What would you have done if you had lived in either South Africa or Uganda when these leaders were coming to power?

This week we are looking at Barbara Kellerman’s theory of “the leadership system.” Before beginning work on this discussion, read the Concepts of Leadership
(Links to an external site.)
(n.d.) as well as the two Kellerman articles, “Required Reading” (2001) and “Barbara Kellerman Wants Business to Pay Closer Attention to Leadership Failures” (2004). Kellerman argues that leadership always operates within a system in which leaders, followers, and their context are all equally important for success. In this discussion, we will examine two specific case studies of African leaders: Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Idi Amin of Uganda. Both of these leaders rose to power during the period when Africa was gaining its independence from European rule, but they responded to their situation in very different ways.
For this discussion, use Kellerman’s theory to compare Mandela’s rise to power with Amin’s. Be sure to consider all aspects of the leadership system.
How were their personal motivations as leaders similar and different?
Who were their followers and how were their followers’ behavior similar and different?
How were their contexts similar and different?
You will compare Mandela and Amin together as a class. After you feel like you have a good understanding of the two leaders, begin to evaluate them. For example, you might consider such questions such as, is Mandela’s or Amin’s path to power more common in the world today? What would you have done if you had lived in either South Africa or Uganda when these leaders were coming to power? Could a leader like Amin or Mandela ever come to power in the United States today? What sort of long-term effects did these leaders have on the world?
Post in the discussion on at least three separate days by Day 7; your total word count for your posts should be a minimum of 800 words. There is no required word count for individual posts as long as your combined posts total at least 800 words.
Guided Response: The goal of this discussion forum is to have a single conversation about the topic, not a series of 30 separate conversations. This means that every post should be in response to another post. In other words, not every student will directly answer the question in the original discussion prompt; most students will address issues raised by other students. Only start a new thread if you want to address a whole different theme within the topic, and only post after carefully reading what others have written. Do not repeat what your classmates have already said, and respond to any questions you are asked. Try to keep the conversation moving forward.
The purpose of the conversation is to help each other reach a better understanding of the issues. To that end, you should respectfully critique your classmates’ reasoning. Identify and challenge their assumptions, question their reasoning, and push them to the next level. Push yourself, too. Use this as a forum to help you better understand the weeks’ material. Do not be afraid to ask questions in the discussion! Take charge of your learning.

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