The Leadership Of Milka Planinc - Research Paper Example

Leadership of Introduction Every leader has a style of leadership by which he/she runs the affairs of his/her organization or state, in case of political leaders. Among the common styles of leadership found in many world leaders are bureaucratic, democratic, autocratic, transformational, transactional, coaching, super-leadership, servant leadership, and entrepreneurial leadership. It should be realized that a leader may have one or more of these leadership styles overlapping with one another. Therefore the fact that a leader employs the transformational approach does not imply he/she could not be entrepreneurial.

Moreover, different leadership styles are required for different situations and it is imperative that a leader knows and understands when a given approach is necessary. This paper explores the leadership styles, traits, and behaviors of Milka Planinc, a former Prime Minister for Yugoslavia who has since passed on. Milka Planinc’s Leadership Born on November 21, 1924, Milka Planinc was the first female head of government in Yugoslavia, serving between 1982 and 1986 (Branka, 1993). Among the major changes brought to the country during her leadership included far-reaching restrictive economic measures, which ensured the country paid its debts and was back on route to socioeconomic recovery.

Her years in the Communist Youth league, beginning in 1941, played an important role in shaping her leadership traits, behaviors, and skills. In fact, Planinc became quite impatient early in her life to join the Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia, an anti-Fascist organization also known as the Partisans (Branka, 1993). Planinc thus became a loyalist, picking the mantle to teach Communist principles to members of the organization at an early age. The loyalist nature of Planinc saw her purge out separatists and loyalists who were opposed to the communist principles, which she preached.

Planinc was thus a loyalist, a take-charge and well organized individual who never overlooked the details of whatever she did. She also worked well with plans and strategies, completing her tasks within stipulated timelines That Planinc was a strict leader is evident in her establishment of austerity measures to ensure the country paid its debts. She implemented these measures despite the fact that Yugoslavia faced hunger, deprivation, and disintegration. Nonetheless, Planinc was quite a popular leader among Yugoslavs although she did not welcome superficial and comforting sense of popularity since she considered it a burden or an indicator of the responsibility heaped on her (Branka, 1993).

Being an ardent supporter of social realism, Planinc exhibited certain qualities that are characteristic of many socialist leaders. For instance, Planinc believed in the use of force, threats, or intimidation to achieve her or her government’s objectives. This is evident when she arrested Drazen Budisa, Marko Veselica, Franjo Tudman, Sime Dodan and Vlado Gotovac, for participating in the Croatian Spring. That is, she was forceful enough in trying to make others conform to her demands. Much as Planinc was entrepreneurial in her approach to the economic plights of her country, she was autocratic in the sense that she would purge anyone who did not tow the line or sought to challenge the Presidency of Josip Broz Tito in Yugoslavia.

Her autocratic leadership was exhibited by her tendency to retain as much power and decision-making authority as possible. In addition, she expected her subordinates to obey her orders, allowing as little in put as possible from them. The autocratic leadership of Planinc was characterized by turnover and expulsions from the government. The main reasons for the high turnover were the threats and punishments for separatists and people with different opinions on governance. Moreover, Planinc did not trust many of her government personnel.

Questions however continue to surface on how Planinc, under Marshal Tito kept Yugoslavia in one piece. Many authors and historians believe she did not. Instead, Planinc is portrayed as a mild, reluctant, and autocrat Yugoslavian dictator who always sought to unify her people (Branka, 1993). Unfortunately, she pursued policies that aggravated ethnic tensions in Yugoslavia. Her successes stemmed from her readiness to make use of military and police power. Planinc’s Decision-Making Style In spite the fact Planinc’s leadership was autocratic to some extent; it was not all that bad.

In particular, her decision regarding the revival of the collapsing economy of Yugoslavia was quite effective in ensuring the economic stability of the country. According to the Vroom-Yetton-Jago (VYJ) model of normative decision-making, Planinc realized that entrusting the people of Yugoslavia with the task of reviving the collapsing economy would be costly in the end. Consequently, she had to take it as her responsibility to examine the prevailing situation. After analyzing the situation, Planinc determined the strategies and styles by which she would engage the socioeconomic problems bedeviling the country (Branka, 1993).

In her approach to the economic problems in her country, Planinc applied autocratic, group-based, and consultative decision-making approaches. By analyzing the nature of the socioeconomic problems in Yugoslavia, the strategy options, and the possible effects of their implementation, Planinc determined the extent to which the other stakeholders in the country would contribute. Nevertheless, she made it her responsibility to turn around the economy of Yugoslavia. Conclusion Among the leadership traits of Milka Planinc, the first woman Prime Minister of Yugoslavia includes strictness, austerity, and a take-charge attitude.

Importantly, her decision-making style entailed taking a personal interest in determining the right course of action on matters of national interest. Although her rule was autocratic to some extent, it was important in placing Yugoslavia back on the road to socioeconomic recovery by enabling it to repay its debts. Reference Branka, M. (1993). The destruction of Yugoslavia: tracking the break-up 1980-1992, first edition. Verso.