Ariel Murphy Ms.

Benjamin AP English, P3 3/26/13 Authoritarian Leadership: A Balance Between Success and Happiness Sara Jane Smith was in charge of three group projects in school. In the first project, she ruled with an iron fist. She created harsh deadlines and strict punishments, such as immediately going to the teacher, for anyone who didnt follow her deadlines. In the second project, she set reasonable deadlines and created a warning system for the group if they were unresponsive. In the last project, she gave no deadlines along the way and expected everything to be sent to her at eight oclock the night before it was due. In this project she never created a system of rules, and she expected to do any lost work herself. For each project for which Sara was responsible, she utilized a different leadership system. As Sara showed, there are three main types of leadership: dictatorial, authoritative, and collaborative. In her life, as well as in Macbeth, by William Shakespeare; The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli; and Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes, authoritative leadership is more effective than either dictatorial or collaborative leadership because it leads to success and the continued control of power. The proud hallmark of a good leader is success at anything he or she tries to accomplish. In eighth grade, I was part of a group project in Social Studies class. We decided to work collaboratively, though I was assigned to be the leader by Mr. Tremblay. The day before the big project was due, only two of four of us had completed our work. My leadership style of working as a group of entire equals led to a failing grade on a project. I failed as a leader in this case because my group was not successful. In the next group project, Mr. Tremblay did not ask me to be a group leader because I had failed, and he no longer thought of me as a leader. The best way to lead is like Macbeth at the beginning of his play: a successful leader of armies. The Captain

spoke of his victories in a positive way; he proclaims brave Macbeth unseamed Macdonwald, a traitor, and fixed his head upon our battlements. (1.2.16-23) Macbeth is fighting the strong armies of a traitor and rallies his forces until he could overtake them, never letting the group sit around and make decisions. His power came from his authoritarian leadership style. Macbeths men clearly have great respect for him, as thick as tale came post with post, and everyone did bear their praises in his kingdoms great defense, and poured them down before him. (1.3.97-100) Macbeths experience effectively refutes Machiavellis explanation of how to be an effective army leader by disregarding the reputation of cruelty, for without it he would never hold his army united or disposed to its duties. (Machiavelli paragraph 2) Macbeths men sang his praises to the kingso much that the king was rendered speechless without Macbeth leading through cruelty. Yet Machiavelli also said that a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred. (Machiavelli paragraph 2) In inspiring hatred in his followers, a leader invites them to boot him from the throne, or to help those who wish to do that. During Arab Spring, Egyptian people overthrew Hosni Mubarak, a military leader who ruled Egypt for thirty years. Mubarak accomplished a lot of good things: peace talks with Israel and the growth of the Egyptian economy, at least on paper. But Mubaraks human rights violations and lack of concern for the common man, his cruelty, ended up being his downfall. Though Egypt had a democracy on paper, Mubarak broke the system. Hobbes believes that a democracy is a covenant of every man with every man, as if every man should say to every man, I authorize and give up my right of governing myself to this Man, on the condition that you give up your right to him, and authorize all his actions in like manner. (Hobbes paragraph 2) Mubarak stopped asking the common men if he should still be leader, leading them to overthrow him because his government no longer served the interest of the people. As Macbeth becomes

too dictatorial, those he command move only in command, nothing in love. His too severe rule makes his title hang loose about him, like a giants robe upon a dwarfish thief, easily swept out from under him by Macduff. (5.2.19-22) Macbeths dictatorship and cruelty leave him title-less, disrespected and dead. . In Sarah Jane Smiths first project, she made her group mates fear her, but also resent and hate her. In the second project, she set up reparations for laziness, but she was also fair and reasonable. In the third project, she trusted her group mates so much that she prepared herself to take on any work they didnt do. In life, a good leader is effective in whatever he or she tries to accomplish. A dictatorial leader only creates anger in his followers, who are then more likely to abandon him or rebel against him. Abandonment and treason dont accomplish anything. Often times, an overly collaborative leader will never accomplish anything because followers have no incentive to do what their leader asks. Authoritarian leadership strikes the right balance between the two, creating success without resentment.