Exploring Leadership in 'Lord of the Flies'

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For years, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, has been a staple in college, high school, and even middle school classes. The eloquent story follows a group of young boys stranded on a jungle island. They are left thousands of miles away from civilization and are left to survive by themselves. Throughout the story, many insights in leadership are seen through the power struggle between Ralph and Jack. Both have extremely different styles of leadership with varying levels of success. Lord of the Flies teaches me about leadership in the initial selection of the leader, how they solve problems, and how they motivate others. When the boys initially abandoned on the island, they quickly realize that there are no rules here. They are far …show more content…

When the boys look towards a leader, they look towards a boy that can begin to satisfy Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Ralph begins to attempt to satisfy their physiological needs. He attempts to build shelter and provide them with food. The needs only grow as the younger children are scared by a potential monster in the woods. During Ralph’s term, he is unable to meet these basic needs. This is why the boys start moving towards Jack. Jack is successful at hunting for food and is able to present the image of safety to the younger kids by telling them about his hunter’s as well as his own strength. Finally, Jack moves up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs by even providing the boys a sense of belonging. When Jack leads, he leads a “tribe”. They feel like they are part of a group. These insights also teach me lessons on leadership. Firstly, as a leader, it is important to meet Maslow’s needs. People will lack confident in you as a leader if their needs aren’t met. Secondly, it is important to make members in a group to feel like they are part of something. While many people crave individuality, this book shows that many individuals would be willing to sacrifice it to fit into a group and feel as if they are part of something. To do this, it is important to make everyone feel important and to ensure that people are proud of the group they are part

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