For this leadership report, we have chosen the movie Deceased Poets Society ». This movie was honored for the best situation in 1989 and was a great international success. We've picked this movie for different reasons that people will explain below.
First, some people of the work group were young adults when the movie premiered. In those days, in some way, they discovered themselves to the personas of the movie who are also young adults. "Carpe Diem" had become a very popular notion in French schools because teenagers were concerned by the vision of life provided in the movie. The youngest people in our work group saw the movie for the very first time a few years previously and were also impressed by the originality of the situation.
Moreover, we think that this movie protects many control aspects: each main identity has his own kind of authority and there are interesting connections and influences between the characters to discuss. For us, this movie has been such as a "leadership lab" where you can continue to study from.
We wish to point out that we have analysed leadership in this movie taking into account that the story occurs in 1959, that is to say at the same time when educational criteria were not the same as today's. In this respect, the behaviours of the men and women like Mr Nolan (Director of the School) and Mr Perry (student's dad) sometimes may have seemed to us abusive, but in those days it was probably more common than today.
The Dead Poets Society » can be summarised as follow:
In 1959, John Keating, an unconventional English literature educator, has newly attained Welton Academy. This university is known for its prestigious coaching but also, and not minimal, its harsh and strict education.
For the students, Mr Keating will be much more than a tutor: he'll be their guide. He will show them what can't be learnt from books: speak up their brain, make their own choice of life, and in the end become free spirits. He will deeply impact his students especially Todd and Neil.
Here is below a diagram that we have drawn up in order to represent the various people and the influences they may have on each others.
This survey will be divided in three different parts. First, we will give attention to Mr Nolan, Director of Welton, and Mr Perry, Neil's father, as they both look as strong expert figures in the movie. In a second part, we will present Mr Keating's personality and command instead of the authority numbers. In a last part, we will concentrate on the personality and leadership of three other main character types that are students: Charlie Dalton, Neil Perry and Todd Anderson. We will then conclude this record by an open up discourse on some particular areas of leadership.
Authority figures
Mr Nolan
Mr Nolan's personality and human relationships with the students
Mr Nolan is the Director of Welton. His way of thinking is dependant on the Four Pillars of Welton that happen to be tradition, honour, self-discipline and quality. He truly is convinced in these beliefs and is programmed to implement them. He needs the principles of the school to be firmly regarded by the students. Each of them got to know the four Pillars and abide by them. As we will see in the next paragraph, his personality is authoritarian and his leadership can be trained as traditional and traditional.
At the start of the movie, his conversation as part of the Welton welcoming service reflects his mentality: he has a formal, solemn and incredibly rigid attitude. He signifies the "prestigious" Welton College and has a mission: "prepare males for college". It is his eyesight as a innovator. During the service, we can easily see pride on his face, particularly when he announces:
"Last year we graduated 51. And even more than 75% of these continued to the Ivy Little league. " (03:10)
Both Mr Nolan and the service he leads are traditionalist and conservative. We immediately understand that there is absolutely no place for imagination, innovation and imagination in this institution.
Later on, when he matches a few of the students at the end of the wedding ceremony, we can easily see how important quality is perfect for him and how he subtly puts pressure on the boys:
Mr Nolan to Todd: "You involve some big shoes to fill up. Your brother was one of the finest" (04:42)
Mr Nolan to Neil : "We expect great things from you this year" (04:50)
The major trait of his personality is specialist. His authority turns up very clearly in the center of movie (01:12:06) when he happens in the educators' room. He is very irritated credited to an article that was written in the Welton Honour (college journal) that he qualifies as "profane". This expression "profane" that he uses is quite strong. He wants demanding sanctions to punish the methods which have written this content. He is also very dubious. He has full electric power in the institution and he's sure to get the guilty persons shortly. He needs a denunciation. His goal is to locate the ones that contain dared to disregard the guidelines and the principles of the school and, in the long run, defied his expert. Mr Nolan uses repression to serve the school's prices which illustrates some dictatorial behavior.
Mr Nolan uses corporal abuse as a leadership tool. For example he is better than Charlie Dalton who's the youngster who had written the article and then experienced dared to issue him in public areas.
Mr Nolan's romance with Mr Keating
Mr Nolan is dubious towards Mr Keating and discreetly observes him while he's teaching outdoor (01:03:06). The dialogues between Mr Nolan and Mr Keating look like a cordial confrontation even as we will explain below.
Mr Nolan says to Mr Keating that he's more aged, has more experience, recognizes what education is and that he was instructing British as well (â) long before your time » (01:15:25), which ultimately shows that he needs respect from Mr Keating. Mr Nolan is imposing his eyesight of education on Mr Keating who is new in the school. Mr Nolan uses the word unortodox » to specify Mr Keating's methods. Mr Keating will not seem impressed and is both polite and sarcastic when he right answers to Mr Nolan:
"Well, your reprimand made quite the feeling, I'm sure" (01:16:09).
Mr Nolan is not dupe and changes tactics towards Mr Keating requesting him more concrete questions on his course. Mr Keating talks about his own vision of education and life. Mr Nolan is then able now to openly criticize Mr Keating's methods. Here follows a portion of the dialogue between the two heroes illustrating the above:
Keating: "I've always thought the idea of education was to figure out how to think for your own " (01:16:30).
Nolan: "As of this boys' era? Not on your life! Tradition, John. Self-control. Prepare them for school and the rest will manage itself. ".
This dialogue obviously shows that none of them can dispute Mr Nolan's views on education at Welton. This discloses an autocratic management from Mr Nolan. All instructors will need to have the same eyesight. Mr Nolan's behavior shows some areas of the transactional command model that we saw in course: "when people have agreed to do a job, an integral part of the deal is that they cede all expert to their administrator". That is what he desires Mr Keating to comprehend. Additionally, it is evident for Mr Nolan that "the excellent purpose of a subordinate is to do what their supervisor tells those to do". There is absolutely no possible talk.
Mr Nolan's leadership and honour
After Neil's loss of life, Mr Nolan keeps his self-control. He needs to put one last indicate this incident by finding a perfect guilty person. Such a serious incident must not earth his honour and the exclusive image of Welton. A guilty person in charge of this tragic event must be found. This will likely exonerate Welton. Mr Keating is for Mr Nolan the perfect scapegoat as his methods and way of thinking are too different from the school's concepts.
All within the film, Mr Nolan continues to be the same: authoritarian and dictatorial: He does not tolerate to be challenged. He cannot stand pondering different ». There is no differ from the start to the finish of the movie. He steers a course and his objective his clear: to be Welton's servant and keep it in traditionalism and austerity to maintain its prestige.
Mr Perry
Mr Perry is Neil's father. As we will have below, he may also be regarded as a strong authority physique.
Mr Perry is a very strict man. He has a rigid behaviour both in his own way of life and in the way he educates his kid. Just how he wears, the severity of his face (when he's upset at his boy) and some details like just how he carefully aligns his house shoes on the ground when he would go to bed at the end of the move (1:38:27), reflect his mentality. His conception of life is based on strict order, self-control and planning.
On the one hands, Mr Perry is very authoritarian with Neil: "You choose to do what I let you know, is that clear?" (08:09) He commends Neil: "I have spoken to Mr Nolan, you're taking way too many extracurricular activities this semester. I've chose you must drop the gross annual school". (07:31)
On the other palm, Mr Perry becomes gentler with his son only when Neil will abide by him "If you need anything, tell us".
In that way, Mr Perry's authority towards Neil has some habits of the transactional leadership: he has full expert on his kid and Neil just must obey him. If Neil obeys, his dad offers him his support, if not, he's "punished". More than authoritarian, the leadership's design of Mr Perry is dictatorial: Mr Perry does not pay attention to his kid and imposes his own views to Neil without requesting him his advice. He's uncompromising. For example, he says to his son: "Tomorrow, I am withdrawing you from Welton and signing up you in Braden Government School. You will Harvard and you're gonna be a doctor. " (1:36:20)
Mr Perry does not understand his child. For instance, he says: "You have wasted your time with this absurd operating business" (1:18:52). It is like if Mr Perry and Neil were not speaking the same dialect: Mr Perry's terms is dependant on reason and Neil's vocabulary is dependant on passion. Mr Perry also behaves as though he was himself persecuted by his boy "why is it that you insist upon defying us" (1:36:10). For instance, he also says "don't ever dispute me in public, do you realize" (07:59).
He uses blackmail "you understand how much this means to your mother, not" (08:15). He desires his child to do the studies and also have the carrier that he'd have liked for himself "I have made many sacrifices to truly get you here and you'll not let me down" (1:20:07). "You could have opportunities i never even dreamt of and I am not going to enable you to waste materials them" (1:36:41).
The consequence of Mr Perry's authority is the fact communication along with his boy is impossible. His kid cannot see any exit to the problem, except suicide.
An option to the authority characters: Mr John Keating
"A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice. " - Adam Callaghan - : that's what Mr. Keating does. He goes resistant to the school's rules.
John Keating's leadership has two factors: a charismatic one and also a visionary and entrepreneurial one.
Charismatic leadership
"Charisma is a sparkle in people that money can't buy. It's an invisible energy with noticeable results. " - Marianne Williamson -
John Keating's leadership is mostly based on his personality. He is powerful, enthusiastic, very focused on his students and incredibly worked up about schooling. The least we can say is the fact he is a very eccentric educator that contrasts with the school's demanding atmosphere.
He makes a strong impression on his first day of school. The first picture when he meets the students for the first time is vital for future years relation he will have with them. All of them are expecting a strict work atmosphere and teacher, but rather than that John Keating gets in the class whistling. What sort of students are looking at each others shows how amazed these are by John Keating's informal manner and evident lack of concern.
He is the professional of orchestra, trying to get the best of everybody. He can be seen as helpful information, a spiritual innovator who is providing an alternative way of learning, usually a funnier one. He makes the students realize they will be the actors of their own future and they have to choose their journey. He pushes the students to visit find answers independently using words as "find your own walk", "make an effort to find your own voice", "free up your mind", "dare to reach out and fine new ground" (1:02:39).
He seems to have a halo over his students, just like a preacher. He is convinced in them and the students believe in him. Mr Keating's aim is usually that the students get more self-confidence in themselves and dare go further taking initiatives.
The movie's tagline "He was their inspiration. He made their lives incredible" also perfectly illustrates the charismatic command of Mr Keating.
Entrepreneurs and visionary leadership
"Management is the capacity and can to rally women and men to a standard purpose and the character which inspires confidence. " - Bernard Montgomery -
He can be an businessperson: he has the guts to do things in another way, for taking initiatives. He is a risk taker. Indeed, rather than following 100 years of normal education like his predecessors have done, he chooses an alternative: train the students how to become free men and "seize the day".
He teaches in unconventional ways. For example, the first lessons is done outside the class. Mr Keating helps it be just like a game, more appealing and dynamic. Here is below a sample of the dialogue between Mr Keating and one of the students illustrating these:
"Mr Keating: Why the writer does indeed use these lines?
A student: Because he's in a hurry
Mr Keating: No! Ding! Thank you for playing anyway!" (13:57)
Later on, he asks the students to rip out the pages of a literature reserve, which is unbelievable for the students. Doing this, Mr Keating wants to instruct them that what's written in books is not necessarily right and they must think by themselves as free men.
Mr Keating's relationship with the students
"Find out me, I will neglect. Show me, I might keep in mind. Involve me, I am going to understand. " - Chinese language Proverb -
Mr Keating has a special way of coaching: he involves his students. Indeed, he has a solid conviction and idea that his students could do and be the best. He seems he must fulfil a mission: to try them a long way away, the further they can go. He just has to show them the way, which explains why he has a special bond with the students. The relation is based on trust, more than a teacher/ student relationship. The fact that the students are willing to check out him and play his game demonstrates he has been successful to make this vision come true.
As an alumni of this school, he, much better than anyone else, understands what it is similar to to be in their position. We can assume that it's why he is trying to be different and would like his lessons to help the students in true to life.
He is a smart and intuitive man: since the beginning, the guy can detect his students' personality. He is very fast in getting the defects of his students. He is aware of them and functions to help them develop their skills. This is noticed in his behaviour with Todd. He considers that Todd needs some help. He detects Todd's fear and takes actions to make Todd exceed it:
Mr Keating I would kike that you create a poem of your, a genuine work". (He's leaving the course and comes home a couple of seconds later) "Mr Anderson. Don't feel that I don't know that this task scares the hell out of you, you mole. " (42:28)
The boundaries of Mr Keating's leadership
However, an unexpected event will end Mr Keating's methods: the suicide of one of the students, Neil. Mr Keating is presented in charge of Neil's fatality by the Management of the institution and is then dismissed.
Mr Keating's aims were to develop the students. However, he has already established no control over them and their actions. He has suggested an appealing choice of learning, but has not cleared up the negative possible implications. We can think that he has been too idealist and that he has brought with him too many big changes within an organization whose prices and targets were totally different from his. Because of this, we can expect that Mr Keating's authority was expected to probably fail 1 day or another.
Portrait of three different market leaders one of the students
Charlie Dalton
Where he comes from
Charlie evolves in the same spiritual institution environment as his friends. This environment is very authoritarian. It is based on rules and habits that must definitely be respected. We know that Charlie originates from a rich family and that his father is a banker.
Charlie's personality
Charlie has a strong personality. He prefers provocation and is sometimes a rebel. He is also the "funny guy" of the group. He is a happy-go-lucky person and can uncover himself thoughtless of the results of his actions.
All within the film, there are cases displaying his rebel part. We are able to see this characteristic of his personality very evidently when he announces to his friends that he has released an illegitimate article in the school journal. In this article, he pleaded for the admission of females at Welton, which is naturally an "insult" to the Management of the institution. Charlie does not see the outcomes of his function, but his friends do.
Following the release of the article, the Director of the School, Mr Nolan wishes to find the guilty person and for this function he organizes a gathering with all the students. With the meeting, Charlie comes after up his idea and defies the expert of Mr Nolan, pretending that he's getting a call from God requesting the entrance of females: Welton Academy Hello there ! Yes, he's. Just a instant. Mr Nolan, it's for you. It's God! Hey says we have to have women at Welton" (1:13:07).
He is also very very pleased. The scene that best shows his delight is merely after he was kicked out by Mr Nolan as a punishment for the discharge of the article in the journal. As he is talking with his friends, he does not confess that he acquired hurt, but boosts his head and reminds his friends of his warrior's nickname "Nuwanda" (1:15:15).
Charlie loves his new tutor, Mr Keating, not only because of his original eyesight of poetry, but also because Mr Keating's teaching methods make him free to experiment daring innovations. Charlie loves to experiment freedom. This is exactly what we can easily see in the picture where Mr Keating asks the guys to walk in collection. Charlie decides not to perfrom the exercise expressing to Mr Keating that he's "Training the right not to walk" (1:02:58). Mr Keating allows Charlie's position as he is precisely educating the boys how to become free men.
Charlie's leadership
At the start of the film, Charlie looks as a natural leader anticipated to his personal qualities: his is extravert, self-confident and impulsive. He has a sense of humour that others appreciate. Due to his strong personality, his is the one which is noticed first in the group. He is the one who makes initiatives in the group. For instance, he is the first to listen to Mr Keating and rip out the web page of the poetry book: Mr Keating: "Continue. Rip out the complete page. You observed me. Rip it outâSay thanks to you, Mr Dalton" (22:15).
He also decides his own nickname "Nuwanda" (1:05:50) as if he was an Indian warrior. He is the only person in the group to do that and the others seem to be to admire him for his ingenuity. This implies that he also offers some charisma.
Charlie's strong personality remains regular all around the movie, but does not match with the austere and stringent rules of the school. However, Mr Keating's class and methods allow Charlie expressing himself more readily.
Time after time, Charlie's control over the group gets less important because of Neil's authority that is turning up and growing. For instance, when Mr Keating asks the kids to operate on the furniture, Charlie is not the first to go, but Neil is.
We can say that Charlie will not remain a solid leader in the student's group because his friends do not necessarily understand and acknowledge his behaviours. Charlie acts by himself without consulting his friends. The result is the fact that Charlie looks as uncontrollable so when someone who can put himself and his friends in peril (he released an illegal article in the journal). Charlie has then not stored the others' self confidence and can't be considered by the others as their innovator.
Neil Perry
Neil's personality
Neil is also students at Welton which is one of all important people in the movie. He lives in an authoritarian and respectful environment not only at Welton but also at home. He's likely to be compliant with tight and heavy rules and obey the strong specialist of his father and college. Like all the students at Welton, he's supposed to follow an in depth order built around the four values of Welton: self-control, excellence, custom and honor.
Neil can be an enthusiastic and a dynamic boy. He is the initiator of the re-launch of the Deceased Poets Society. By the way he serves and talks, he is very driven and self confident. For example, a lot of his phrases start with "I'd like". His enthusiasm and passion show up very well when he makes a decision to follow his vocation: drama.
In the movie, we can easily see that Neil's personality has three different sides. Each of these sides looks depending on his group of acquaintances: Neil appears as submissive to his father's specialist, he is more like a innovator in his own group and lastly he has a particular connection with Mr Keating.
Neil's relationship along with his father
Neil's personality weakens before his dad, who signifies the family specialist: Neil seems to become compliant and unaggressive. He will not dare to handle him up, or to simply tell him that he wants a path different from what his father expects. He has a complete life organized by his daddy. His father's expert overwhelms Neil and Neil cannot combat with him, but only point out his agreement. Listed below are two types of his "apparent" compliance to his dad:
1.
Mr Perry: "You're taking too many extracurricular activities this semester, and I've made a decision that you should drop the institution annual"
[â]
Mr Perry: " [. . ]. Not ever dispute me in public areas. Do you understand?"
Neil: "Dad, I wasn't disputing. . . "
Mr Perry: "After you have finished medical institution. . . and you're by yourself, then you can do as you damn well please. But until then, you are doing as I let you know. Could it be clear?"
Neil: "Yes, Sir. I'm sorry. " (7:23)
2.
Mr Perry : "Don't you dare talk back again to me. It's bad enough you've wasted your time and effort with this, this absurd acting business, nevertheless, you intentionally deceived me. How have you anticipate to escape with this?. . . Answer me. Who put you up to it? Was it this new man? Keating?"
However, we've noticed that there may be a huge difference between what he says to his daddy and the way he functions. Indeed, though it is problematic for Neil to share with his father what he needs for himself, he does not hesitate to write a false letter usurping his father's signature in order to play in the play in which he has a role.
Neil's relationship along with his father contrasts with the one he develops along with his instructor, Mr Keating.
c) Neil's marriage with Mr Keating
One of the very most interesting marriage in the movie is the one between Mr Keating and Neil, and much more noteworthy the way it evolves. Neil is the first professor's follower. He becomes totally fascinated by this teacher. Every time Mr Keating speaks, Neil is like captivated by Mr Keating's words.
He admires him and considers him as a model with whom he is able to have free and private talks about his passions and dreams. Neil recognizes in his teacher a mentor, instructing him how to reside in his life. He fully trusts his talk without questioning Mr Keating's way of thinking.
d) Neil's relationship with Todd
Regarding his connection with Todd, Neil is like a mentor to him; he requires him under his safety and chooses to help him live his life.
Various scenes spotlight the fact that Neil wishes to help Todd by starting his mind to the entire world. For instance, Neil succeeds in convincing Todd to participate the Dead Poets Contemporary society even if at first Todd will not want to because he will not want to take submit reading. Neil will not want Todd to be excluded. Then offers to adjust the Dead Poets Society rules so that Todd doesn't have to learn and feel comfortable in signing up for the Dead Poets World.
Here is a world illustrating the above:
Neil: "Todd, are you coming tonight?"
Todd: "No"
Neil: "You will want to? God, you have there been. You noticed Keating. Don't you wish to accomplish something about that?"
Todd: "Yes, but
Neil: "But? But What?"
Todd: "Keating said that every person took converts reading, and I don't want to do that. "
Neil: "Gosh, you really have trouble with that, not?"
Todd: "No I don't possess a problem. I just. . . I don't want to do it, okay?"
Neil: "Fine. Imagine if you didn't have to learn? What if you just emerged and listened?"
Todd: "That's not how it works. "
Neil: "Well, neglect how it works. What if they said it was ok?"
Todd: "What exactly are you gonna rise and have them? No Neil. "
Neil: "I will be right back. " â (30:47)
In this field, Neil pushes Todd to take part in the Deceased Poets Society conference. He can have just let him be by itself but he wants him to come: he cares for him. Neil reproduces with Todd the same type of relationship that prevails between Mr Keating and himself: He listens to his good friend and will try to help him the same way Mr Keating listens and attempts to help Neil. Neil maybe recognizes himself in Todd as a timid boy who does not dare to speak his imagination. Indeed, Neil behaves the same manner when he is in front of his daddy. Neil is aware of too much this feeling of "weakness" and simply cannot let his friend like this.
Finally Neil becomes a leader in his friends' group thanks to his fascinated, enthusiastic and active personality. He pushes his friends to restore the Dead Poet Society which makes him turn into a leader.
e) Neil's leadership
Based on the characteristics of his personality as explained above namely enthusiasm, eagerness and energy, we can say that Neil is a charismatic leader. He is the initiator of the re-launch of the Deceased Poets Culture and he has had the opportunity to communicate his energy to the other children. Moreover he signifies a model specifically for Todd.
He is also an entrepreneurial leader. Indeed, he is a risk taker would you not think twice to break guidelines. Indeed, he rebuilds a culture that is unauthorized and must remain secrete. He also creates a false letter to provide his aim which is play in a dilemma: he dares to use initiatives.
He is also a relational leader who cares about expanding the others' skills especially with Todd as we've explained in the above mentioned section.
f) Neil's evolution
"Control is a serving relationship that has the effect of facilitating human being development. " - Ted Ward -
Mr Keating's leadership has revealed Neil's personality: It evolves throughout the film. At first, we locate a person with an erased personality in front of the family's power. Because of Mr Keating, Neil is going to develop his self-awareness and liberty of mind. This new awareness will lead him to put himself as innovator in his friends' group. Neil then becomes more excited and dreamy. He fulfills his love for drama because of the self-confidence he has developed. However, this personal development won't help him to speak up his head to his dad because he probably realizes that there is a too large difference between his father's goals and his own ones. He believes that communication with his father is merely extremely hard and that he has no solution, but suicide.
Todd Anderson
Where he comes from
Todd is a fresh college student at Welton. His sibling was himself a student at Welton before. Todd's sibling was one of the best possible students which is remembered in everyone's storage as an excellent student. As the Director of the institution fulfills Todd for the very first time, he says to Todd that he will have "big shoes to fill". When Todd is introduced to Neil's friends, one of these immediately identifies his brother's success: "you are that Anderson! Valedictorian, Country wide Merit Scholar" (07:05). The strong image of his successful brother is difficult to cope with for Todd. Todd depreciates himself. This probably comes from the fact that his parents are completely focused on his brother and not sufficiently on Todd. For instance, every year Todd has got the same present from his parents for his birthday. As a result, Todd feels as though "abandoned" by his parents. He feels like an "outsider".
This may demonstrate the psychodynamic control theory: The parents have an influence on their children's command when they are grown. Todd's brother probably has had the esteem and self confidence of his parents as the elderly boy, which helped his development and success. Todd, the younger boy, probably has already established less attention from his parents which includes resulted in his insufficient self-confidence.
When he finds Welton, his family environment, and more especially his sibling, is a heavy burden to handle for Todd.
Todd's personality
Todd is timid and introvert. He does not feel comfortable with others. He will not take any initiatives to socialize, but only responds to initiatives made by Neil and his friends. He is often on his own, their studies at his table. Todd lacks self-confidence and will not desire to be noticed in a way or another. For example, when Neil offers him to participate the Dead Poets World, Todd says "no, noâ Keating said that everybody took changes reading and I do not want to achieve that" (30:58). He will not want Neil to ask the other males if indeed they would agree on the actual fact that Todd wouldn't normally read. This shows that he desires to be translucent to others. He also offers some self-awareness as he points out his weaknesses to Neil: "I am nothing like you Neil, you say things and people listen closely, I am not like that" (45:49).
Todd sticks to the rules strictly "that is how it operates" (31:20) he says about the guidelines of the Dead Poets Population. He does not explore creativity and is also then unable to check out alternatives not the same as the existing framework. For Todd, the specialist of the individuals (parents, director and teachers) prevails over the rest. When Neil desires to write a 'incorrect' notice usurping his father's personal, Todd says that it is impossible to achieve that. Instead, he attempts to influence Neil to ask his dad the right to be in a play. In doing this, he tries to safeguard Neil from any serious problem along with his daddy: "he will kill you if he realizes you went to an audition and didn't simply tell him" (44:38).
On the one hand, anticipated to his personality and family framework, Todd does not dare things. He's very static and conformist. Alternatively, he is careful and will not take any unconsidered risks.
Todd's relationships
Todd develops a strong friendship with Neil. He admires his good friend who may have charisma, eye-sight and creativity. Todd is considered by Neil, which is something Todd experienced lacked so far as his parents have been centered on his brother only.
Todd seems to consider Neil as a coach: They can talk with him of personal issues, and get boosted by Neil. Todd also will try to temper Neil who's not always aware of the risks he's taking.
Todd seems very uncomfortable in Keating's class. He's feared, "in agony", when he's asked to yield a "barbaric yawp" or asked to "say" a poem. Mr Keating raises him in a manner that Todd breaks all his own barriers, goes beyond his own limitations and expresses his thoughts. Todd was considered by Mr Keating from his safe place to his stretch zone. Thanks to this, Todd realizes that he is able to do things he first thought he was not capable of.
Todd's connections with Neil and Mr Keating have a very important effect on Todd's development as a innovator.
"Birth" of a leader
Todd is very damaged by Neil's death. The Director of the institution blames Mr Keating for it. Mr Keating is then dismissed from Welton. For Todd, this treatment is unfair. As Mr Keating will come in the school room to acquire his personals before giving Welton, Todd functions as a strong leader: he stacks up on his desk and a great many other males do the same. For the very first time, Todd dares to obviously show his strong disagreement and anger to the Management of the institution, and his full support to Mr Keating. Todd has initiated and revealed to the others a direction to check out. Repeating this, he defies the specialist of the Director of the institution, based on what he things is right. For the very first time, he does not give attention to doing the items right, but does the right things.
"Management is doing things right, Authority does the right things" - Warren Bennis and Peter Drucker
In Todd's circumstance, learning from Neil and Mr Keating has allowed him to build up the necessary tools to be always a head, such as self-confidence. This may illustrate the skills model theory, corresponding to which leadership is developed through the gain of skills and experience. Additionally it is to be noted that Todd activities leadership for the first time on a very particular situation, which is Neil's loss of life. If the problem had not been so remarkable, maybe he'd have experienced command later in his life. Todd's authority came out in a specific situation, which can also illustrate the theory according to which leadership comes up anticipated to contingencies.
Conclusion
In the prior elements of this report, we have seen that different character types of the movie have their own kind of leadership:
-transactional and authoritarian command for Mr Nolan and Mr Perry;
-charismatic, enterprisers and visionary authority for Mr Keating;
-natural authority for Charlie Dalton;
-charismatic, business people and relational control for Neil Perry;
-contingency and developed through experience management for Todd Anderson.
We have then focused on individual leaderships. However, specific leadership is not the only person leadership that can be underlined in this movie. Indeed, there is also a collective leadership that can be described very obviously: it is the authority of the group of students that will re-launch the Deceased Poets Society. Right from the start of the film, we can see that this band of students has their own flexibility of thought. For instance, they have secretly renamed the four Pillars of the institution as "Travesty, Horror, Decadence, Excrement".
We can discuss a collective leadership because the boys as a group are motivated by a common purpose which is the re-launch of the Deceased Poets World. This common project strengthens their relationships with each other. Their functioning is dependant on solidarity. They provide treatment and support to one another. For instance, Knox, one of the boys of the group that is in love with a girl who's already engaged, provides the support and advice of his friends. As part of the Dead Poets Culture, they often do not say "I" independently, but "We" as a group.
The group's project to re-launch the Deceased Poets World is a way to obtain excitement and love for them because it is approximately poetry but not only. Indeed, the re-launch of the Deceased Poets Population is also a way to allow them to be part of an unauthorized and secrete membership that is unlike the authoritarian rules and principles they are supposed to follow at Welton. This way, they become free men, which is precisely what Mr Keating is teaching them.
This collective control is illustrated by the actual fact that the group makes their own decisions and rules. They decide altogether if some of the original guidelines of the Deceased Poets World can be transformed. For example, one of the initial rules of the Dead Poets Society says that everybody calls for submit reading. The group adapts the guidelines so that Todd who does not want to learn, is not obliged to take action. Their strategy is to remain secrete, to avoid exclusion from the school.
As a summary, we can say that this movie does not only show different kinds of leadership but also different kinds of leadership (specific and collective).
In this finish, we also have decided to discuss the impact of Mr Keating on the group of friends and more particularly on Neil and Todd.
As we have demonstrated in this report, Mr Keating was a guide for Neil. However, as we also pointed out, Neil never questioned Mr Keating's mindset. This was because Neil was persuaded that Mr Keating's eye-sight was the correct one. Maybe this was also because Neil didn't have sufficient experience to consider the limitations of Mr Keating's eye-sight that is to say a vision too much not the same as the environment and values of the institution and Neil's family.
For this reason, we can feel that Mr Keating must have been more careful in delivering his note and eyesight to the students. Maybe his subject matter was too idealistic rather than enough realistic given the surroundings in which the students improved.
But maybe by the end of the day, his concept was anyway much better than the one predicated on stringent order and self-control shipped by the Management of the school to the students. Indeed, we can easily see in the movie that Mr Keating's eye-sight and methods had a positive impact on several students plus more particularly on Todd. Mr Keating trained the kids that they must enjoy life and act as free men. This allowed Todd to be always a strong leader by the end of the movie. He chosen his own to do what he regarded as the right thing based on his own liberty of thought.
"Should your actions motivate others to desire more, find out more, do more and become more, you are a leader. " - John Quincy Adams
