receive financial gain; politicians and public figures may try to influence the general population through powerful messages from the professional athletes. Cancer patients and amateur sportspeople could buy tickets to see those like him in person because doing so brings them positive emotions and inspiration to overcome future challenges.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a Catholic Saint famous for her charity work, houses of dying, and theological work. She also received the Nobel Prize of Peace for helping the poor and sick as well as promoting love and tolerance through her teachings. Teresa’s signature leadership style included combining religion with pragmatic vision (Morariu, 2020). She used persuasive and affiliative strategies to influence the political regimes instead of opposing them directly.
Mother Teresa came from a family of Macedonian politician, but her fascination with missionary work had led her to become a catholic nun and a founder of the Missionaries of Charity. She was humble and unpretentious when studying Catholicism and living in the poor areas of India. At the same time, strong character and wisdom allowed Mother Teresa to have political discussions with the Western leaders regarding human rights and abortion policies (Morariu, 2020). Those qualities and the fact that the world continuously experiences wars and aggression acts made her a good advocate for peaceful solutions.
Mother Teresa preached, taught, and wrote books about her vision of the world and human rights. She deliberately chose not to ignore the political sphere as something completely separated from spiritual life. Instead, the nun used it as an instrument to move closer to ending world poverty and injustice. Teresa saw herself as a “pencil in God’s hands” (Morariu, 2020, p. 2) and considered the offering of talents, time, and money to be the main factors of being a human.
As she became known through word of mouth and media channels, her influential power and available resources grew. Mother Teresa became a symbol and synonym of selflessness and humility, and her leadership style shifted toward coaching since the world leaders asked for her opinion about the international poverty situation. It was a direct consequence of gaining fame and popularity despite the humble status of a religious activist living a charitable life.
Abortion is a controversial topic, and many public figures would avoid strongly supporting or opposing it. Mother Teresa openly stated that her mission was to save as many unborn children as possible during her Nobel Prize acceptance speech (The Nobel Prize, 2020). She used publicity and media coverage to reach as many people as was feasible during the ceremony. Mother Teresa found the practicality and benefit in every situation, whether it was teaching poor girls of Calcutta about religion or receiving a prestigious award in a grand and festive hall. She was focused on her goal to spread Christianity and promote peace.
The missionary activist did not support direct confrontation but instead opted for persuasion and social pressure. She appealed to consciousness and human emotions regarding the poor and innocent. Even if those factors did not affect political leaders much, they influenced their voters and investors. People like Mother Teresa could be used for pacific movements’ support, which may correspond with the business or political strategies of the rulers.
Human societies tend to be aggressive and invasive in nature, and people like Mother Teresa could be a general reminder about the alternative solutions to political and economic conflicts. Humility and support of poor people are timeless qualities that can either adjust the world leaders’ strategies or distract the population from other issues, such as financial crisis or education problems. The followers of Mother Teresa will always be considered by politicians and businessmen the instruments to change the situation based on religious influence.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the cofounder of Microsoft company and one of the wealthiest people on the planet. Besides the business and technological activities, he is also interested in charity work, particularly vaccination against dangerous diseases, which he has been researching and sponsoring for the past twenty-five years (Leaf, 2020). People ask for Gates’ opinion regarding various topics, from computer technology development to COVID-19 treatment; that provides the businessman with significant influential power.
Since childhood, Gates has been interested in technology, which led to the computer software revolution later in his life. He never had a goal to be a leader; instead, Bill focused on personal curiosity and the ability to help those around him. Gates’ strategy could be described as affiliative and coaching as he tries to improve the well-being of humankind and promotes technological education (Famous People Bio, 2018).
He also shifted toward delegating and philanthropic activities after receiving a large fortune from the Windows system development. According to Bill, success is not a good motivator because “it seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose” (Famous People Bio, 2018, 00:06:12). While others may use Gates as an example of a wealthy person or entrepreneur, he leads by example and advice instead of directions. However, any business requires some authoritative decisions, and Bill, being a Microsoft shareholder, influences the company’s decisions significantly.
Not much is published regarding Gates’ approach to conflicts; he seems to be cautious and analytical about criticism, which is not surprising for a scientist and successful businessman. Investing in computer technologies has considerable potential in terms of financial gains and influence. Collaborating with Bill’s companies regarding software, education, or philanthropic activities is a rather attractive option for people with power. However, being one of the wealthiest and most intelligent people on the planet, Gates can choose the most attractive agreements for himself and his business.
Conclusion
Leadership styles may vary depending on the person’s environment, achievements, and preferences. Sometimes people may gain influence without it being the goal based on their talents and activities. Leaders could choose to adjust their behavior and attitude throughout their lives as circumstances change. Modern technologies spread the news relatively quickly, which can affect famous people’s reputation and their power to convince or inspire the population.
References
Bailey, E. (2017). Hirohito: Broad-Minded benevolence. Great Neck Publishing.
Famous People Bio. (2018). Bill Gates biography in English [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Kaminski, J.P. (2017). George Washington : A man of action. Wisconsin Historical Society Press.
Meyer, A. R. (2019). Redemption of “fallen” hero-athletes: Lance Armstrong, Isaiah, and doing good while being bad. Religions, 10(8), 1–15. Web.
Leaf, C. (2020). The Conversation Bill Gates. Fortune, 182(2), 8–12.
Maciborski, W. (2018). Lance Armstrong on betrayal, family, Livestrong and new Podcast [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Morariu, I.-M. (2020). Aspects of political theology in the spiritual autobiography of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Hervormde Teologiese Studies, 76(1), 1–5. Web.
The Nobel Prize. (2020). Mother Teresa – acceptance speech. Web.
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