Assessment Of Strategic Leadership: Mother Theresa And Mahatma Gandhi

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Assessment of Strategic Leaders

Two Leaders Strategic leaders are admired for being identified as strategic, which “requires developing careful plans of action based on the available resources and personnel to achieve a goal” (Northouse, 2008, p. 77). Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi are considered strategic leaders. Mother Teresa demonstrated concepts of strategic leadership when she was able to get thousands of people to want to work with the poor. Mahatma Gandhi, on the other hand, understood the strategic importance of concentrating Indian energy into a focus of non-violence, non-cooperation and self-sustenance.

Identified Commonalities

Personality
Mother Teresa was always her own person, startlingly independent, obedient, yet …show more content…

She had an immense appreciation for others ' perspectives and preferred one-on-one conversations that provide opportunities to carefully listen and reflect before responding. Mother Teresa communicated personal experiences to make a point and focused on concepts that reflected her personal values spiritual beliefs (Livemore, 2008). Gandhi took a similar approach to communicating with this followers by using social protest to communicate his beliefs concerning injustice and independence in a number of ways. Gandhi would call for a day of ‘prayer and fasting’ for all Indians (Force, 2011). Essentially, this acted as a political strike, closing down all transportation and communication throughout the country. These protests resulted in an agreement between landowners and the government to give farmers control over what they grew, and fair compensation for their labor (Froce, …show more content…

Many people were nourished by the faith, compassion and commitment of Mother Teresa. Volunteers seemed to have been waiting for her example to open their own floodgates of charity and compassion. In addition to her leadership she was known for her “humanitarian work and efforts for peace, Mother Teresa has been recognized with many awards, including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971), the Nehru Prize (1972), the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom (1985), and the Congressional Gold Medal (1994)” (Northouse, 2008, p. 16). Mahatma Gandhi was a prominent political leader of India and its struggle for independence from the British Empire. He was the pioneer and perfectionist of Satyagraha - the resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience strongly founded upon ahimsa (total non-violence) which led India to independence, and has inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world (Force, 2011). Throughout his life, Gandhi remained committed to non-violence and truth even in the most extreme

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