John F. Kennedy: A Transformational Leader

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that John F. Kennedy was a transformational leader in the 1960s in the U.S. and abroad because, even though he was certainly charismatic, his basic achievements were to enlist and arouse political activism among the young, a generation which had seldom been concerned with politics. The author points out that Kennedy's ability to reframe issues by (1) arousing emotions of his followers, (2) dealing with conflict and change, (3) utilizing his outstanding rhetorical skills, (4) creating an image, (5) developing a sense of trust and (6) establishing group cohesiveness made him a transformational leader. The paper relates that, unlike the text's examples of other transformational leaders, Kennedy cannot truly be judged on his accomplishments since he was assassinated well before many of his ideas became reality and his legislative and foreign affairs efforts worked out.

From the Paper:

"Kennedy had to deal with conflict and change. This meant not only the Cold War with Russia, but the serious situations escalating in Viet Nam. Of course, the two most serious conflicts during his presidency were the Cuban missile crisis, where he and his advisers managed to get Krushchev to back down from the installation of missile sites in Cuba; and the Bay of Pigs fiasco, where poor planning and judgment led to the deaths and capture of some Cuban refugees trying (with the covert help of the U.S.) to invade Cuba and somehow overthrow Fidel Castro."

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