The Importance Of Leadership In 12 Angry Men

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Every interview I have taken part in, the interviewer has always asked me, “do you see yourself as a leader?” or “in groups, what role do you normally take on?” Leadership in modern day culture has developed into being highly unattainable and as a community we hold leaders to a standard of changing the world. Even though leadership is held to such a high standard, college students are expected to have taken on leadership roles and be able to explain the change they have made in the world at only 21 years old. However, I believe everyone can be a leader and that everyday leadership is just as important as roles that change the world. You don’t have to be Steve Jobs and change the way the world uses phones or like Martin Luther King Jr. and change
People who practice everyday leadership are those who do not necessarily have formal authority. A good example of unofficial leadership is the film, 12 Angry Men based on the play by Reginald Rose and directed by Sidney Lumet. In the film juror 8, played by Henry Fonda, does not have any official authority beyond that of the other 11 jurors. However without any positional power Juror 8 is able to persuade the others to switch their votes from guilty to not guilty (12 Angry Men). John K. Clemens, professor and author on leadership observes, “What’s tricky about persuasion is discerning the difference between getting others to think as you do, an obnoxious and risky use of power, and getting others to investigate themselves to discover common truths and facts – truths that transcend preference, prejudice, fear, and competitive jockeying. The courtroom drama [in 12 Angry Men], as a result, is usually a loud wakeup call” (Lee). Juror 8 changes the opinions of all the other jurors not by asserting power but by appealing to their sense of logic and making them think beyond the black and white facts of the case. Fonda’s character encourages the others in the room to think for themselves as well rather than simply falling into

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