Everyone can be a leader. The way leadership qualities manifest depend on an individual’s personality and the situation he/she is thrown into. For some, assuming leadership roles is a natural, inborn trait that is inseparable from their personality. For example, Gabbar Singh or Mogambo, who always know what to do, and how to do it. However, for some others, leadership was important only when absolutely necessary. Be it in a distance education environment while studying an MBA course or at your workplace.

If you’re thinking what the evil Mogambo can teach you about leadership, think again. He ran an extremely successful and profitable empire and commanded an army of extremely loyal employees. He must’ve done something right!
Below, we look at the various leadership styles adopted by some of Bollywood’s most famous personalities.

1) The Democratic Leader:

Gabbar Hari Singh from Sholay emulates the perfect example of a democratic leader. A democratic leader is one who builds team consensus through participation. This type of leadership is most effective when it comes to making decisions, plans and goals.

Gabbar Singh encouraged group bonding through games and laughter. He was also effective in delegating responsibilities to his teammates and building trust. All in all, he was the leader to one big happy family.

2) The Authoritative Leader:

An authoritative leader mobilizes the team towards the end goal with a common vision, leaving the means for reaching this up to the individual. Mogambo, arguably the greatest villain of Bollywood, ran a globally successful and extremely profitable empire. He was authoritative in his leadership and didn’t let anybody stop him from having unrealistic dreams.

A great leader conveys his/her vision with conviction and clarity. Mogambo did just that to get everyone in his empire on board with his ridiculous vision of destroying India. He had a way of inspiring and commanding loyalty from his employees by always staying positive, creating a healthy work environment and more than anything, understanding them and letting them grow, without micromanaging.

3) The Coercive Leader:

The coercive leader demands immediate compliance. It is most effective in times of crisis and helps control a problem when everything else has failed. Kabir Khan, coach of the Indian Women’s Hockey team in the movie Chak De India, adopted the coercive leadership strategy when the team failed to perform despite all other methods.

Khan left the team with no choice and forced them to follow his instructions. And the outcome was a more functional and communicative team, which went on to win the Hockey World Cup. While this kind of a leadership style is not always recommended, it is effective in high-pressure situations where there is little margin for error.
So which of the above leadership styles do you want to imbibe as a distance education student? Let us know in the comment section below.