Who Is The Most Effective Leader In Lord Of The Flies

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Meila Brewer Ms. Garber HELA 9 22 March, 2024 Leadership in Lord of the Flies Everyone may have the capabilities and power to be a leader, but not everyone has special characteristics and qualities that make them uniquely fit to be a leader. In Lord of the Flies, Golding showed through a variety of different situations that the boys needed a sense of leadership. While stranded, they were constantly searching for viewpoints and ideas to help keep them sustained on the island. All of the boys possessed different traits and qualities that showed up in many situations, but overall it came down to who was the most effective. Overall, expert power is the most effective way of gaining and maintaining power because followers can trust that the leader …show more content…

This further shows us that expert power relies deeply on the abilities of a person, but when a person possesses these, it can be a very positive thing. Along with Expert power coming from followers believing in a power holder. Expert power is also the most effective way to maintain leadership because people are able to count on a person's knowledge or skills in times of uncertainty. Many people look for reasons and answers in difficult situations. In this case, the boys were looking for an answer about the beast. They all wondered if the beast would kill them, or maybe if it was even real. In the book, Piggy says “Maybe there is a beast. maybe it's only us”(p.80). Piggy here is showing us how the boys throughout the book continue to bring up the beast, but then it reveals to us his ability to rely on his knowledge in that time of uncertainty by giving people an answer. While some may argue that coercive power is the most effective way to gain and maintain power, this cannot be the case. This is because people desire a leader who can give them a sense of comfort in times of uncertainty versus someone who rules by …show more content…

Many see fit that because coercive power forces people to accomplish tasks based on punishment, it is the most effective. This means that the task is always completed. With this, coercive power cannot be the most effective power. This is because as shown, coercive power does get things done, but people tend to always have fear. Fear of what might happen if they don’t accomplish the task, or fear it wasn’t done perfectly. Many followers tend to want a relationship or connection with their leader. This will create a positive environment and make people want to try their best. With coercive power, you cannot achieve this. Coercive power often leads to low self-esteem, negativity, and poor outcomes, causing followers to not want to cooperate and showing that coercive power is not the most effective form of leadership. In conclusion, expert power is the best way to gain and hold power because followers are able to believe that the leader has the qualities and features to be capable of leading them well. People who possess expert power gain leadership and respect through their knowledge and