Transformational leadership is a relatively new theory that involves charisma and the ability to inspire and empower people, especially through troubled times (Northouse, 2016, p.161). Whether you know much about the Cuban Missle Crisis or not, you can assume by the name that the situation applies to a troubled time in our countries past. October, 1962 rings through history as a pivotal moment in preventing world war III (Office of the Historian,1961-1968). During that time John F. Kennedy was our President and thus responsible for the quality of leadership through that time.
During the cold war era, the Soviet Union began building a military presence in Cuba (Office of the Historian,1961-1968). John F Kennedy received ariel view photos of a missile launch site being developed by the Soviet’s, making this a very real threat (Office of the Historian,1961-1968). During a crisis like this, unity and coming together is essential. Kennedy was able to bring the people together, through strength, in a way that emphasized his values for the greater good of everyone, which is a big component of transformational leadership (Northouse,2016, p.167). Using the four factors of transformational leadership John F Kennedy was able to successfully guide our nation through that dark time.
Being a consistently strong role model, and having high morals and ethics is part of achieving the first factor within transformational leadership, idealized influence (Northouse 2016, p.167). Kennedy exhibited this type of influence during the crisis by never losing sight of his goal, which was finding a peaceful resolution, even allowing Khrushchev more time to consider any offers he was trying to extend (History Editors, 2009). In his address to the nation he reinforced our values in maintaining patientce during times like those, and by reminding the American people that they are strong and can push through hard times. “Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindictation of right; not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom” (Kennedy, John F., 1962). By making that address to the public he inspired the nation to come together and demonstrated the second factor in transformation leadership, inspirational motivation (Northouse,2016, p.169). The third factor of this leadership model is intellectual stimulation which stimulates and challenges followers to problem solve more effectively. Kennedy addresses the captive people in Cuba directly to encourage them that a brighter future will come, and not to give up on their dreams of freedom (Kennedy, John F., 1962). Even though the Cubans were not his direct followers he did call them a “friend” of ours and so I believe this does constituate as a moment of intellectual stimulation.The last of the four factors is individualized consideration. Individualized consideration is when a leader can listen to the needs of the people and provide the individual support that they may need, guiding them through any obstacles (Northouse, 2016, p.169). During the time of the crisis Kennedy called upon all of his advisors and carefully listened to each of them, considering each outcome and risk, ultimately listening to the american people and pursuing the least aggressive option he had by “quarentining” Cuba (Office of the Historian, 1961-1968).
The outcome of transformational leadership will usually go beyond what we expect, and increase the effectiveness of the leader (Northouse, 2016, p.169). The Cuban Missile Crisis was a very serious and worriesome time for many people around the world. Being on the edge of another world war. Yet through dedication, strong morals and understanding, Kennedy was able to literally and figuratively dismantle that threat by convincing the Soviets to withdraw their missiles and stop the imminent threat of world war three (Office of the Historian, 1961-1968). His actions and decisions allowed him to achieve a high level of transformation leadership that spread throughout the world, shining a light on his strength as our leader.
References:
-History.com Editors. (2009). JFK’s address on Cuban Missile Crisis s hocks the nation. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cuban-missile-crisis
-Kennedy, John F. (1962). Cuban Missile Crisis Address to the Nation. American Rhetoric. Retrieved from https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkcubanmissilecrisis.html :
-Northouse, Peter.(2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. (7th Edition). Thousands Oaks. CA:Sage Publications.
-Office of the Historian (1961-1968). The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962. United States Department of State. Retrieved from: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis
I do not know that much about the Cuban missile crisis or John F. Kennedy, but I do understand he is viewed as being among some of the best presidents the United States has had. I am familiar with President Kennedy and his more popular works, to a point, but it is always good to be refreshed so it was nice that you included a lot of information about him and the situation.
With the approach of leadership you mentioned, transforming others is the primary goal. This could be transformation to achieve more than the standard, or transformation of productivity, or maybe transformation of self, from bad to good. There are many facets to transformational leadership and this style can influence a lot of different outcomes. It deals with values, emotions, ethics, and long-term goals while also assessing motives of the followers and dealing with them accordingly in order to achieve long-term success (Northouse, 2016).
From your telling of the situation it would seem that President Kennedy was quite a transformative leader. Transformational leadership also goes hand in hand with charismatic leadership. This is where the leader acts in ways such as having a strong desire to influence, being self-confident, and knowing and standing by their values (Northouse, 2016). As I was reading this, I thought President Kennedy seemed even more charismatic than transformative, but not by much. In reading on I saw that our text actually mentions JFK as a charismatic leader. His classic quote of asking not what your country can do for you, has been seen by many as demonstrating charismatic leadership because it focused on task-relevant motives such as power and esteem (Northouse, 2016).
Charismatic leaders also demonstrate certain behaviors such as being steadfast role-models of the values and beliefs they are trying to instill within their followers (Northouse, 2016). This means that they practice what they preach and JFK certainly seemed to model this behavior especially when dealing with the Cuban missile crisis, from what I deduced from your post. One example is when you mentioned how he never lost sight of the ultimate goal of a peaceful resolution while reminding Americans of the value of patience while still remaining strong. These all seemed to be values and behaviors he believed in, and he wanted the American public to join with him in these moral goals. He backed up his words with behaviors that reinforced these beliefs and ultimately led America through the incident to achieve the goal he set out to meet.
Leaders who are charismatic also openly communicate high expectations for their followers while also demonstrating a lot of trust that the followers can and will achieve these expectations (Northouse, 2016). The goal here is to raise the followers up and motivate them while increasing their competence and self-efficacy (Northouse, 2016). I believe JFK also did this through his various speeches where he expected followers, or friends as you put it with the Cuban people, to stay strong and be patient. He communicated his expectations and did not show any fear that those followers would not be able to handle the situation, or that they would waiver and collapse. In the end I am sure those who stood by his expectations did have a raise of self-confidence when they saw that reached they end of the crisis.
That was a very interesting and informative blog post and I believe a good breakdown of JFK and how he could be viewed as a transformative leader as well as a charismatic one.
Reference:
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781483317540/