Essay Example on Eleanor Roosevelt: Defining Leadership & Putting It Into Practice

Introduction

Many people have attempted to define leadership and the roles of a leader. Most of these definitions usually have similarities, and they aim to show how a leader should behave. Among the people that have defined this concept, Eleanor Roosevelt made a significant contribution. She not only defined what a good leader should be, but she also put into practice what she said about being a leader. Reading about her life provides many instances of her definition of leadership. For example, despite growing up without parents, she still managed to have a significant influence on the world at her time. Moreover, during her time, women and other minority communities were discriminated against by others. However, this discrimination did not stop her from rising and working hard to reduce bias.

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Based on her life, Roosevelt would define leadership as having the characteristics that allow a person to see and set the direction for others and getting them to cooperate. On several occasions, she saw the direction that she needed people to move towards, and then she directed them towards it. For instance, when she was the first lady, she created the women-only press conference, a move that made newspapers to ensure that they have at least one female political reporter (Luscombe, 2018). She took this step because she wanted to increase the number of women in the press and to ensure that other organizations also recognize the value of women in the workplace. Moreover, this action showed that she was ready to see and set a direction for people to follow and then ensure that they head towards it.

Another critical definition of the conduct of a leader that Eleanor Roosevelt would make is that he or she should learn to listen to others, cooperate with, and put the needs of other people first. She performed several actions that showed that a good leader should pay attention to the needs of the people that they lead. Specifically, leadership includes learning about the needs of the subjects and attending to them (Luscombe, 2018). Moreover, when attending to these needs, a good leader should also focus on the differences that exist among the people they lead, and then find ways of dealing with them. These features define a good leader based on the life of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Character Traits, Habits, or Practices Made her an Exceptional Ethical Leader

Eleanor Roosevelt believed that a good leader should not only use words and documents but should also use actions. In her life, she engaged in many activities that portrayed her as a good leader. This section discusses four of her characteristics and habits that made her an exceptional leader.

Defending the Rights of the Discriminated

One of the most visible characteristics of Mrs. Roosevelt was defending the rights of defenseless people in society. At her time, the community, and especially Caucasians, discriminated against African Americans. In many parts of the country, and mainly in the south, African Americans faced violence and lynching from other residents of the regions. Additionally, males discriminated against females in all fields, a factor that led to the employment of fewer women in workplaces. Eleanor Roosevelt did not support these forms of discrimination, and therefore, she engaged in many actions that aimed at changing this state of events. For instance, she publicly opposed the lynching of African Americans. At that time, many politicians did not want to support or oppose the anti-lynching movement for personal reasons (Cooper, 2017). However, Mrs. Roosevelt held a firm stand and opposed this maltreatment.

Other than defending African Americans, Eleanor Roosevelt also defended other persons that faced discrimination. For instance, the sections below show how she supported equality in treatment that women and men received at the workplace.

Engaging in Actions that Aimed at Promoting the View of Women to the World

Another form of mistreatment that existed at the time of Eleanor Roosevelt is the discrimination that women got at workplaces. Many employers preferred employing male to female workers. However, Eleanor did not support this stand, and she even engaged in some activism that sought to increase the number of women in workplaces. For instance, an excellent example is her women-only press conferences (Luscombe, 2018). She used this action to ensure that all newspapers and other media houses have at least one female political reporter. This action shows that she was committed to the empowerment of women in the workplace.

Having an Upright Political and Social Conscience

Even before becoming the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt engaged in actions that seek to improve the social and political lives of other people. Moreover, she continued championing the rights of other people even when she became the first lady. For instance, Mrs. Roosevelt joined the New York City Women's Club to protect the social and political rights of women in the region (Luscombe, 2018). Additionally, when her husband contracted polio, she took upon herself to continue furthering her political stand. While other people would have given up to care for her husband, she knew that this action would have led to a decline of the Roosevelt name in politics (Luscombe, 2018). Thus, she continued with her political activism in different parts of the nation and the globe to keep the Roosevelt name and her politics relevant. Throughout her life, she possessed an upright social and political conscience that guided her actions.

What I Learned from her that will Help me Become a Good Ethical Leader

Reading about the life and deeds of Eleanor Roosevelt produces many lessons. It teaches one to become a competent and ethical leader in many aspects of life. The first lesson that this leader's life teaches is the benefit of supporting human rights for all people. From early in her life, this leader supported equal rights for all people, such as the African American community, women, and other discriminated communities. This leader realized that the main factor that causes these individuals to have unfair treatment is the fact that people do not understand the rights of other communities. For instance, her opposition against lynching and violence against members of the African American community showed that she wanted people to see the rights of these people. Another case is her support for equal treatment of women and men in the workplace. She wanted people to understand the rights of women at work.

The second lesson that Eleanor Roosevelt's life teaches us that it is crucial for someone to choose a firm stand and support it regardless of the opposition that one faces. In her life, Mrs. Roosevelt considered the actions of people and developed her strong positions for or against them and did not change them. For instance, during the movement against the lynching of the African American community, she chose to support the campaign without considering how her peers would see her (Kirkwood-Tucker, 2011). While many politicians did not want to oppose these killings, Mrs. Roosevelt did not let their opinion change her resolve to declare her stand publicly. A good comparison between her and other politicians at that time is her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who opposed the lynching only three times between 1933 and 1935 (Cooper, 2017). The president chose not to show his opposition publicly to protect his name and reputation with the southern senators. However, the stand of her husband did not hinder Mrs. Roosevelt from declaring her position publicly.

The third lesson that one learns from the life and actions of Eleanor Roosevelt is that with determination, a single person can achieve results that many other people have failed. Specifically, while being the chair of the United Nations (UN), she managed to steer it into the formulation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This achievement was not easy since the organization needed to formulate a declaration that would serve all people regardless of their color, race, creed, or background (Luscombe, 2018). While joining the UN, some critics said that she would not have any impact on the organization. However, when she became the chair of the organization, she openly said that she would not only serve as a chairperson but that she would also be a harsh driver (Luscombe, 2018). Her achievement in the formulation of the UDHR acted as proof of her efforts. Therefore, while other leaders had considered it a hard task to formulate the UDHR, she steered the UN into adopting this declaration. Her actions show that a person's determination can help him or her to achieve something that other people have failed.

References

Cooper, M. (2017). Reframing Eleanor Roosevelt's influence in the 1930s anti-lynching movement around a 'new philosophy of government'. European Journal of American Studies, 12(1), 1-15. doi:10.4000/ejas.11914

Kirkwood-Tucker, T. F. (2011). Eleanor Roosevelt and Civil Rights. Social Education, 75(5), 245-249. Retrieved from https://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/publications/articles/se_750511245.pdf

Luscombe, A. (2018). Eleanor Roosevelt: A crusading spirit to move human rights forward. Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, 36(4), 241-246. doi:10.1177/0924051918801610