Sitting Bull
If the U.S. Government chased you from your home, what would you do? If you were told you need to live on a restricted land within a confined area or face death what would you? If you had hundreds of other people affected by your decisions, what would you do? Sitting Bull, famously known as the great warrior chief of the Lakota Sioux Tribe, was in this situation. He had to make decisions with hundreds of his Lakota Sioux member’s lives at stake. This essay will capture Sitting Bull’s use of Inspirational Motivation and his Conceptual Approach to Team Building as a visionary leader. In addition, this essay will prove why Sitting Bull was an ethical leader by explaining his use of Resiliency, the Four Pillars of Fitness and
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Finally, this essay will give you my perspective on how I relate to the tough decisions he had to make on behalf of his Sioux Tribe.
Visionary Leader
Sitting Bull was a Visionary Leader as evidenced by his decision-making during the war with American Forces in the 1870s. During this period, the discovery of gold in the Black Hills resulted in a rush of Americans to this land. The land was sacred to the Native Americans and protected by the U.S. government signed Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. The U.S. government tried to purchase the land from the Native American Indians but the Indians would not sell. Frustrated with this decision, the U.S. government tabled the treaty and considered Native American Indians not settled on a reservation hostile. This set the stage for war between the Native American Indians protecting their homeland and the U.S. Army trying to take it over. According to pbs.org, in March of 1876, three columns of federal troops moved into the area. Sitting Bull called upon the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes
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According to pbs.org, on 25 June 1876, General George Custer’s Seventh Cavalry of 200 plus men attacked approximately 3,500 Indians in the Valley of Little Big Horn. Sitting Bull’s warriors destroyed the severely outnumbered American Forces. According to biography.com, the defeat was an embarrassment to the U.S. government and the Army doubled down its efforts to wrest control of the territory from Native American tribes. At this point, Sitting Bull had to make a tough decision. He could have the Sioux Nation stand their ground and fight the American forces, which would result in certain death, surrender and move on to a reservation living a life of restrictions, or move north into Canada where the American forces could not reach his people. Sitting Bull showed Resiliency in his defeat to the U.S. Government. With that Resiliency, Sitting Bull used three of the Four Pillars of Fitness to think clearly (Thomas N. Barnes Center, 2014a). He was Mentally Fit, still making conscious decisions during hard times. He was Socially Fit, even after defeat by the U.S. Army his people still followed him. Lastly, he was Spiritually Fit, still believing in his God and the plan his God had for him and his people. This clear mindedness helped Sitting Bull