“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.”

Adolf Hitler(1889-1945)

Leader I would love to hate

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was the Supreme Chancellor of Nazi Party (1933-1945) and the leader of National Socialist German Worker Party. He was also well-known for triggering The Second World War and creating fascist dictatorship which had caused about 62 million deaths (1939- 1945), (Stokes, 2008).

Synopsis of his life.. 1889: Born in Braunau am Inn, Austria

In 1894, his family moved to Leonding, Austria. Adolf took admission in school in nearby Fischlham in Austia.

He left school at 16, to become a painter. He went to Vienna.

While living in Vienna, Hitler struggled as a painter after having been rejected twice by the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna during 1907-1908.

1914: Serves in World War I as a runner for the 16th Bavarian Reserve Regiment

1919: Appointed aVerbindungsmann (police spy) of the Reichswehr and meets Dietrich Eckart who teaches him how to dress and speak influentially

1924: Sent to prison for a failed coup d'etat, writes Mein Kampf

1929: Meets his lifelong mistress Eva Braun

1932: Granted German Citizenship

1933: Becomes Chancellor of the Nazi Party

1935: Violates the Treaty of Versailles by building a massive military force

1936: An Axis is declared between Germany and Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria join later

1939: Orders the Nazi Party to begin carrying out the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" or The Holocaust

1941: Breaks the non-aggression pact with Stalin and invades the Soviet Union

1941: Declares war against the United States

1943: Becomes increasingly erratic after being defeated at the Battle of Stalingrad

1944: Celebrates his 56th birthday in a bunker below the Reich Chancellery

1945: Commits suicide by shooting himself and biting into a cyanide capsule

What makes him a leader

Defining leadership…

The activity of leading a group of people or an organization or the ability to do this.

Leadership involves (1) establishing a clear vision,(2) sharing that vision with others so that they will follow willingly,(3) providing the information, knowledge and methods to realize that vision, and (4) coordinating and balancing the conflicting interests of all members and stakeholders.

A leader steps up in times of crisis, and is able to think and act creatively in difficult situations. Unlike management, leadership cannot be taught, although it may be learned and enhanced through coaching or mentoring.

There are many definitions of leadership that highlight its different aspects.

John Maxwell, author of “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” defines leadership as “influence, nothing more, nothing less”.

He goes on to say: “He who thinks he leads but has no-one following him, is simply taking a walk.”

This is a functional definition of leadership, one that basically says that a leader is someone who has followers.

Influential

Hitler was influential because he used nationalism as a tool for igniting the interests of people to follow in his cause. like Napoleon he was power driven. influentiality has to do with the behaviours of people one can manipulate either by sanction or charisma and Hitler was a man skilled with the sword as well as words. he was influential because he had a big vision and people need big visions to be motivated so he motivated people.

Confident

He had a lot of confidence thinking that he could achieve his goals. Although in the end his confidencee was overturned, he did have it which is a good characteristic of a leader.

Goal Setter

He set goals for himself and the Nazis. Even though some of these were very far fetched, he did set them and that is a positive characteristic of a leader.

JudgementalHe believed all who weren’t Aryan were not needed. Not even knowing people he based his thoughts on looks and heritage.

Powerful

People listened to him. Not many people went against him because they were afraid that something would happen to them or their families.

Demanding

He wanted what he wanted and wasn’t going to change his beliefs for anything or anyone. He thought that he had all the power in the world and that’s what he was trying to gain.

Leadership lessons from Adolf Hitler

Public Speaking

Hitler was a captivating public speaker. He would enrapture crowds with his vision and sense of purpose of the nation.

Public speaking is one of the essential skills of a leader. Whether you are able to have followers will really depend on your ability to rally them through inspiration and a hope for a future vision.

You should take time to invest in your ability to speak publicly. Like it or not, public speaking is one of the most common traits of the top leaders in the world and if you can do it well, it will serve you and your team really well.

Understanding human nature

Adolf Hitler understood human nature very well. He knew how to use human nature to his personal gain and with that knowledge, he rallied the whole nation behind him.

You have to understand the thoughts, inclinations of human nature well if you are to be an effective leader as well. This often means a high level of EQ. Much of human nature can be easily be seen in yourself; especially in your weakness to temptation or any base inclination.

A good leader understands what he is dealing with in other people because he sees it in himself.

From that perspective and understanding, you’re able to lead your followers so much better.

Constant Influence Adolf Hitler successfully used propaganda to bring the whole nation

under his will. Through the constant use of media and communications, he managed to cause a whole nation to think alike to serve his cause.

There’s a lesson for us leaders to be learnt here. People become what they are constantly being exposed to. If you constantly read, watch and listen to positive messages, you’ll naturally become positive. And it works vice versa as well.

We’d like to think that we are thinking independently of our environment, but the truth is that most of us think, act and believe in a certain way because of our environment.

What is the underlying message you portray to your team each day? Are you sending positive messages of inspiration and hope, or negative messages of anger and frustration?

Analysing his leadership Style…

What was his leadership style?

Charismatic

Autocratic Visionary

Transactional

Transformational Situational

Charismatic Leadership

This type of leadership mainly relies on personality and charm. Even if one does not have a natural charm, they can still learn effective ways in which to lead a group using motivation and high morales. These types of leaders are very good at engaging others and making them feel that they are an effective and valuable team member.

The most famous negative charismatic leader would be Adolph Hitler. He was able to make an entire country bow to their knees and believe the notions and ideas he had come up with about their German race being higher and more superior than others, especially  those of the Jewish faith. People were mesmerized by his speeches and how he commanded an audience. (Charismatic Leadership)

Thank You!