1. 30January2013
Assignment of Leadership, Power and Influence
Assignment No : 02 (Two)
Submitted To
Ms. FahmidaChowdhury
Associate Professor, BIBM
Mirpur, Dhaka
Course Instructor : Leadership, Power and Influence
Department of Business Administration
Submitted By
MahfuzaAkterMili [+8801556341735]
ID :10206038 ( Student of MBA )
THE UNIVERSITY OF ASIA PACIFIC
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3. Date: January 30, 2013
To
Ms. FahmidaChowdhury
Department of Business Administration,
Course of Leadership, Power and Influence
The University of Asia Pacific
Dhaka
From: MahfuzaAkterMili (Students of MBA), ID: 10206038
Subject: Prayer for accepting myAssignment .
As you said in the class, I have prepared myassignment as your given topic. I analyzed the model
and have prepared my assignment on basis of that. It may also contain same mistakes and I could
overlook some imported point. I tried my best to prepare this assignment.
Therefore, I shall be highly grateful if your overlook consider these mistakes and accept my
Assignment.
Signatures
…………………………………….
MahfuzaAkterMili
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4. Acknowledgment
First of all I would like to thanks to all mighty ALLAH that HE courage me to complete this
Assignment. I would like to thank all of other helping hands who were with me to make this
assignment possible.
I also would like to thanks our honorable course instructor Ms.
FahmidaChowdhuryofLeadership, Power and Influence, Department of Business
Administration in the University of Asia Pacific to giving me the opportunity to prepare this
assignment.
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5. Table of Contents
Abstract 01
Object 02
Limitation 02
Source Of Data 02
Methodology 02
Scope 02
Introduction 03
Instructional Objectives 03
History of Adolf Hitler 04
10 Life Lessons Adolf Hitler 05
Management lesson from HITLER 07
Analysis of Behavior 09
Style Approach (Blake and Mouton's Leadership Grid) 09
Contingency Model 10
Appropriateness of Leadership Style Implemented 11
Effectiveness 12
Mistakes 12
Summary 13
Conclusion 14
Bibliography 15
Annexer 16
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6. ABSTRACT
The purpose of this assignment is to the concepts of leadership and power has generated lively
interest, debate, and occasional confusion for decades. In fact, there has long been discussion on
the ideas of personal power and position power. Back in the sixteenth century, Machiavelli raised
the question of whether it is better to have a relationship based on love (personal power) or on
fear (position power). It is common to believe power belongs to the leader, but those who study
leadership and power, point out that power is actually a function of the leader, the followers, and
the situation. In other words, power is a function of a relationship. Followers allow the leader to
lead, and leaders derive their power from followers.
Leadership can be defined as one's ability to get others to willingly follow. Every organization
needs leaders at every level. Leaders can be found and nurtured if you look for the following
character traits.
A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what
success looks like and how to achieve it. But it's not enough to have a vision; leaders must also
share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said,
"Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and
relentlessly drive it to completion."
A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into
it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.
A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well
as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a
leader. A leader does not suffer "analysis paralysis" but is always doing something in pursuit of
the vision, inspiring others to do the same.
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7. Object
This assignment is carried out as the analysis of theCourse Objectives
Explore effective, ethical and enduring leadership models in relationship to self and the
organization
Examine different components of leadership relating to innovation, change, career
engagement, resources and community.
Demonstrate & enhance leadership skills using assessments & tools designed to address
current challenges & opportunities.
Develop a leadership portfolio including a specific goal-driven action plan
Limitation:
When I prepared this assignment all necessary data is not available. For this I assume some of
the data to complete the report. On the other hand one limitation was on shortage of knowledge
that was reduced to make this report a better one. And finallytime was major constraint.
Source of Data:
For my report I collect data for finding & analysis. At first I collected some books of leadership
and Adolf Hitler. I also collected some data from the internet.
Methodology:
A Powerful Leader develops skills in self-management, communication, performance
management, handling disagreements and achieving results.
Just like the leaders I‟ve helped through the Mind to Lead retreats.
Scope:
I want to use power appropriately, no matter what. The Powerful Leader programs help me
influence others with a calm, confident demeanor and concise language that focuses all minds on
my expectation.
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8. Introduction:
Adolf Hitler, regardless of his wrong doings and the obvious evil that he empowered, was one of
the great leaders of our time and changed the way that our society looked at war. The fact that
Hitler came from a front-line soldier with no real future in a leadership role to the chancellor of
Germany and the commander of a great army shows his great will and ability to meet his goals
and to manipulate people to achieve a vision. The reason that I chose Hitler as the subject for this
assignment was because of the great impact that he had on our world over the last century and
also to take a look at just how he could convince not only his nation but other allies to carry out
his ill-will towards Russia and the Jews. Whether or not he is viewed as crazy is irrelevant here,
his leadership and manipulative skills allowed him to achieve at least some of his sub-goals and
very nearly his overall goal of expanding Germany into Russia and exterminating the Jews.
When looking at a leadership style or a model to compare Hitler to, there is one word that really
stands out in most leadership models that all relate to Hitler: directive. This assignment will look
at two different models which I believe will show what kind of leader Hitler was and also why I
think that he was as successful as he possibly could have been. These two models are Blake and
Mouton's Leadership Grid and the contingency model.
Instructional Objectives
We will learn:
1. Facts about Hitler's life and the historical events which occurred during that time.
2. Hitler's view of history, his theory of race, and his political goals.
3. Hitler's use of anti-Semitism to advance his career and to consolidate power.
4. How a political leader was able to manipulate the political system in a democracy and obtain
autocratic power.
History of Adolf Hitler
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9. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau, Austria, a small town across the Inn River
from Germany. Soon after Hitler's birth, his father, Alois Hitler, moved the family to Linz,
Austria. Hitler attended school in Linz and at first was a good student, but in high school he was
a very poor student. Hitler's academic abilities angered his father because his father hoped that
Hitler would study to become a government worker as he had been. Hitler, however, wanted to
become an artist.
In 1907, Hitler went to Vienna Austria. in an attempt to fulfill his dream of becoming an artist.
This attempt ended when he failed the entrance exam to the Academy of Fine Arts. When
Hitler's mother died in 1907, he decided to remain in Vienna. He took the entrance exam a year
later and failed again. He did not have steady work in Vienna, but, instead, took a variety of odd
jobs. He lived in cheap rooming houses or slept on park benches and he often had to get meals
from charity kitchens. During his time in Vienna Hitler learned to hate non-Germans. Hitler was
a German-speaking Austrian and considered himself German. He ridiculed the Austrian
government for recognizing eight languages as official and believed that no government could
last if it treated ethnic groups equally.
In 1913, Hitler went to Munich, Germany and when World War I began in 1914, he volunteered
for service in the German army. Hitler was twice decorated for bravery, but only rose to the rank
of corporal. When World War I ended. Hitler was in a hospital recovering from temporary
blindness possibly caused by a poison gas attack. The Versailles Treaty that ended the war
stripped Germany of much of its territory, forced the country to disarm, and ordered Germany to
pay huge reparations. When the army returned to Germany.the country was in despair. The
country was bankrupt and millions of people were unemployed.
In 1920, Hitler joined the National Socialist German Workers Party known as the Nazis. The
Nazis called for all Germans, even those in other countries, to unite into one nation; they called
for a strong central government; and they called for the cancellation of the Versailles Treaty.
Hitler became leader of the Nazi party and built up membership quickly, mostly because of his
powerful speaking ability. Hitler organized an army for the Nazi party called the Storm Troopers
("Brown Shirts") who were called upon to fight groups seeking to disband the Nazi rallies.
On November 9, 1923, Hitler led more than 2,000 Storm Troopers on a march to seize the
Bavarian government. The attempt failed and Hitler was arrested and sentenced to prison for five
years for treason. While in prison, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle). In this book.he
stated his beliefs and plans for Germany's future. Hitler only served nine months in prison and
when he was released, he began to rebuild the party again. He set up a private battle-ready elite
guard known as the "Schutzstaffel" (SS). By 1929, the Nazis had become an important minor
political party.
In 1930, a worldwide depression hit Germany, yet Germany also had the debt of paying for the
damage it had caused in World War I. Hitler protested against paying the debt and said that the
Jews and Communists were the cause for Germany's defeat in World War I. He promised to rid
Germany of Jews and Communists and to reunite the German speaking part of Europe.
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10. In July, 1932, the Nazis received about 40% of the vote and became the strongest party in
Germany. On January 30,1933, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor of
Germany. Once in this position, Hitler moved quickly toward attaining a dictatorship. When von
Hindenburg died in 1934, Hitler already had control of Germany and he gave himself the title
"Fuehrer" (leader).
Under Hitler's government, called the Third Reich, there was no place for freedom. The
government controlled every part of one's life. Hitler used extensive propaganda to brainwash
the nation into believing his theory about creating the perfect Aryan or nordic race. Therefore, it
was Hitler's plan to rid the nation and eventually the world of Jews, Gypsies, Negroes,
handicapped, and mentally ill persons. This plan was called the "Final Solution."
World War II began in 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland to begin his unification of all German-
speaking peoples. By this time extermination camps were being established throughout
Germany, Poland, and Russia.
Before Hitler was stopped in 1945 by the Allied countries, he had caused the extermination over
12 million people. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker on April 30,1945 and seven days later,
Germany surrendered.
10 Life Lessons Adolf Hitler
Lesson 1 : Adolf Hitler has his own ideal world Adolf Hitler has the good side for being the evil
ruler of his own country although, in the history of all mankind, he killed thousand of thousand
Jews Christian in the country. The only difference is Adolf Hitler did not treat equally to other
people who are Jews. He really hates Jews and he has the power to kill them all. He considers
himself as a God or he acts as a God to everyone.
Lesson 2 : Do good things to the people It‟s the same how anti-Hitler view him as a killer.
People don't know that he's also a Roman Catholic Christian. Rosa who worked as a maid said
that Adolf Hitler was a kind man. There's a reason why Adolf Hitler hated Jews and we don't
know what it is. He's the massive killer in the human society but the other side of it, he did good
things to other people but only people who became his follower.
Lesson 3 : Have sense of humor Hitler often cracked jokes. Although Hitler still laughed during
wartime, he had been an even bigger joker in earlier days. "As I knew from the „old timers‚‟
Hitler in wartime was a completely different from Hitler before the war.”, said Misch, who
describes himself as “a last living piece of history” and his modest flat in Berlin is filled with
photos and scrapbooks of his service for Hitler.
Lesson 4 : Have a leisure time after works a dictator, Hitler liked to give the impression that he
was constantly in motion, toiling on behalf of Germany into the early hours. Actually, we know
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11. quite a lot about how he spent his leisure time in the close circle with which he felt most
comfortable. Wagner music operas were a life-long passion.
Lesson 5 : Take care of health at best Hitler never drank or smoked, which was banned in his
presence. The only time he danced was when he did a jig beneath the Eiffel Tower after
conquering France. As a vegetarian his meals consisted of mashed potatoes and pulses, with
endless vitamin supplements.
Lesson 6 : Be a family man “Woman‟s world is her husband, her family, her children and her
home. We do not find it right when she presses into the world of men.” In reality, one of the
reasons why Hitler was so popular with conservative Christians in Germany was precisely
because he promised to restore traditional morality. He spent most of his time with his wife Eva
Braun, because he highly believed in the need of traditional moral values.
Lesson 7 : Faith is harder to shake than knowledge Faith is harder to shake than knowledge, love
succumbs less to change than respect, hate is more enduring than aversion, and the impetus to the
mightiest upheavals on this earth has at all times consisted less in a scientific knowledge
dominating the masses than in a fanaticism which inspired them and sometimes in a hysteria
which drove them forward. - Adolf Hitler
Lesson 8 : Give the most powerful speech “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and
eventually they will believe it.” This doesn‟t mean that Hitler taught us to tell a lie, but he guided
us how to make people believe in him. If you want to get your point across, and you want people
to listen, you need to make what you say look professional. If you are "discussing" this in real
life, please try to keep your tone calm but confident.
Lesson 9 : It is the „human heart‟ that he ignored The fall of Hitler and his army began in their
hearts. Hitler's heart started to poison him. He became proud of what he has and became too
confident... or a better word – arrogant in his battles. This confidence made him under-estimate
his opponents. Hence, the weak and the coward developed the perfect techniques to stab the
giants (brave and strong) at their backs and lead them to their fall.
Lesson 10 : Hitler didn‟t die in Berlin in 1945 and still alive in Argentina!!!Soviet troops found
Hitler's body and buried somewhere in Berlin. Wasn't it a corpse of Hitler's double? (Hitler had a
double of a close resemblance as witnessed by Angel Velasco.) Hitler did not die in Berlin and
fled to Norway where he took U-boat to head for South America. According to Pravda of Russia,
at least 5 U-boats have arrived at Argentina port with many of Nazi officials on board.
“Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of
eternal struggle do not deserve to live.”
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12. Management lesson from HITLER
Managerial Lessons to be learned from the greatest tyrant of the world “ The leader of genius
must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one
category”. Adolf Hitler may seem an evil and a terrifying man, but he was a man with a
mission and vision. His passion, dependability, and confidence made Germany a powerful
nation. One of Hitler quality that made him a well-known leader is his dependability. By
having someone depend upon you makes you feel powerful or even generous. Confidence
was a rare quality that led him rising to the power and popularity. Adolf Hitler would do
anything to rise to the power and popularity, even by lying to bring his inner confidence to
the power.
Discipline : Since Childhood Hitler had Discipline and regimentation under the watchful
eyes of teachers at school and his strict father at home. There is anecdotal evidence that
Adolf's father regularly beat him during his childhood, it was not unusual for discipline to be
enforced in that way during that period.
Punctual and hard worker: Hitler was one of the most punctual people Germany ever
produced. He never used to be late or absent for any meeting. Also before any public
presence Hitler used to practice his speech many times with his photographer to get best
motivating snaps.
Vision : Hitler knew that the next level of war weapon will be of chemicals. He supported
chemical warfare. Some reports says Hitler was first to have a nuclear weapon also.
Determination: He wanted to be the most powerful person in Germany and also wanted to
make Germany as the most powerful country in the world. In spite of being in prison for
more than one year Hitler didn‟t let his determination fade. After being released Hitler
continued his movement indirectly, as he was prohibited to make any public summit. But
after getting public support Hitler became chancellor of Germany and later the undisputed
leader.
Strategic Planning : Hitler followed through with his plan and repudiated the Treaty of
Versailles. At first he tried to keep Germany's rearmament a secret but by 1935 he proudly
displayed Germany's new army, navy and air force. European nations did nothing to enforce
the treaty, leading Hitler to conclude that he could begin to create his vision of a new German
nation. In1936 he reclaimed the Rhineland from France and in 1938 he annexed Austria to
Germany. France and Great Britain agreed at a meeting in Munich to the annexation on the
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13. understanding that Hitler would make no more territorial demands. The Munich agreement
only made Hitler more convinced that he could continue his expansion. Within months
German troops had marched into German-populated areas of Czechoslovakia and in 1939
Hitler annexed all of that country. Britain and France finally reacted when Hitler's armies
invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. War was declared, leading to the Second World War
that would last until 1945.13. Networking and allies Italy ( Benito Mussolini ) Japan ( Sabero
Kurusu ) Bulgaria Romania
Organizing : Hitler was discharged from the army in March 1920 and with his former
superiors' continued encouragement began participating full time in the party's activities. By
early 1921, Hitler was becoming highly effective at speaking in front of large crowds. In
February, Hitler spoke before a crowd of nearly six thousand in Munich. To publicize the
meeting, he sent out two truckloads of party supporters to drive around with swastikas, cause
a commotion and throw out leaflets, their first use of this tactic. Hitler gained notoriety
outside of the party for his rowdy, polemic speeches against the Treaty of Versailles, rival
politicians (including monarchists, nationalists and other non-internationalist socialists) and
especially against Marxists and Jews.
The DAP was centered in Munich, a hotbed of German nationalists who included Army
officers determined to crush Marxism and undermine the Weimar republic. Gradually they
noticed Adolf Hitler and his growing movement as a vehicle to hitch themselves to. Hitler
traveled to Berlin to visit nationalist groups during the summer of 1921, and in his absence
there was a revolt among the DAP leadership in Munich
People Management: Hitler was very famous among his people. He used to be in them and
treated them as a family. He played with their children and enjoyed with them. This lead to
his popularity, his people were ready to die for him
17. Problem Solver: He had an amazing power of concentration. His judgments are quick and
decisive. He acts more like a big brother to his staff than as a Fuehrer and manages to endear
himself to Hitler was able to penetrate complex problems and reduce them to a few simple,
fundamental factors.
He prides himself on this talent and has said to various people: “ I have the gift of reducing
all problems to their simplest foundations ...A gift for tracing back all theories to their roots
in reality." each and every one of them.
19. But, underneath, he is every inch the Fuehrer. He displays extraordinary courage and
determination. He shows a great deal of initiative and is willing to assume full responsibility
for the wisdom of the course he has mapped out.
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14. Overconfident Hitler was no doubt a man of caliber with excellent cleverness and
management skills; still he lost due to his overconfidence. He attacked both England and
Russia together without realizing environment condition of Russia which caused it‟s lost to
Russia and England both.
Analysis of Behavior
When looking at Hitler's behaviour with the goal of analyzing his leadership style and leadership
success, it is important to keep in mind that the focus of the paper is to look at how well and in
what manner he led. To say that he was a poor leader based on his actions or his extremely
unethical goals would be a disservice to the analysis. This section of the paper will be broken
down into two sections that will separate the style approach and the contingency theory approach
to analyze Hitler's leadership style.
Style Approach (Blake and Mouton's Leadership Grid)
As was stated previously, Adolf Hitler's leadership style when considering the style approach is
"authority-compliance". Essentially, Hitler wanted supreme power among his peers and the rest
of the world and once his country submitted to him and granted him this supreme power, Hitler
took full advantage of his positional power and at that point it was too late for anyone to oppose
him. An article that talked about Hitler's leadership style said "Hitler was, first and foremost,
determined to command personally. According to his so-called Leader Principle
(FГјhrerprinzip), 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 fieldÐ‟…" (Megargee, 2003).
Not only did Hitler give these orders, but if they were not followed exactly as they were given,
the subordinates were severely punished. There is a clear emphasis on the task at hand, with little
regard for the soldiers involved. These orders did not only extend to his army. Hitler (or
subordinates acting through Hitler) had the same mentality no matter who he was talking to. The
entire country was to do as they were told or they would suffer the consequences. Hitler also did
not like or trust his soldiers or his generals. Fitting the leadership grid, the only time that he ever
really spoke to these people was to give them orders to follow.
One other thing to look at in the style approach was Hitler's ability to manipulate people into
thinking that he was their friend (or at least not a threat) in order to achieve his goals. Hitler's
primary goal was to expand Germany and to take over a part of Eastern Russia. In light of this
goal, Hitler made sub-goals that involved eliminating certain armies that would hinder in his
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15. goals. Knowing that Germany had just been defeated in WWI, Hitler used that as an excuse to
build up his army and through manipulative discussion and empty promises of peace, Hitler soon
had a naval fleet outside of Britain and troops mobilizing to prepare for battle. Hitler was shown
some opposition to rebuilding the army by such countries as France, but when opposition came
from any country, he flattered the leaders and told stories about how much the war had scarred
his country and how he wanted peace ("The History Place", 2001). Although Hitler seems to
have had great communication skills, again, the only reason that he drove himself to talk to these
people was because they were almost taking orders from Hitler to let him do as he pleased. This
was done only to attain another step in accomplishing his goals and his lies showed total
disregard for the countries that he spoke with because he ended up attacking them. All that Hitler
cared about was his tasks. To say that Hitler was seen as controlling and overpowering is an
understatement and this is an extreme case where I would say that this leader is an actual "one"
where communicating with people interpersonally is concerned. To me, this shows the sociopath
that was Adolf Hitler because he really did not care about anyone but himself.
This look at the style approach only really shows Hitler as a leader who simply used his
positional power to push everyone around, possibly giving the impression that he wasn't much of
a leader as much as he was a bully. When you only look at the style approach, which most
people subconsciously do when they think about Hitler, you do not see how he led his way into
this positional power. The contingency model will look more at how he turned his poor situation
into one of great power through smart and opportunistic leadership.
Contingency Model
The contingency model will help look at Hitler's situation (that he had to create for himself), the
goals that he made, and his power over people (mostly through fear of punishment). After
looking at these items, Hitler's approach will predict whether or not he chose the correct style of
leadership.
The first step in the contingency model is one that looks at the relationship between the leader
and the subordinates. According to the text, a good leader-member relationship is one where the
members have confidence in the leader, are loyal to the leader, and the attraction that they have
for the leader (Northouse, 2004: pg 110). Hitler came into politics at a time where the people of
Germany were devastated from WWI and the country was lost, with no sign of nationalism and
no hope. Hitler, once again with his manipulative speeches that were geared toward his goals,
gave people hope and through telling people who to hate and why to hate them, created a
following of a massive army and gave the hopeless Germans something to believe in. The
soldiers felt as if they were a part of something and Hitler used this to gain their absolute loyalty
and gained their confidence. For the people he was leading, although he did not care about them
personally, Hitler was respected and admired by his followers.
The next item to look at in the contingency theory is the task structure. As was previously stated,
Hitler had his hand in anything that was of interest to him in military operations. He was so
precise in how he wanted things done that if they were not done exactly as ordered, his own
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16. people were punished, sometimes severely. In reference to task, the text says that "A task is
considered structured when (a) the requirements of the task are clearly stated and known by the
individuals required to perform them, (b) the path to accomplish the path has few alternatives, (c)
the completion of the task can be clearly demonstrated, (d) only a limited number of correct
solutions to the task exist (Northouse, 2004: pg 110). Although there may have been a couple of
different solutions to the tasks that Hitler ordered, it was very clearly stated that the "only correct
way" to accomplish the task was to complete the task in the manner that Hitler wanted it to be
completed. As was said, each order was extremely precise and organized, leaving the subordinate
little room for error or chance to sway from the goal path. This exemplifies that high structure of
each task that was delegated by Hitler.
Lastly, the contingency model looks at the position power that the leader holds. Hitler started his
military career as a front-line soldier in WWI and through his great persuasive abilities worked
his way to being the chancellor of Germany. Once there, Hitler started to fire people and take
over positions in order to increase his position power over everybody. People were terrified to
fail him let alone oppose him, so his positional power over his subordinates was quite extreme.
Hitler gave himself the power to do whatever he wanted to do to people whenever he wanted to
do it.
After looking at the previous three items, the information is in place to determine the best style
of leadership given the conditions surrounding the leader and his subordinates. Hitler's situation
comes out as a "1" on the preferred leadership style scale, showing good leader-member
relations, high task structure, and strong positional power. Keeping in mind that Hitler should be
viewed as a low LPC, the contingency model says that people who are in Hitler's situation would
be most successful as a low or middle LPC. Based on this model, Hitler should theoretically be
successful in his directive approach.
Appropriateness of Leadership Style Implemented
In my opinion, Adolf Hitler's style of leadership during the late 1930's and early to mid 1940's
was the most efficient way to get the things done that he wanted to have done. During a time of
war, there is little time to sit there and support people or take time to help someone out with
something, you could get shot or lose important position while this is happening. I think that the
most important part of Hitler's drive to win WWII was the fact that he very clearly, from the
beginning told his prospective followers of his vision and how he planned on making this vision
become a reality. This vision gave the subordinates motivation in a very dark time in Germany
and by using the expectancy theory, he gave his troops the drive needed to attempt to carry out
their goal. Of course Hitler's actions were absolutely evil, but he did use the situation to his
advantage and to try to accomplish his goals, as terrible as some of them were. I think that
driving his troops through nationalism was a great situational approach because the country was
once so proud and at that time had nothing to be proud about.
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17. One thing that I would say about Hitler's leadership was that his lack of caring for his people was
quite unnecessary near the end of the war and that although it wasn't really a priority for him, he
should have surrendered and killed himself to save some of the people who had worked so hard
for a lost cause. When figuring that the goal could not be reached, it might have been a more
humane idea to take a higher stance on the concern for people on Blake and Mouton's Leadership
Grid. Of course, this does not deter my belief that Hitler was an effective leader to that point, I
just think that a great leader should have the ability to adapt to situations and to mould his
leadership style accordingly, and this did not happen in Hitler's case. This was probably due to
the fact that Hitler was as psychotic as he was smart, but this fault should be looked at
nonetheless.
Effectiveness
Adolf Hitler, regardless of his wrong doings and the obvious evil that he empowered, was one of
the great leaders of our time and changed the way that our society looked at war. The fact that
Hitler came from a front-line soldier with no real future in a leadership role to the chancellor of
Germany and the commander of a great army shows his great will and ability to meet his goals
and to manipulate people to achieve a vision. The reason that I chose Hitler as the subject for this
paper was because of the great impact that he had on our world over the last century and also to
take a look at just how he could convince not only his nation but other allies to carry out his ill-
will towards Russia and the Jews. Whether or not he is viewed as crazy is irrelevant here, his
leadership and manipulative skills allowed him to achieve at least some of his sub-goals and very
nearly his overall goal of expanding Germany into Russia and exterminating the Jews. When
looking at a leadership style or a model to compare Hitler, there is one word that really stands
In Hitler's case, leader-member relations are good, there is a high task structure and high position
power.
One other thing to look at Hitler‟s effectiveness is his ability to manipulate people into thinking
that he was their friend (or at least not a threat) in order to achieve his goals. Hitler's primary
goal was to expand Germany and to take over a part of Eastern Russia. In light of this goal,
Hitler made sub-goals that involved eliminating certain armies that would hinder in his goals.
Mistakes
The first was in not having sound moral judgment and allowing personal interests to dictate his
governments‟ actions, thereby misusing his supporters trust and, eventually destroying the lives
of many of them.
The second was in not trusting his subordinate‟s judgment in their own sections of expertise.
This happened in many cases and an example would be during the war in north Africa where he
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18. did not allow his soldiers to retreat from the continent until it was far too late, for the reason of
nothing more than his idea of national pride.
This lead to the destruction by death or capture of nearly his entire army in Africa. Another
example was the case of Stalingrad where he did not let his generals to order a general
withdrawal of the troops allowed an entire army to be surrounded and cut off insisting till far to
late that the beleaguered air force could supply the surrounded troops. These were examples not
only of letting his emotions guide him but also of micromanagement in cases where he did not
know the entire situation.
A third was in being overtly authoritarian, and not allowing any contrary views to be aired. It
helped initially in implementing his policies but eventually it became dangerous to even talk
about ideas contrary to the official party line. It consequently discouraged free thinking and
honesty especially amongst his chief subordinates. This meant that the men who rose to power
did so not based on ability or merit but on telling him things he wanted to hear.
Summary
Adolf Hitler may seem as an evil and a terrifying man but a man that well-known wouldn't be in
history without his passion, dependability, and confidence to make Germany a powerful nation.
To get Germany to become a powerful nation did take both negative and positive thoughts upon
his actions. In my opinion, Hitler was man who fought till last man with the help of his military,
economy and nothing other than his qualities. As being a man with qualities no other than
dependability, passion, and confidence Hitler would not have led himself to victory, popularity,
success and rise to the power. "Dunkirk has fallen... with it has ended the greatest of world
history. Soldiers! My confidence in you knew no bounds. It was all for his mission and vision to
become an excellent leader but do you think all of these devastations were required"
By putting himself into a position of great power and fear, Hitler understood the situation that he
was in and acted accordingly. If you think about this situation in a business sense, think about a
boss who has made an example of firing a few people who would not perform as ordered to, and
how the next person is going to feel when ordered to do something. Hitler struck fear into his
army but at the same time maintained loyalty and motivation for the soldiers to arrive at Hitler's
vision. For the boss of the business, if production was his only concern, it is very unlikely that
employees would work harder for any reason other than to not be fired. The boss' goal or vision
would not likely be a priority to the employee as it was to the Germans. In the case of the boss,
however, I am not saying that the boss would not be successful as a leader, I am only trying to
show Hitler's success in leadership because of his consciousness to the situation and his ability to
exploit it most efficiently.
Conclusion
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19. In conclusion to all the information I have gathered, Adolf Hitler, although a sick and twisted
man was a brilliant, charismatic leader. His speeches drew crowds of people in and earned their
popularity, but used the power he gained for evil. He will go down in history as a demonic man,
who used power for his own good.
Overall, Hitler's situational analysis and leadership style based on the analysis and the situations
that he created for himself make Hitler a great leader and a great man in the respect that he
turned nothing into something huge. It is unfortunate that he used his abilities for evil rather than
good, but his accomplishments as a leader must be regarded as great. This style of leadership
would not be likely to succeed in a growing, innovative corporation today, but in the setting that
Germany and Adolf Hitler found themselves in during the 1930's, the style proved to be very
successful when referring to the definition of leadership that we have been concerned with this
term.
Bibliography
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21. Adolf Hitler’s Early Years
Adolf Hitler was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler and KlaraPolzl. When Hitler was
three, the family moved from Austria to Germany. As a child, Adolf clashed frequently with his
father. Following the death of his younger brother, Edmund, in 1900, Adolf became detached
and introverted. His father did not approve of his interest in fine art rather than business. In
addition to art, Hitler showed an early interest in German nationalism, rejecting the authority of
Austro-Hungary. This nationalism would become the motivating force of Hitler‟s life.
Alois died suddenly in 1903. Two years later, Adolf‟s mother allowed her son to drop out of
school. He moved to Vienna and worked as a casual laborer and a watercolor painter. Hitler
applied to the Academy of Fine Arts twice, and was rejected both times. Out of money, he
moved into a homeless shelter, where he remained for several years. Hitler later pointed to these
years as the time when he first cultivated his anti-Semitism, though there is some debate about
this account.
At the outbreak of World War I, Hitler applied to serve in the German army. He was accepted in
August 1914, though he was still an Austrian citizen. Although he spent much of his time away
from the front lines, Hitler was present at a number of significant battles and was wounded at the
Somme. He was decorated for bravery, receiving the Iron Cross First Class and the Black Wound
Badge.
Hitler became embittered over the collapse of the war effort. The experience reinforced his
passionate German patriotism, and he was shocked by Germany's surrender in 1918. Like other
German nationalists, he believed that the German army had been betrayed by civilian leaders and
Marxists. He found the Treaty of Versailles degrading, particularly the demilitarization of the
Rhineland and the stipulation that Germany accept responsibility for starting the war.
After World War I, Hitler returned to Munich and continued to work for the military as an
intelligence officer. While monitoring the activities of the German Workers‟ Party (DAP), Hitler
adopted many of the anti-Semitic, nationalist and anti-Marxist ideas of DAP founder Anton
Drexler. Drexler invited Hitler to join the DAP, which he did in 1919.
To increase its appeal, the DAP changed its name to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP). Hitler personally designed the party banner, featuring a swastika in a
white circle on a red background. Hitler soon gained notoriety for his vitriolic speeches against
the Treaty of Versailles, rival politicians, Marxists and Jews. In 1921, Hitler replaced Drexler as
NSDAP party chairman
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