Immediate Issues
In most cases, self-interest
surfaces when an individual is in the pursuit of an ideal objective. When on
the path toward a particular vision, it is reasonable to desire to gain
personal utility. However, when the function of a person’s mission becomes
condemning to the purposes of other individuals, significant reevaluation
should be considered. Adolf Hitler (Fuhrer) became an extremist in his vision
to create an elite society of men and women who received direction under an
aristocratic dictator.
Associated Issues
The costs in order to fulfill a vision should be things such as time,
talent, and often monetary and other tactical supplementation. The Fuhrer’s
Volk movement came at such a cost that led a man to elevate himself to a
seemingly God-like stature when compared to those who followed his leadership.
More importantly, as they moved closer to the objective of having an Aryan
race, the cost became a people who were massacred by the millions.
Issues Analysis
Vision of the Fuhrer
The Fuhrer strongly believed that Germany, and others who consented,
would become the most elite society to be known in history. In fact, he
believed that every tactic executed toward the elite society was history in the
making. Fuhrer demonstrated his conversion in how quickly the strategy was
implemented. In fact, just two years (1935) after having been granted the
Enabling Act, The German legal system was reorganized for supplementary power
to the Nazi regime, concentration camps were established for thousands of the
regime’s opponents, The German labor movement was dissolved, and civil rights
were withdrawn from the Jews. The eventual outcome of the vision constructed for
humanity was unrealistic and egocentric. What the Fuhrer was striving to
achieve went against any organic process that human beings are designed to
fulfill. People should not have to live in a constant state of fear and
inequality no matter how different their background.
If the Volk would have become a reality, society would not live in
reality. A healthy society does not consist of moving a nation forward only to
build a leaders reputation. Instead, communities are organized in a manner that
allows individuals to become empowered, as individuals, to act according to the
God-given gifts and talents they were born to use. Additionally, as a person
discovers various attributes being distilled upon their natures, a distinct
realization may develop that motivates this person to utilize their abilities
for the benefit of the society. Fuhrer’s desires were rooted upon a personal
history deprived of experience lifting people within his circle of influence
rather than only lifting his own mission to get gain. In addition to being a
subscriber to many of Charles Darwin’s beliefs about survival of the fittest—a considerable
amount of Fuhrers motive-for-action may have been largely obtained due to
economic circumstances and the perceived need to out-survive others competing
with seemingly unfair conditions.
Economic Conditions
The German society cried for a
savior to rescue them in and from the series of disheartening events that had
showered upon them. With little financial security in the economy came little
self-esteem in the people. Germany was in a severely venerable state. Fuhrer
had a gift of being able to sense the mood of an environment and upon doing so
witness opportunity to stage a power he had been harboring since his
adolescence.
Rise of Power
It has been said that “[Fehrer]
was a man without roots, with neither home nor family; a man who admitted no loyalties,
was bound by no traditions, and felt respect neither for God nor man.” This is
a person who had lived a life insecurity and low self-esteem; someone who most
likely felt a sense of value only when another’s value was being mocked and
censored. Analysts have said that
throughout his career “Hitler showed himself prepared to seize any advantage
that was to be gained by lying, cunning, treachery, and unscrupulousness.” Fehrer’s
rise of power stemmed from a desire that may have been viewed being deeper than
love—respect.
Fehrer’s rise in power may be identified as being
most recognized in 1933, when Fehrer recognized that his political influence on
the masses had graduated from what started as his Mein Kapf memoir written in
prison, to a three-fold active platform toward anti-Semitism, anti-Bolshevism,
and pan-Germanism. Building the master Aryan race was becoming a reality. A
distinct contrast may be considered when evaluating the influence of Fehrer at
this moment in his life.
Although Fehrer may have considered himself to be
one of the greatest leaders the world had ever encountered; whether or not a
being leader denotes that masses must be moved is arguable. It is true that
masses may move due to an inherent need to satisfy insecurity or because they
fear life consequences may result if they do not move. However, if a person
arrives in a position of authority and guides the masses in a manner that does
not lift and inspire, then a leader is not a leader but only a guide.
Leadership is a persuasive power that helps people
register their potential to succeed. Indeed Fuhrer brought the renewal of full
employment to Germans, and due to the deflation of the Versailles settlement German
national self-esteem was restored, his leadership was not being activated. To
have leadership is to have followers who want to become like you—who are
constantly seeking to be close to the leader. When the leader is not around,
people are actively striving to emulate and move the leaders cause forward,
because by doing so they know they will develop more gifts, talents, and
abilities that will stimulate their life’s enjoyment.
Unfortunately, those who followed Fehrer did so primarily
because they feared what would happen if they did not. These were not people
who talked highly of him and sought to emulate his admirable characteristics when
he was not around; but instead, these were people who mocked and challenged Fuhrer.
Though he was extremely charismatic and brilliant in being able to discover astoundingly
simple solutions for challenges which appeared as being unsolvable, Fehrer’s
intentions were that of stimulating his own self-interest of becoming more
powerful. This rooted desire for power was masked by the Volk movement.
Effective Leadership
Fuhrer’s most effective quality in motivating German citizens was the
mastery of his communicative abilities. Otto Strasser said that his
extraordinary power as a speaker is attributed to his ability to “diagnose the
ills from which his audience is suffering.” Fuhrer said that words are devises
for manipulating emotion. He talked of how essential oratory skills were in
penetrating the hearts of the hearers. This skill used to almost magnetize his
audiences toward his various tactics in pursuit of Volk. Though the message of
the Volk was artificially delivered into the hearts of the German people, this
is not effective leadership. Audiences of Fuhrer were led based on the emotion
of the words and not their context for personal power.
A modern example of effective leadership is in the late Sam Walton
(Walton). There was nothing forceful or selfish about how he lead his team at
Wal-Mart. Though he might not have had the oratory gifts of Fuhrer—when he
spoke it was often to an individual or to employees at one of hundreds of
Wal-Mart stores. Walton’s leadership was effective because the people knew he
cared about what they were becoming. Walton mentioned often that he was
grooming his team members to become merchants. In addition to Walton’s personal
appearances to hundreds of his stores within a year, information about the company’s
direction was always available for employees to further their understanding of
the vision of Wal-Mart.
In contrast, Fuhrer was secretive in how information flowed to his constituents.
His personal approach was to only reveal a little information, on a
need-to-know basis, in order to stimulate action for the next strategy tactic.
Also, instead of being among the people, Fuhrer lived in a secluded area in the
Bavarian mountains. Effective leadership was not so much about what the people
were becoming, but how the image of Volk was being portrayed and implemented. If
leadership like Walton would have been actively applied to the followers of
Volk, they would have known in their hearts that their actions were for a
greater good. This goodness would have been seen in the eyes of Fuhrer as it
was in Walton’s smile. Instead, Fuhrer’s influential demeanor and moral virtue
only made the hearts of his closest allies sink into their boots with
fear.
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