Lord Of The Flies Leadership Essay Sample

Good leaders have many qualities.  A good leader should have a strong connection with their team members, be open to new ideas, and encourage the growth of those around them. “Ralph is left on a deserted tropical island with a group of his peers. He is appointed leader, yet he finds it impossible to enlist the help and support of his fellow peers” (Bacharach 2013). Ralph did his best to control the chaos but once darkness took hold there was little he could do. He needed to be a better, and stronger, leader. Ralph could have been a better leader by having a clear game plan, not taking of the work of others, and practicing more patience.

Ralph knew what needed to be done but did little in the way of communicating it to the group. He knew that the boys would need to make a fire for them to have any chance of getting rescued. He says "There's another thing. We can help him to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us so we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire"(29-30)! Even though the fire was eventually lit Ralph did not enforce the fire watch. Because the boys did not understand the importance of the fire, they did not participate in the watch and let the fire go out. Effective leaders have detailed plans, communicate those plans to their team members, and enforce that plan, all things that Ralph did not do.

A strong leader does not take on the responsibilities of his team members. Ralph told the other boys that they were going to have to build huts. Eventually the only boys left building were Ralph and Simon. Instead of building the huts for the other boys ralph should have enforced his plan and make everyone do their fair share instead of just playing. “When leaders take on the responsibility of completing a team members work they are actually doing the team and themselves a disservice” (Nancy Mellard). Ralph dose the work of others too many times. This causes the other boys to take advantage of that. This eventually causes Ralph to lose status and power. Diminishing his role as a leader

Ralph was not patient enough with the other boys in the group. A good leader should be patient with their team members and make sure that everyone knows the role they play. When things did not go as planned Ralph was quich to lash out at the other boys. This could have caused distrust and resentment. Ralph never took the time to teach the others how to do the things he wanted them to do. “Improving productivity with patience will be beneficial both short term and long term. It will also provide more confidence to your teams, as they will know that their leader is patiently stimulating productivity of each team member” (John Todorovic). If Ralph had spent the time going over things with the other boys they would have been more productive and more likely to follow him instead of jack.

Ralph had the potential to be a great leader but he got a few crucial skills wrong. He could have been a better leader by having a clear game plan, not taking of the work of others, and practicing more patience. These skills are key to ensuring that people will agree with and follow you. Ralph knew what needed to be done but had a hard time following through with that plan. Had he had these skills he may have been able to keep the peace, and maybe lives would not had been lost.