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African American Leaders

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Throughout history and even today the world has seen and continues to see different leaders. There have been dictators, presidents, kings and queens, chiefs, and others that represent all leaders, and leadership in general, in different socioeconomic contexts. One could very well assume that each of these leaders faces completely different challenges. This is only partially true because there are certain challenges that every leader will face at one time or another. A chief has different responsibilities than the President of the United States has. A chief can deal with how to distribute resources while the President of the United States can deal with whether to go to war with Russia or not. However, each leader faces the overarching challenge …show more content…
Support can appear in many different forms. First and foremost, every strong leader needs resources. Tangible, human and symbolic resources are key to the foundation a leader needs. However, some of these resources are easier to obtain than others. Tangible resources are the most abundant resources and the easiest obtain. They are defined as material and culturally defined goods such as monetary funds as well as other objects that would be useful to a leader in a particular culture. Some cultures may see food resources as the wealth and prosperity of a leader. There are particular African nations that look at yams as an important tangible resource. In first world countries, money is recognized as a tangible resource that every leader needs. When candidates are running for President in the United States, they pour hundreds of thousands of dollars into their campaigns. Tangible resources show that a leader has the ability to not only provide for himself but also for his …show more content…
These resources include personality, charisma, knowledge, social networks, and relationships. Human assets however are the hardest to maintain because there are always other leaders that come along that can promise more to those assets. A strong leader needs not only to be personable; they also need followers, benefactors, and loyalists. Without support, leaders are viewed with suspicion. Followers are the bedrock of leadership support. However, this kind of support is quite prickly because they are easily swayed. Most followers are distant, which makes them easy to lose. Leaders also need benefactors. These people are much more committed to a leader than a follower is. This is usually where a leader’s tangible resources come from. Benefactors provide culturally appropriate resources, and in return the leader is more obligated to them. They can also compromise a leader’s power and authority, especially when a leader becomes overly indebted because they need benefits. Due to the fact that benefactors and followers can be shaky, every leader needs loyalists. They provide enduring support and are embedded in a moral commitment to a leader mostly because they can identify with the leader. Loyalists are crucial to shaping the image of a leader. For a chief, followers could very well be members of his community that have no connection to him, his benefactors are influential members in his community that are more

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