18th Annual Student Research Conference
Interdisciplinary
The Leadership Power of Audacity and Boldness
Elaine E. Wright
Dr. James A. Padfield, Faculty Mentor
Just as an individual's greatest strength can also be his greatest weakness, so can any positive trait of a leader become his downfall if taken out of balance or given sole importance. Audacity and boldness arise as two prominent leadership traits that very often inspire an aura of charismatic vision to subordinates and thereby transfer a certain degree of power to the leader. At the same time, the very mention of an "audacious" action can envision thoughts of capricious recklessness, illustrating the volatility and dangerous potential of these same leadership characteristics. General Douglas MacArthur provides an illustrative example of both the inspiring power and destructive possibilities of audacity and boldness through his stunningly successful employment of audacity as a battlefield tactic with the amphibious landing at Inchon during the Korean War, followed shortly thereafter by his career-ending audacity in using his popularity as a military hero to go head-to-head with President Harry S. Truman regarding the overall direction of U.S. foreign policy in Southeast Asia.
Keywords: Leadership analysis, JINS
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 19-2
Location: OP 2111
Time: 10:00