Friday, May 22, 2009
AF Blog Assignment #3
As we discuss the theme of POWER and the ABUSE OF POWER, reflect upon the role of leaders in different situations. Comment on the types of leaders that you think are most effective and why leaders may struggle with the power with which they are charged. Give specific examples, but please refrain from using names.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think that the best leader is the leader that has power for just a little while. There are of course exceptions, but power does things to people. It's human instict to stretch the boundaries and transgress the rules if given the opportunity. At first, most leaders want to please the people and usually will make descions based on the betterment of the society. After getting use to it, they become jaded and start going out of conduct. I think that there is potential in every leader to misuse their power, and I am 99% sure that everyone in their lifetime has felt the slight urge to mistreat power they are given.
ReplyDeleteThroughout history this ahs happened. I know you said not use names, but they've long been dead so I'll use their names. Cleopatra's family is a classic example of failed leadership. Each of her family members that assumed the throne had abused their power by choping innocent people's heads off, or buying luxuries when the country was in need of help. I think the biggest example of misuse would be King John of England. He misused his power so much that the Magna Carta was written to restrain him from mistreating his people.
Sorry that was a long response!:(
wow, I made some spelling mistakes.....
ReplyDeleteThe most effective leaders are the ones who genuinely listen to and care for the people they are governing and who understand the limits to their power. Even the best and most caring leaders probably struggle with abusing the power they are given. This is simply human nature. It's possible that a leader might start taking more power for "the good of the country," but power abuse is like a downward spiral and eventually the abuse happens for selfish reasons. A good way to avoid this is by the system in the US, where the Constitution limits the power of the president and other key leaders, using checks and balances to ensure that one person will not take too much control and go crazy.
ReplyDeleteOften, the best leaders are those who have a good balance between total control and pleasing the public. A very famous and important question is if it is better to be loved or feared. The answer to that is neither...and both. Throughout history, the more well-known and often refered to leaders are those who are confident, occasionally easy-going, but will always take advantage of the opportunity to get on someone rather hard. Whether they are great military generals (Patton, Lee, MacArthur, etc.), influencial politicians (Lincoln, Kennedy, Obama), or a high school assistant principal. COUGH...COUGH...no names please!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it is clear, and father time will attest to this as well, that the best leaders are those that have a balance between confidence and thickheadedness, relaxation and hard work, but above all the balance between love and hate.
P.S. Sorry about using names. I thought that my point wouldn't be as strongly made without some concrete examples.
the leaders who are the best, usually care more about their followers, or people, then they do themselves. These leaders make desicions for the greater good, and it`s not all about them. The leaders who are the worst, usually only care about themselves and they act like dictators in a way. They starve their people, and only make the desicions that will get them attention and those desicions are not always the best.
ReplyDeleteLeaders struggle with power when being charged, because they might not be used to having this power, or they are so greedy for it, that the leader doesn`t care what happens, just as long as they have that power. Many different rulers and leaders from the past to the present have had power struggles at some time during their reign, even the best of them will slip up atleast once, because they are not perfect. A good example of power being misused was Marie Antoinette. Her husband didn`t do anything, he was not social, and he did not talk to his people, she had to do all of that for him, but slowly, she was spending too much money on items that were uneccesary in a time of economy crisis during that period. She was soon executed.
sorry i wrote a lot. oops:(
ReplyDeleteThe most effective leaders are those who put the needs of others before themselves in all situations. They are strong, reliable, and trustworthy people who can always be counted on to get the job done. The most effective leader understands his duties and the limits that come with his/her power. Despite this, even a person who is a great leader at one point may start to abuse their power over time. This abuse could be for many reasons. The leader may not realize that they are abusing their power, or they may beleive that they are not crossing the line at all. The leader may even convince theirself and their followers that the abuse of power if for the good of their people. For example, let's say that the government in a country is a democracy. Their leader was elected because he/she was very fair. Over time, the leader slowly begins eliminating elections and starts making all the deicisons without the consent of the people. They convince their people that all their decisons are what is best for everyone, and of course the people beleive their leader. As the country turns into a dictatorship, the pople are still oblivous to the change until it is too late.
ReplyDeleteIn order to avoid the abuse of power in the U.S., we have the three brances of government as well as a system of checks and balances. This means that each branch checks on the others and makes sure that no one branch ever has too much power. This system is what keeps our government in line and prevents anyone from taking over.
Hahahaha I practically wrote a novel! My bad :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone has felt the temptation to miss treat power at some time or another its pretty much human to make mistakes and feel temptations like this also. I think there is no one on earth that makes a perfect leader... sure there has been good leaders in different situations, I will not name names but you got my drift. If took all those qualities and made super leader...he/she still wouldn't work because he/she is human and will make mistakes. There are some leaders better than others it just depends how one choses to use or abuse his power while under the gun of the media and under the spotlight of the public...
ReplyDeleteGood, thoughtful responses! I don't mind the names of well known figures. Those certainly help make points. I think you know that I'd like to avoid any local names or other students. Keep posting! :)
ReplyDeleteThe best leaders are those who have surrounded themselves with good people. If you have intelligent, ethical people at your call at any moment, your decisions will be thoughtful and considering of several different options. This is why the United States has a Cabinet. Not only is it necessary to have people in charge of specific departments (Agriculture, National Security, Defense), these people must work together to give the president infiormation and advice should a situation arise. This is also why the president has personal advisors, such as Chief of Staff.
ReplyDeleteA good leader must also be objective. In any situation, this leader must decide what needs to be done to achieve the best result. A good leader cannot let his/her own agenda affect the group of people he/she is in charge of. A good leader must do what is right, even if it affects what people might think of him/her, AKA politically.
Most people judge leaders by weather or not they like the choices said leader made. As said in class, different people different perceptions of right and wrong, so it is impossible to have a leader that everyone likes, unless we are talking about a leader of a very small group of very alike people. Now-a-days we chose leaders because we think they will make the choses we would, when leaders should be chosen for the ability to make those choices. After all, that is the real purpose of a leader: To make the hard choices.
ReplyDeleteAs for how much power the leader should have, I think that has a lot to depend on the situation. We wouldn't want a leader to have complete military power in a time of peace. that's just asking for trouble. But in a time of war, we couldn't have a a leader who has minimal power over the military. If everyone loves this leader it only makes sence that he should be given more power. If their choices are being questioned more power would be a bad idea. I guess my point is that there can't be a set amount of power that will work for all times and all situations.
As for abusing power. It's just human nature. we're greedy. We're hypocrites. get over it. If someone is abusing power, it becomes the followers right to stop following.
The most effective leader is one who fears his/her people. If the leader fears their people, then they must do what is in the citizen's best interest in order to stay in power.
ReplyDeleteThe role of a leader in all situetions is to lead not to enact their political agenda. There are so many people in D.C. who are not connected to their people at all. They are living it up with the people who elected them. This is the ultimated abuse of power because they are not leading. A good leader, who does not abuse their power, looks back to the founding of their country and tries to understand the the virtues that founded their country and tries to make application of those ideas, relating to the present. They need to do this because the virtues of the founding of a country tend to be the purest and most unbiased.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Shomo, I don't think a leader should be loved and feared. Insighting fear in the people is tyranny. A leader needs to unite the country, listening to the concerns of the people, and do what is right.
*situations
ReplyDeleteMatt said leaders are usually loved OR feared. I don't think he was advocating fear as a widely accepted means of ruling. But isn't fear a tactic used more often than we acknowledge? Why do people follow rules? Often, because they fear the CONSEQUENCE if they don't, be it detentions, suspensions, grounding, or more severe physical and mental punishment. It could even be just the fear of someone being disappointed or losing trust in them. I think we could list a lot of ways fear is used as one of many tools utilized by leaders--both good and bad leaders.
ReplyDeleteIf a leader is feared by his people it is tyranny. If a leader is afraid of his people, it is liberty. An absolutist leader can be very effective in an unstable society because he can set things strait. The only problem is becoming mad with power. Other more democratic forms of government are better suited for a stable situation.
ReplyDeleteI think the best type of leader is the leader that leads for a long time. If they lead for several years, people become accustomed to there ways and can't argue as much. I think a leader who shows love towards his people is more effective because what he is doing will mean more to the people he looks after and they will appreciate him more. using fear to gain power is effective but wrong. A good leader can gain leadership without using fear. Using fear is a sign of insecurity and weakness.
ReplyDeleteThe best type of leader, in my opinion, is the one who looks after his people before himself. Leaders that appreciate his people are generally appreciated back. If the leader uses fear, then he isnt being a good leader and not looking out for his people. A good leader cares about his people and want their opinions on certain situations. If the leader uses fear then he is doing what he wants to do and not what's best for his people. The leaders who use fear are greedy and only wants what's best for him. One of the major qualities of a good leader is having a good strategy to get to his people. Fear is not one of them. Good leaders make powerful speeches and has good advertisement, amd does not threaten his people. Fear shows a sign of inexpeirenced leaders.
ReplyDeleteThe best leader is a leader who is open to ideas and really cares in a personal way. It is important for a leader to listen to everyone and to be able to see things from many points of view while keeping the main goals in mind.
ReplyDeletePeople struggle with power for two main reasons one being selfishness and two being impatience. It is easy for a leader to want what is best for them and the people closest to them but it is important for them to see the larger picture. It is a mistake for a leader to be caught in a moment of impatience because impatience causes conflict when listening to people and making decisions it also causes them to make errors.
A good leader won't abandon his/her people when there is a struggle they will deal with it calmly and not be afraid to ask for help when it is necessary.
The most effective leaders are those individuals who are in it for the better of the people; not themselves. Those individuals who look out for the people; not with a people-pleasing attitude, but a desire for improvment, will end up successful and rather effective. I believe that the best leaders are not usually the most popular during their time in power, but overall make an impact in history due to their great knowledge, boldness, and contentment. These individuals; who are not in it for themselves, are truly vigorous.
ReplyDeleteUmmm, sorry, but it bugged me that Freddie spelled choices wrong. OCD I guess......
ReplyDeleteI think the best kind of leader is on that can listen to the public they rule over. This is especially true in forms of Democracy, although usually they listen for the wrong reason. Presidents today want to listen to the people and do the popular thing because they want to get re-elected in the following years. I believe that presidents(Is "presidents" supposed to be capitalized or not?)should listen to the people to help them and make them feel like they have a voice.
ReplyDeleteFor example, dictators don't listen to their people yet there is nothing the people can do about it because they have no voice in their government. This lack of opinion usually makes people angry, which may then lead to a revoulution (no specific example to Russia). The only reason why dictators became dictators is because they had no one to keep their power in check. The power went straight to their head and there was no one to suggest splitting the power amongst government leaders to prevent abuse of power.
Checks and Balances are the key in making sure rulers don't abuse power and more or less deprive rights and power to the citizens.
Wow, I didn't think I could squeeze all of that onto one internet page... :)
ReplyDeleteThe most effective leader is one who puts the needs of their people before their own. In order for a leader to be effective they have to consider what the people need, and not just what they want. All leaders struggle with power, especially when there is only one leader. Leaders might not struggle with abusing power as much if they share the position, like how Napolean couldn't really turn the farm into a dictatorship until Snowball was chased out, because he had to share power. The role of the leader in any situation is to keep the people safe, and to keep as many people happy as possible, if they tried to keep everyone happy it would be chaos.
ReplyDeleteThe most effective leaders are determined figures who use thier determination to ensure a success. For example, Adolf Hitler was determined to elimnate all those he felt were "inferior", and nearly succeeded in doing so. Yes, he used planning, weapons, and followers to expand his power, but his determination to take over was what nearly made him unstoppable. Another effective leader was Robert E. Lee. Although the South lost the Civil War, Robert E. Lee's determination is what helped the South put up a good fight. If a leader has no determination, how can he/she possibly lead?
ReplyDeleteLeaders usually abuse thier power if they are given too much of it. When both Napolean and Snowball are in charge of the farm, reasonable rules are set up and there is a general feeling of equality. But when Napolean completely takes over, the atmosphere of the farm changes. The more power Napolean is given, the more and more he wants, and the more and more he takes away from the other animals. In conclusion, leaders often abuse their power when they are given too much of it.
A good leader is a person who will take ideas from every person and make decisions based on this. Napoleon rid of this when he abolished the sunday meetings. A leader will take care of his followers. Napoleon eventually gave his animals less food then they had when humans ruled. A good leader does not ABUSE his power. Napoleon frequently changed the seven commandments to his liking. He eventually broke all the rules told by major at the beginning of the book. He became the enemy, a human.
ReplyDeleteThis is my 5th time trying to get this to work- I hope it does!! :) Sorry it's so late- internet problems.
ReplyDeleteI believe that to be an effective leader, you have to not abuse your power at all. Unfortunately, that is not very realistic. I think that when someone is given power, they are going to abuse it at least a little bit. That is just human nature. I think that anyone who has any power at all can abuse it, no matter how small or big the amount of power they are given is. I also believe that it depends on who is telling you that the person is abusing their power or not. For example, let’s use the recent levies for our schools. If our mayor or other leaders were to “make” us pass the levy, some would say that they were abusing the power that was given to them. Others might say that they did it for the good of the community and that it is their PREROGATIVE as leader of our society. :) When talking about who is abusing their power or not, it really depends on who you are talking to.
Besides not abusing their power, another way to show how effective a leader is, is by seeing how much that leader cares about the “good of the people”. If the leader cares about their “followers” then the followers will be happy. They will be happy because they will feel like they are being taken care of and they will know that their leader is doing the best they can for the people. We can only hope, as Americans, that our leaders our effective. We can make sure that our leaders do not abuse their power by making sure that they stay true to the Constitution. In the Constitution, we have checks and balances so not one of our groups of leaders can get too power crazy, like Napoleon the pig. We also have the right to vote for our President and we hope that the people of the U.S. will make the right decision in choosing whoever that may be. We hope that they will pick a leader who does not abuse power and who is caring about the citizens of America, an effective leader. :)
The best leader is loved by his people, but fears them. The power must lie in the people, being represented by the leader. A leader with oppossing views to their people is pointless and in danger of losing their power.
ReplyDeleteThe abuse of power is always a danger from a leader, but checks must be put in place to discourage it. In the even of an emergency, it is very possible for a leader to seize power, and not give it back.
I think the best leaders are those who admit their mistakes and tne fix them, and those who keep to their word; if they tell you theyre going to change something they should actually do it. I think a good checks and balance system is good too, because all too often leaders ebncome power hungry.
ReplyDeleteI think that power becomes a strugle when the Fear Vs Love tactic is abused, if you make yourself overly loved you might come off fake, but if your overly feared its also bad. Their has to be a balance. I can also see where in a situation where the leaders are elected like our president is a strugle because not only do they have to deal with the "now" but they have to handle everything the previous leader left behind.
The most affective leaders are the ones that listen to the people. When leaders listen to what people have to say. If the leaders do this they will be affective. I agree with Kat that leaders that make mistakes and admit that they are wrong are good affective leaders.
ReplyDeleteLeaders suffer with power when they have too much. There are many leaders that overabuse their power. Power can get to peoples heads. Leaders that are "power hungry" can affect the way that people think about the leader. Many history leaders over abused their power (Hitler).
The most affective leaders are the ones that put others first. They think responsibly and whats better for the majority involved in the situation. Thoes involved have to like their leader and the leader has to like being a leader. Leaders may struggle with the fact that everyone ahs a different point of veiw and most of the time not every single person is going to be happy with the descion made. They also have to be careful not get lost in the power they are given. THE END :)
ReplyDeletePaige wrote her life story. Good 4 her!
ReplyDeleteI think that Snowball was a very good leader using a more democratic approach. Napoleon was a very bad leader using a dictatorship approach. He did not care about the opinion of the other animals or their well being. He just wanted them to work. Snowball had also wanted them to work but he decided that the work could be done for both the windmill and the food. All Napoleon cared about was the windmill and not the food rations. He also killed any animal he did not like. Napoleon changed the commandments too. I do not think that this was right. Snowball would have been a much better leader.
ReplyDeleteThe more power a person or group of people have, the more they are willing to abuse it. In Democracies the ability to abuse power is very small as revolution can start immediately if the Government starts to turn on their people. In other Authoritative governments, the will to abuse is high. They control the power and don't have to answer to another, more equal, branch of Government. The Dictatorships work because the people who control the Government and enforce the rules are spoiled and take away all the wealth and prosperity of the Nation from the citizens. The nation may go awry if one person/group is given all the power so they have a great want to abuse the power in their favor.
ReplyDelete