One thing the Harvey reading addressed is that “the group comes first” and the guide for this week posed an interesting question: is this a good thing? I think it is a good thing because unfortunately, power tends to corrupt people and when leaders are too powerful and too self-involved, it becomes problematic. However, when groups get too much power they can take on a sort of ‘mob mentality’ so its important to keep a balance of respect for the leader and interest of the group in order to avoid havoc.
I also liked the quote from pg 220 which stated: “the importance of storytelling to leadership – not because stories are more true than other forms of communication, but because, well chosen and well told, they convey a kind of condensed truth.” I think this quote relates to the systems theory of simplification and its benefits. The reading mentions FDR’s fireside chats but I also thought of crash course educational videos. They are another example of how simplification and context are beneficial in conveying a message. In this case, the crash course teacher/narrator would take the leader role while the students/viewers would take the group role. These videos also show how the group’s best interest is kept in mind because these videos are made specifically to aid the students as extra resources.
I definitely like the idea of storytelling in leadership because I always thought they had a deeper truth that many can learn from. I have always heard of making sure your communication is accessible to all audiences to reach a wider range. This simplification shows how leaders make sure the whole group is included, and I like the example of crash course as it shows just that.
I agree that groups come first. Focusing on group interests rather than personal interests can prevent a leader from becoming corrupt. I think one challenge that comes with dealing with a person in power is keeping them accountable. Nobody will ever say that they plan to focus on their personal interests when put in power, but when given the opportunity it may be difficult for them to resist which is why mechanisms to help ensure they put the group first are so important.
I like your comparison of crash course educational videos. These, similar to the fire side chats, emphasize the idea that a group cannot be successful if the collective foundation of knowledge has holes. Additionally, I agree with you that the group comes first. Unfortunately, if a group is too similar it risks similar problems to a corrupt leader; gaining power and plotting for bad ideas because of groupthink. It is important to have a diverse group where many interests and backgrounds are present to truly prevent corruption.
The Group comes first mentality can be a dangerous one. Group Think is one of the leading factors to death in fraternity houses. This sense of anonymity withing in a large mas of people is how careless and deadly things can occur.
I was interested in what leaders can do to prevent that mob mentality. They need to establish their dominance without being too controlling which can be tricky. When the group mentality comes up, it can either be extremely beneficial or extremely detrimental (Group problem solving vs personal anonymity).
I think your relation of storytelling to educational crash courses was really interesting and understandable. I agree that these crash courses can be beneficial for students, because it is a condensed, quick way to get the truth across.
I think that you bring up interesting points about leaders and the importance of groups. The problem is that there doesn’t seem to be a perfect balance . If a leader has too much power and control there is danger of corruption. However, if there are too many people in a group it may be very difficult (if not impossible) to come to an agreement about issues, which would dramatically slow down the amount of change happening.
I think storytelling is a critical and valuable thing to have, and it was nice to see that pushed in the reading. While I think it’s definitely better for the Group to come first over the leader, this can be very dangerous thinking. Some of the most abhorred ideologies such as Fascism push the idea the Group must come over the individual, and use other groups as enemies. We should be careful never to let individuals fall in the name of the group.