The Leadership Antics in the Scottish Liberation - Coursework Example

Insert name Instructors’ name Course Date Leadership Introduction Leadership is an important concept that greatly determines the success of an organization. It has been widely defined by scholars as the process of organizing, directing coordinating and planning others in an institution or organization to achieve a similar objective or goal. A leader is commonly depicted as having authority, power, intelligence, charisma vision and reliable moral values (Rost 101). William Wallace is different in the novel Randall Wallace. The novel was directed in a film in the year 1995 where Mel Gibson was the director and the star. The movie adopted an epic framework and revolved around the Scottish long quest to attain independence. The movie was based on a true story far back in the 13th Century where the Scottish people were fighting for their liberation against King Edward 1 ruler of England at the time. The movie over the years captured many eyes and this is evident based on the amount of recognition it received the world round. This paper seeks to critically evaluate the leadership antics that were displayed in the Scottish liberation based on the movie Brave hearts. Describing the situation In the 13th century, the Scotts were fighting for their first liberation against the England ruler of the time who was King Edward 1. This thus caused unrest in the region that had resulted from King Edward’s attack to Scotland and having conquered some years back. William Wallace was depicted as a young man who lived to tell the brutality of King Edward 1 who was known as Longshanks after he witnessed the murder of his father and brother. His uncle then took William with him to a country abroad to facilitate his education. Years pass by and Longshanks granted a rule whereby the noblemen were permitted to take the newly wedded women to bed. This was to happen on the wedding night. Later, William Wallace returned home and reunited with his childhood sweetheart. They then arranged a secret weeding with the aim to surpass the law that had been passed by their English Lord. However, this did not happen as the sheriff soldiers got wind of the word and tried to rape Wallace’s wife who was known as Murron MacClannough. William Wallace tried to fight them off and flee but to no avail. The Sheriff publicly executed Murron and declared the act a violation to the King himself. Wallace then planned a retaliation attack where he and other villagers managed a standoff that led to the death of the Sheriff and the English Garrison. After this attack, Wallace staged other attacks in York that really enraged Longshanks. Longshanks ordered that Wallace be captured and this duty was bestowed on his Son Edward (Anderson 27). In a short time span, Wallace acquired the status of a rebel leader and the word spread all around Scotland. As Wallace led his full grown army to capture York, he was assisted by Robert the Bruce who was a son of a nobleman in the land. With time, Longshanks was greatly threatened by the rebellion and staged some traps to lure Wallace. However, Wallace was depicted as wise and had the capacity to overlook the traps and hence continued with his quest to acquire justice and liberation for his Scottish people. Wallace was warned of the possibility of an invasion that would be staged by Longshanks. Wallace then tried to convince the nobility of his quest but they are more interested with their own agendas. After the Battle of Falkirk where Wallace led a confrontation between the Scotts and the English soldiers, he ended up wounded and was saved by Robert the Bruce. Robert the Bruce planed on joining Wallace to stage a gorilla attack against the English men. However, in the meeting, Robert’s father conspired with other nobilities and captured Wallace and handed him over to the English men. Wallace was then presented to the English magistrate. He was subjected to torture, public humiliation amidst the threats of beheading as he was charged with high treason. Wallace refused to plead for mercy and subdue to the King. The crowd chanted slogans of mercy, while Wallace utilized his last plea for mercy to shout the word freedom. The axe fell on his neck as he visualized his long lost love Murron. Later, Robert the Bruce was made King who conquered the English men in Bannockburn hence Scotland attained freedom at last (O'Farrell 126). Analyzing the situation Leadership is a key ingredient to the success of any activity. It requires planning, controlling, coordinating and directing people to achieve a common objective (Rost 101). Wallace is initially regarded as a Scottish commoner who in the end leads a great rebellion against the English rule. Some key qualities of a leader are wisdom, intelligence, patience, authority and decision making. In several instances, Wallace is depicted as wise as he decides clearly on what to overlook. In the interactions were Longshanks was quite cunning, Wallace was able to surpass the traps. Taking the functional theory for instance, the fundamental job of a leader is to see to it that the leaders subjects have all they need to achieve the desired results (Puccio, Marie and Murdock 10). Functional leadership theory is closely applied to team leadership that emphasizes on cohesion and close team cooperation. The theory can also be applied to organizational leadership where it seeks to promote the level of organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Wallace’s position as a leader greatly inculcates the functional theory. This is due to the fact that, leading a rebellion that threaten the rule of King Edward 1 was not a mere achievement. It was highly attributed to teamwork and cohesiveness that was availed in the reign of Wallace as a rebel leader. There are some key responsibilities that are allied to the functional theory. They include coordinating, recruiting, delegating, monitoring and training the new entrants. As for Wallace, he began his retaliation efforts with a few villagers with the intent of retribution. With the passage of time and spread of the word, Wallace had organized a full fledged army. The army amassed so much power that it threatened the rule of the Englands King. Not every achievement would be accorded to Wallace as there were other forces for instance Robert the Bruce. However, it is quite evident that after the King of England conquered Scotland the only rebellion which threatened his reign was that spearheaded by Wallace. This crucial factor depicts Wallace as a leader who will always linger in the Scottish minds. Leaders are visionary people on behalf of their subjects. Though Wallace did not achieve his vision in the time he lived, the ideologies he lived by remained. This was the factor that enhanced the Robert the Bruce to go to battle with the Englishmen and finally liberate Scotland. Leaders are hence deemed inspirational to their subjects and so was Wallace (Puccio, Marie and Murdock 10). Recommendations Leadership is a great concept but the subjects being led are crucial to the success of the leader. Taking William Wallace for instance as the great rebel leader he was, his vision was not achieved in his lifetime. This was attributed to the fact that, there were some individuals that shared different sentiments to those of Wallace. These were the nobilities of York who were so interested in their own well being hence forgoing the greater good. The nobilities in particular, Roberts father planned on Wallace’s capture which eventually led to his death. This thus meant, more years for the Scottish people in captivity of the Englishmen’s regime. The act displayed betrayal and lack of loyalty to the leader, thus undermining the vision that Wallace had for his people. It is therefore crucial that the subjects being led share in the same sentiments as those of the leader to the desired goal to be achieved. The fact that Robert the Bruce was heir to the throne did not subdue his aspirations of liberation. This was the same mentality that enabled him to achieve the Wallace’s vision of freeing Scotland. In conclusion, it is apparent that leadership played a crucial role in the liberation of the Scotland from the regime of the Englishmen. Leadership entangles many critical aspects including; controlling, directing, coordinating and planning. As displayed by Wallace, the leader is expected to be wise, visionary, inspirational and involves sacrifice. William Wallace died for a noble cause and though he did not live to finish what he had propagated, Scotland was finally liberated. Work cited Anderson, Lin. Braveheart: From Hollywood to Holyrood. Edinburgh: Luath Press, 2005. O'Farrell, John. An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: Or 2000 Years of Upper-Class Idiots in Charge. London: Black Swan, 2008. Internet resource. Puccio, Gerard J, Marie Mance, and Mary Murdock. Creative Leadership: Skills That Drive Change. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE, 2011. Rost, Joseph C. Leadership for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Praeger, 1991 Read More