Leadership in "Norma Rae" "Norma Rae" is a film based on a true story set in a Southern mill-town. The title character and fellow mill workers start a branch of the Textile Workers Union of America through the use of leadership. The two characters of Norma Rae and Reuben Warshofsky combine their talents to empower and lead the people of the mill from downtrodden workers to proactive union members. When Rueben first comes upon the town, he finds the managers of the mill oppressive to their workers. People have no rights. They make small wages. They work long hours. Rueben starts the revolution for the mill workers by inspiring Norma Rae through Superleadership. Norma Rae in turn empowers and motivates the mill workers to attain their …show more content…
Reuben tells Norma Rae the way things could be at the mill and she is inspired. He explains that the textile industry is the only industry not unionized. Reuben says to people at the first church meeting that things will not change, "not unless you make it happen." Reuben encourages the people to join him and share in the goal to unionize the mill. Norma Rae is the only one who accepts the challenge at first. Reuben gives Norma a voice. He teaches her how to fight for a union. She starts by signing a union card. She then wears a union button and hands out others. The woman before was pushed around and uneducated. Now she is typing documents, making copies, and cold-calling her fellow workers; all for the sake of the union. Reuben's Superleadership extends to things outside of the union. She begins to read Dylan Thomas. She allows blacks and whites to visit her home together. Norma makes her own decisions. Her priest insults her when he will not allow a bi-racial meeting and without delay, leaves the church. When her new husband is upset with her time-consuming work, she yells back at him, and he respects her for it. Norma Rae no longer allows people to push her around. Her bosses at work continually try to make her quit: they make attempts at character assassination; they work her father literally to death; through
When diagnosing Marilyn’s leadership problems, you must first take into consideration her different perspectives of being a leader, like how effective she is or not, how well she cater to the group’s needs and if she is able to adapt well to the changing style of the group. The role of the leader is important because the other group member will respond to his or her behavior and they need to be able to thrive off his or her actions. Marilyn’s personal style of leadership would be considered authoritarian transformational because she came in with goals for the group to achieve, which they ultimately but with those goals were threats. Although the group did accomplish the goals set forth for them, they were particularly fond of Marilyn due
This paper will briefly analyze the case study— Rebecca S. Halstead: Steadfast Leadership, and examine General Rebecca Halstead 's career history and how through her personal attributes, skills, experiences and challenges she developed into a successful leader and commander in the U.S. Army. Although General Halstead faced a number of challenges during her career, this paper will focus primarily on her leadership style and philosophy specifically with leading teams and dealing with difficult bosses.
The movie Norma Rae is about a southern mill worker who helps revolutionize and unionize a small town. The conditions at the southern cotton textile factory were intolerable and management was abusive. In the summer of 1978, a union organizer from New York came to this small town and approached the employees at the cotton factory to start a union. The union organizer, the mill workers and the management of the factory had very different perspectives as to the ramifications of starting a union.
When looking for an individual with very clear management styles as well as leadership skills that made a significant impact on both the United States and internationally, the first person that came to mind was Ronald Reagan. Not everyone can be both a manager with the ability to direct successfully and a leader with extraordinary proficiencies, but Reagan had the gift. It is not so hard to find a manager with leadership qualities or to find leaders with effective managerial skills. It takes a mix of the right ingredients to be prize-winning in both areas and this can be found in Ronald Reagan.
A clear concept in John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath was the way families were run. At the beginning of the twentieth century, men led the family. They made the decisions and they made the money for the family while the women worked behind the scenes and kept everything going. What the men did not realize, or did not want to recognize, was that the women were the ones who were really in control. Though they did not take credit for it, they were the ones who bought and cooked the food the men ate, bore and reared the children the men helped create, and did everything they could to make a better life for themselves and their families. This changed once the Dust Bowl struck. Soon after, women took charge of the family affairs and slid
The main character in “Shiloh” is also the feminist of the story. Norma Jean fights for her own happiness, and her individuality. Because of this she is one of the main subjects of conflict. Norma Jean and Leroy have been married for around twenty years, but the conflict comes when Leroy becomes injured and is no longer able to work. Norma Jean is seen originally as the feminine wife, but as the story progresses Norma Jean obtains more masculinity and the Leroy obtains more femininity. This shift is shown by multiple symbols and Leroy is “far from being a patriarch, he is subservient in relation to the other
Leadership has come a long way with earlier studies of trait and behavioral approaches. Since these were highly directive and non-supportive types of leaders, their main objective was to get the job done within the nine to five work day and go home. Although, this was an effective style back in the early 1900s, a lot has changed in terms of the business setting and functionality that many employees were operating back in the early 1900s. Many of the businesses back in the early 1900s consisted of factories, locally run family businesses that leaned towards a bureaucratic organizational system that suited that kind of leadership style. One of the major outcomes from this era was a lack of relationships and high standards of the work environment towards their employees. Overtime, businesses with help of extensive research till this day realized that in order to have better performance from their employees which could lead to increased profits, they must change how they operate within the organization and deal with their employees. Employees started to strive for more interpersonal style leadership behaviors and improved work settings to thrive and develop as an employee within the organization. Theories such as: LMX, Path-Goal, Transformational, Charismatic, and Servant Leadership were created to help understand and develop leaders for the benefit of their subordinates. These leadership styles are all good in their own way, yet I believe authentic leadership is ultimately
Harold S. Geneen once said, "Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions. " This quote explains that in order to be a leader, a person had to do what they say they will instead of saying what they will do but don't do it. In the novel, The Other Wes Moore, written by Wes Moore, there are two normal kids with the same names but different qualities. Neither of the two boys grew up with a father but for different reasons. The author's dad dies when he was young, and the other Wes's father abandons his family.
Prior to the 20th Century, the idea of equal rights or even something similar to equal rights was just a distant thought of a few. The drive towards equal rights was a seed waiting to be planted and once it was, the seed sprouted and became strongly rooted. We of the 21st Century are benefiting from a society established on these roots. A societal change was a result of the sacrifices of past leaders, namely a woman by the name of Alice Paul. Alice Paul was an amazing leader, possessing qualities that all aspiring leaders should try to emulate. By investigating the leadership styles Alice Paul incorporated, we can determine how she was able to influence the movement, the results of her contributions and how the leadership styles are able
Great leaders have shaped the World we live in today and they are remembered for what they were able to accomplish during their lifetime. The history books are filled with leaders that changed the very nature of something by taking a different road or challenging the way everyone perceived things. Leaders would not be able to accomplish these daring feats without the help of their followers, the individuals in the background giving them their support (Schermerhorn & Uhl-Bien, 2014). Colleen Barrett was able to break through the glass ceiling and led Southwest Airlines (SWA) to become one of the most successful airlines in the industries (Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010). In the following pages will explore Colleen Barrett’s leadership
The film which is based in the 1970’s primarily focuses on the trials and tribulations of two individuals organizing a labor union at a textile mill company located in North Carolina. Norma Rae is textile loom worker for the O. P. Henley Textile Mill and mother of three children who is opinionated about the poor working conditions, long hours and poor wages of her workplace. Her frustrations began when her mother temporarily loses her hearing at the textile mill but is not treated well by the workplace doctor. Norma Rae’s father dies while experiencing pain in his arm and requests for a break by management only to be denied at the textile mill. Norma Rae’s character is played by Sally Field whose story is based on a real life person by the name of Crystal Lee Sutton who tried to organize the J.P. Stevens textile mill.
James MacGregor Burns said it best, “Leadership is leaders inducing followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and the motivations-the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations-of both leaders and followers. And the genius of leadership lies in the manner in which leaders see and act on their own and their fellow 's values and motivations”. As one reads this statement, one naturally reflects on personal leader experiences or ones learned through academic or professional studies. Abraham Lincoln, especially during his presidency, exemplified Burns definition of a leader.
Inspired by actual events, this film is a story of the suffragette as told through the experiences of the fictional character of Maud Watts (played by Carey Mulligan). Reluctant at first, Maud commits herself to the suffrage cause when her husband throws her out of the house, she loses her job, and her only child is put up for adoption. While there are many poignant scenes in this film, one was when she told her son to remember her name and pleaded with him to look for her when he was older.
This paper outlines the leadership journey of Ronda Harlan; an Organizational Leadership student, at Colorado State University (CSU) and how the CSU Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) program helped Ronda to evaluate human behavior within organizations to understand ethical practices, effective leadership, organizational communication, and cogent decision-making principles. Ronda Harlan reflects how the master’s program at CSU aligned with her learning experience and chronicles the evolution of leadership learned, practiced and forward. Ronda Harlan demonstrates skills for effective strategy development within an organization, organizational communication, the ability to create and sustain lifelong learning to promote a cohesive culture within an organization, and analyzes integrative theories of leadership within personal and professional contexts. This paper assesses current challenges of organizational leadership in historical and current contexts, evaluates human behavior within an organization, and evaluates ethical practices and decision-making skills. Effective leaders analyze how individuals and groups interact within an organization, understand that there is not just one leadership theory that is effective for all situations, and understand the importance of developing life-long strategies that will support stakeholders and enhance organizational capacity.
There are always chances and possibilities to become a good leader regardless the odds against you, gender, age, race, education, previous experience, etc. This paper defines what leadership is and it explains the relationship between leadership and influence. It also highlights the importance of finding opportunities to develop skills and creating strong to become a good leader. It is also emphasized the power of influence that comes from motivating your team, to improve performance and satisfaction and that setting a clear goal is mandatory for good leadership. The conclusion summarizes all the topics under discussion.