Complexity in Leadership - Case Study Example

Complexity in Leadership Student Name Course Institution Date Complexity in Leadership Introduction Leadership is increasingly becoming multifaceted due to the demands associated with it. Political leadership is even more complex due to the pressure from the citizens as well the increasing challenges. A political leader has to make decisions on a daily basis for the purpose of ensuring success of a country in the case of presidents and prime ministers. It is always common for some decisions to be opposed by the people despite the aims and objectives of the decisions (Goleman, et al, 2002). It is for this reason that a leader has to have the courage to make tough decisions and be prepared to defend the decisions made. This is because of the outcome that the decision may have on a country. However, it is always difficult for a leader to make decisions that will be fully supported by everyone. It is therefore necessary for the leader to focus on the benefits of implementing the decisions as opposed to the resistance that may face the decisions made. Leadership in the political position also requires the leaders to go beyond self interest and authority in some instances. It is also so for this reason that the leaders should listen to the views of the people before making decisions. Most countries that have prospered economically had strong leaders who were courageous in terms of decision making. The maters of national security also require a tough decision to be made by the leader. This has always been an issue that may face a lot of condemnation from the members of the public as some may view the decision as oppressive. Leadership is thus complex and it requires a lot of wisdom as well as courage by the leader (Kegan, et al, 2001). The paper thus discusses the leadership complexity in relation to Lee Kaun who was the prime minister of Singapore and Howard who was the prime minister of Australia. Lee Kaun Yew Lee is among the most popular public figure in Singapore and he is regarded as the father of Singapore. This is because he greatly contributed to the development of Singapore to its current level of prosperity. He was the first prime minister of Singapore after its separation from Malaysia in 1965. During his early days, the challenges were many and he had to make tough decisions for the purpose of development. This is because the country has a lot of shortcomings in terms of natural resources and education. The tough measures that he put in place enabled the country to overcome the challenges that it was facing. Most of the critics also believed that the country would not prosper after its full independence. The country had been marked by ethnic and religious wars which had weakened the economy of the country. It was for this reason that Malaysia decided to expel Singapore. As a leader Lee was not happy with the decision as he was for the opinion of unity between the two countries. However, the decision left him with no choice other than to develop the country. He acted quickly by establishing relations with other countries. He also joined the international bodies like the United Nations and urged other countries to recognize the independence of his country. He also established diplomatic missions for the purpose of creating a good relationship with the other countries. It is through his decisions and actions that the country started experiencing growth and development (Lee, 2011). The government policies that he developed led to the reaction of the people in different ways. This is despite his goals of developing the country. Since the country had to form a strong security force, he developed a policy that required all the men who were above eighteen years to join the National service. Some became policemen while others became soldiers. However this decision was tough to make and it received some critics as some of the youth had other activities they wanted to pursue. However the decision was implemented and it resulted to the betterment of the country in terms of security. It is also for this reason that the country is regardless as the safest in the world. The policy of corporal punishment was also adopted by the country. Lee personally supported this form of punishment despite the condemnation from some members of the public (Mauzy, et al, 2002). Other countries were also in condemnation of the practice. This therefore attracted controversy in his leadership. However, he did not back down and even went ahead and endorsed the use of the corporal punishment in the armed forces. He argued that this form of punishment was for the purpose of instilling discipline. However, he exempted this form of punishment for girls in schools. This form of punishment has played an important role in terms of instilling discipline in the society. It is thus evident that a leader has to make tough decisions for the common good of a country despite the opposition that the decision may generate. The economic polices that Lee developed attracted praise as well as controversy. He formed a body that dealt with the corruption issues. This is because he believed that corruption was an enemy of development. He also increased the salaries of the ministers as he thought that this was a method of retaining them as well as ensuring that they remain honest and hence eliminating corruption. However, his decision to increase the salaries of the ministers and top civil servants attracted controversy. This is because some of the people thought that it was not good for the economy. However he stood by his decisions and it was implemented. The country was however burdened by the decision and he had to initiate another decision. The people were required to have two children. Families with more than two children received few benefits from the government. This was a measure to relieve the economy of the burden that it was facing. This decision also attracted controversy and it led to some opposition. The issue became worse as the people were to be sterilized after they had two children. Some of the religious organizations were against the move. However it was implemented for the common good of the economy. Due to the emphasis in education, more women became graduates and this also led to a social crisis. Most of the graduate women were not married. Lee noted the problem and encouraged men to marry graduate women in return for incentives. This decision was condemned by women and considered it as provocative. However, the incentives were given to the men who married the graduate women. It is thus evident that a leader has to go beyond authority and power in order to address all the problems facing the people (Jacobson, 2010). Some decisions and policies made by the leaders may cause a lot of debate as well as opposition by the people. However, the decisions have to be implemented for the common good. This is because some of the controversial decisions may be unfair but it leaders to a positive outcome to the people. One of the issues that have been attracting controversy in the social lives of the people is the issue of the gays and lesbians in Singapore. Lee noted that the issues were controversial and it was against the law. However as a leader he also noted that the issues had more implications in the social lives of the people. He therefore took a stand to relax the laws regarding the issue. This is after he had consulted the experts about the issue and discovered that it has more of genetics as opposed to choice. The stand attracted controversy among the people who do not accept such behaviors in the society. A leader in the modern world has to understand the reasons as to why some of the issues are going on before making a decision. Some of the policies of Lee were however condemned by the civil society as they considered it unjust. At one point, his government advised a Christian organization to stop publishing some religious articles. This decision was seen as oppressive but it was for the purpose of easing tension among the people due to the religious issues. Lee is however considered as a successful leader due to his leadership stand as well as the policies he developed (Koh, 2011). A leader is considered successful depending on the policies and actions taken in times of crisis. John Howard Howard is one of the prime ministers known for his tough stand as a leader when making decisions. He was able to win the support of the people through his decisions and flexibility in terms of the leadership. Most of his policies were based on the needs of the people. However, some of his decisions were made regardless of the opinions of the people. The gun control policy that he supported brought a lot of controversy. This is because most of the people in the rural areas did not support the policies. However, he personally supported the policy although he risked losing the support of the people. This is because he felt that the gun control policy was important for the common god of the society. He also believed that the policy would avert deaths as a massacre had earlier been witnessed. A leader therefore has to take a stand regarding tough issues and ends up risking popularity among the people. However, Howard was also careful in his policies and decisions. This was an act of balance to ensure that he does not loose the total support of the people and hence risking loosing the leadership position. In some instances, he consulted the other leaders before making decisions. This was done with regard to the decisions that could affect the people. A leader has to consult with the subjects as well as the other leaders for the purpose of proper decision making (Summers, 2003). Howard was always tough when it came to the maters of the national security. He developed policies regarding the boat people which was controversial to a section of the citizens. Some of the people did not agree with his policies but he ensured that the policies were implemented for the purpose of national security. His government was also condemned by the civil society as most of the people claimed that the policies were against the international human rights. To some extent, the policies and laws were oppressive and against the human rights. However, he argued that the mater of national security cannot be debated (Megalogenis, 2007). The international community as well as the international bodies like the United Nations also raised concerns regarding the policies. The policy led to a positive outcome in terms of reducing the number of the boat people. This was an indication that his policies were for the purpose of reducing the arrivals of the boat people as a measure of national security. It is thus evident that a leader should be strong in terms of supporting the policies that are meant to protect the people despite the criticism from the people. The leadership roles are thus complex am dot may result to conflicts with the international leaders who may not be in agreement with certain policies. It is also important for the leader to ensure that the policies do not create tension among the people. The laws and regulations may be impacted negatively in the course of decision making by the leaders and hence the complexity of leadership. Howard also attracted controversies over some of his decisions. However, most of the decisions made were for the purpose of improving the economy as well as boosting the national security. Some of the decisions that were controversial were also for the purpose of boosting international relations. His decisions to deploy Australian troops for the peace keeping mission in East Timor resulted to controversies. Some of the people did not approve the decision as it led to a poor relationship with Indonesia. However, the decision was for the common good. Leaders will always attract controversies at one point or another due to their decisions. A leader is thus supposed to be tough when making decisions due to the consequences that it may have on the country or the citizens. It therefore the responsibility of the leader to ensure that measures are pout in place to ensure that the controversy is controlled. On the other hand, a leader may at times be forced to go against the opinions of the local people and fellow citizens during the decision making process. The complexity of leadership is thus propelled by the nature of decisions that a leader has to make in certain times (Kelly, 2011). Leadership is also complex as the decisions that are required may attract problems for the country. The lives of the citizens of a country may also be endangered by the decisions of the leader. This may lead to the leader being blamed by the citizens. Howard made a bold decision by sending troops to Afghanistan in support of the war on terror that was led by the United States. This resulted to the loss of lives of several soldiers but the decision was for the common good (Bellamy, 2007). Australia has also been faced by terrorist attack in the recent past. The economic policies that were initiated by Howard were also successful although some of the policies attracted controversies. The common good of the policies are however the important factor. Howard was also flexible and he ensured that he gained the support of the people even after making a controversial decision. A leader should also ensure that the decisions made are implemented fully incase the outcome will be fruitful. Howard finally lost the elections due to some of his policies that impacted negatively on his popularity. It is this evident that the decisions made by leaders may result to their downfall. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that leadership is quite intricate. This is due to the demand that it has on the leaders. The policies of the leaders may affect the lives of the citizens. The policies of Lee directly affected the lives of the people. It is evident that a leader has to make decisions regarding the social lives of the people. This is an indication of how complex leadership is as it forces the leaders to address all the issues affecting the people. A leader also has to be tolerant due to the opposition that the decisions made generate. It is for this reason that Howard was able to make tough decisions. Howard was also able to make tough decisions due to the courage that he had and the vision for the common good of the country. Leadership is thus complex and it requires a lot of commitments by the leaders in order to succeed. Wrong decisions may however lead to the fall of the leader. Reference List Goleman, D, et al, 2002, Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Kegan, R, et al, 2001, How the way we talk can change the way we work: Seven languages for transformation, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Barr, M, 2000, Lee Kuan Yew: The Beliefs Behind the Man, Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press. Lee, K, 2011, Yew Hard truths to keep Singapore going, Straits Times Press.  Mauzy, D, et al, 2002, Singapore Politics Under the People's Action Party, London & New York: Routledge. Jacobson, M, 2010, “The Singapore Solution". National Geographic Magazine. Koh, B, 2011, Brand Singapore: How Nation Branding Built Asia's Leading Global City. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Summers, A, 2003, "The sad times do suit him; he made them", Sydney Morning Herald.  Megalogenis, G, 2007, "Asian influence spices up contest", The Australian. Kelly, P, 2011, "Big Bang Liberalism". The March of Patriots: The Struggle for Modern Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne Univ. Publishing. p. 45 Wear, R, 2001, "Australian Political Chronicle: January–June 2001", Australian Journal of Politics and History 47 (4): 531–536. Bellamy, A, 2007, Dirty Hands and Lesser Evils in the War on Terror’, British Journal of Politics & International Relations, vol. 9.  Read More