Adolf Hitler

Overview
Adolf Hitler was born on 20th April 1889, in the small Austrian town of Braunau.
When World War I began in 1914, Hitler volunteered to join the German army. He was
given a medal for bravery, but he never had the chance to climb any rank. In 1920, Hitler
joined the National Socialist German Workers Party, which was known as the Nazis. Hitler
became the leader of the Nazi party by using his great speaking ability. In the 1930’s
depression, Germany had to pay an even greater debt, which was coming for World War I.
Hitler did not agree to pay the debt and stated that the Jews and Communists were the
cause of Germany’s defeat in World War I. He ensured that his party was going to get rid of
Jews and Communists and that he was going to reunite the German-speaking part of
Europe. In 1932, the Nazis party got about 40% in the
elections and became the strongest party in Germany, so in
1933 Hitler was appointed as the Chancellor of Germany.

Under Hitler’s government, called the Third Reich,

Hitler used widespread propaganda to brainwash and
manipulate the nation into accepting his theory about
creating the perfect Aryan race. In 1939 when World War II
began, Hitler invaded Poland to unify as he promised all
German-speaking peoples. By this time extermination camps
were being established throughout Germany, Poland, and
Russia. When Hitler’s plan did not work out, he committed
suicide on April 30, 1945

Hitler’s powerful and relentless leadership style was

very successful in the beginning. Hitler directed the
“Blitzkrieg” tactics that dominated the first phase of World War II. These bold tactics
included sudden shock attacks against airfields, communications centers, and military
installations. He was the inspiration behind great victories like the Battle of France in May
1940 and the Battle of Kharkiv in May 1942. It was Hitler’s leadership style along with his
inability to make decisions at critical times, which lead to the undoing of Nazi Germany.

Beginning with the reoccupation of the Rhineland in March 1936, Hitler saw his senior
officers unwilling to take risks. As time went on, he came to believe that Germany's victories
were his alone and that most of his generals were narrow-minded and incapable. Near the
end of the war, he ordered that no unit could move without his express permission. He
demanded lengthy reports on every armed vehicle and position that his forces lost.

In his February 2002 article for the British Broadcasting Corporation’s History Page, Geoffrey
Megargee describes Hitler as a meddler in military operations. He illustrates the effect this
meddling had on the prosecution of the War. Hitler distrusted his generals and relied too
much on his instinct. According to his so-called “Leadership Principle”, ultimate authority
rested with him and extended downward. Hitler had an incredible memory for detail. Every
point had to be correct and consistent with previous briefings. He would become annoyed at
any discrepancies. Hitler combined his insistence on personal control with a leadership style
that often consisted of equal parts stubbornness and indecisiveness (Megargee).

Hitler sometimes put off difficult decisions for weeks, especially as the military situation
grew worse. In 1943, for instance, his inability to make up his mind about an attack at
Kursk, Russia eventually pushed the attack back from April to July. By the time he made up
his mind to attack, the Soviet army was well prepared. At other times, Hitler would cling to a
decision stubbornly, regardless of its merits.

Writing for the German Historical Institute, Washington, D.C., Hans Mommsen examines
how the German political system gradually lost its internal controls. Mommsen describes
how Hitler hesitated in making strategic decisions about the execution of the war. For
example, when Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, urged him to stop fighting on two
fronts, Hitler stated that negotiation was out of the question as long as the Wehrmacht
(German Army) achieved any military successes. Hitler's strategic decisions corresponded to
the same pattern in domestic politics. In pursuing short-term mobilization, the Reich avoided
sketching out alternative strategies in case of unanticipated setbacks (Mommsen).
Mommsen contends that in the end, Hitler paid for his short-sightedness with increasing
inefficiency and a lack of coordination of diverging policies.

Hitler’s belief that Germany's victories were his alone left no room for his general’s advice.
His leadership style coupled with his hesitation to make critical decisions proved to be
unworkable in the end and led inevitably to Germany's eventual defeat.
 Some of the Traits and Skills of Adolf Hitler:

 Charisma-Passion-Vision

Hitler’s charisma was the key to the whole success of National-Socialism, which he was
supporting and wanted to pass through the people of Germany. Hitler obtained this
charismatic “altitude” partially because of his political skills and appeal.

The enabling factor, which was helping Hitler accomplishing almost every task he had, was
his surprising clarity of vision. He had great ideas for Germany, to be bigger, better, and
“purer” than ever but also, he was driven by his ego to take over the world, which was not
as “pure” as he wanted Germany to be.

Hitler was revealing his passion through his speeches. He knew that arriving late at the
meeting point would develop tension among the audience and make them expect him.
When he was arriving at the stage, he was standing attention and was waiting for everyone
to stop talking to have total silence and then to start. His moves and gestures were so
forceful. He was walking from side to side at the stage and he was gesturing with his hands
and the tone of his voice was loud and passionate. He was sweating; his face was getting
white; his eyes have bulged, and his voice was full of emotion. He was shouting about the
unfairnesses, and prejudices have done to Germany, and he was making his audience to be
full of hate and jealousy. So, by the end of his speech, the crowd was in a condition near to
madness and was willing to do everything Hitler was implying.

 Determination

Hitler’s determination and tremendous tenacity of purpose were two characteristics, which
described him through his governance. He was a man who was striving for power and
command. To have the power to be the commander of Germany and conquer the whole
world, he managed to climb up from being a simple soldier in the front line to become the
chancellor of Germany and the commander of an enormous army. This fact indicates his
great will and capability to meet his objectives and to achieve whatever he sought.

 Integrity

Although Hitler was a great leader he had no sense of logical thinking. Hitler’s lack of ethical
reasoning and social intelligence goes back to his low self-awareness, empathy, and interest
in others. He was unethical in thoughts and actions, taking advantage of situations, which
his followers were in, in the most vicious approach to reach his goals. Manipulating his army
to put Jews into extermination camps, is the biggest example not only of his immoral and
wicked character but also his twisted mind.

 Confidence

Hitler was greatly self-assured in his abilities. His rise in the hierarchy scale, his influential
speeches, the fact that he managed to get Germany back from the edge of economic
disaster, the battles which he was making in crucial places or critical periods are facts which
are showing the huge levels of confidence that Hitler had.
  Sociability

In terms of Hitler’s management towards his secretaries and the people who worked with
him closely, Hitler was, surprisingly enough, the more thoughtful boss. The fuehrer was
adored by those who worked closest with him.

His secretaries never became maddened by any kind of rudeness or lack of indulgence
towards them. Hitler knew their names and birthdays, he was visiting them when they were
ill, and they repaid him with lifetime loyalty, even after his crimes became generally known.

 Intelligence

Hitler’s intelligence is indisputable. He managed to get Germany back from the edge of
economic disaster and made them flourish again, from a beaten country to a world power in
just a few years.

The fact that Hitler came from a front-line soldier to the fuehrer shows not only, as it was
aforementioned, his great will and capability to meet his objectives but also his great mind
sharpness since he was able to manipulate, even brainwashed a whole nation to do that.

 Influential

Hitler was influential because he used nationalism as a tool for igniting the interests of
people to follow in his cause. like Napoleon, he was power-driven.

Influential has to do with the behaviors of people one can manipulate either by sanction or
charisma and Hitler was a man skilled with the sword as well as words. he was influential
because he had a big vision and people need big visions to be motivated so he motivated
people.

 Confident

He had a lot of confidence thinking that he could achieve his goals. Although in the end his
confidence was overturned, he did have it which is a good characteristic of a leader.

 Goal-Setter

He set goals for himself and the Nazis. Even though some of these were very farfetched, he
did set them and that is a positive characteristic of a leader.

 Powerful

People listened to him. Not many people went against him because they were afraid that
something would happen to them or their families.

 Demanding

He wanted what he wanted and wasn't going to change his beliefs for anything or anyone.
He thought that he had all the power in the world and that's what he was trying to gain.
 Leadership Style

Charismatic Leadership

This type of leadership mainly relies on personality and charm. Even if one does not have a
natural charm, they can still learn effective ways in which to lead a group using motivation
and high Morales. These types of leaders are very good at engaging others and making
them feel that they are effective and valuable team members.

The most famous negative charismatic leader would be Adolph Hitler. He was able to make
an entire country bow to their knees and believe the notions and ideas he had come up with
about their German race being higher and more superior than others, especially those of the
Jewish faith. People were mesmerized by his speeches and how he commanded an
audience. (Charismatic Leadership)

It is easy to think that Hitler is a leader with transformative leadership. He gave the
Germans and his followers a vision of success or achievement and an optimistic outlook. It
also raised the overall organizational level and motivated the members to follow the leader's
behavior. There is the meaning of transformative leadership that 'Transformational
leadership is a leadership style in which leaders encourage, inspire and motivate employees
to innovate and create change that will help grow and shape the future success of the
company.

But Hitler is more of a charismatic leader. The meaning of charismatic leadership is that “A
charismatic leadership definition is incomplete if it does not focus on the leader personally.
More than other popular leadership styles, charismatic leadership depends on the
personality and actions of the leader, not the process or structure.” There is a reason why
Hitler's leadership is charismatic. Hitler is that there was no personal consideration or
intellectual stimulation for the members around him. On the other hand, “He was not a
'normal' politician - someone who promises policies like lower taxes and better health care -
but a quasi-religious leader who offered almost spiritual goals of redemption and salvation.
He was driven forward by a sense of personal destiny he called 'providence'.”

So, he did not condone the challenge to the leader's authority. However, Hitler managed his
members with charisma based on his clear goals, vision, and a clear sense of mission,
increasing the loyalty and obedience of his members. These actions have strengthened
Hitler's power. Hitler's leadership had a great influence on bringing the Germans together at
the time. Hitler knew how to get people to follow him. He informed the people of their
needs through speeches and propaganda, and thus gained popular support.

As a result, Hitler changed Germany and showed the German people and followers a dream
of a future united by nationalism. It also means that Hitler has excellent speech and charm.
There is an assessment that Hitler is “He learned how to become a charismatic speaker, and
people for whatever reason, became enamored with him. People were most willing to follow
him because he seemed to have the right answers in a time of enormous economic
upheaval. Since Hitler taking power, Hitler has shown many economic and political changes
to make Germany a great power in Europe again, and in fact, Germany has become a great
power in Europe. That's why in Germany and the occupied territories, the people cooperated
without blame with Hitler, even if the Nazis and Hitler committed genocide such as
oppression and exploitation of the immigrants and the Holocaust. That's because, as a
result, Hitler's leadership has led him to support the Nazi Party and Hitler, no matter what
the circumstances would be.

Hitler was the kind of leader Germany needed at the time. However, he ends up losing the
war. As a result, he has shown leadership that has failed. Hitler tried to concentrate
decision-making on himself and supervise the details, even though he was far from the
battlefield. The motive for Hitler to use this method is the leader principle (The
Führerprinzip). Leader principle (The Führerprinzip) is that “Ultimate authority rested with
him and extended downward. At each level, the superior was to give the orders, the
subordinates to follow them to the letter.”

Hitler's charismatic leadership has both merits and demerits. But Hitler's charismatic
leadership certainly helped turn Germany, which lost World War I, into a European power
again. Hitler's speech and propaganda skills have strengthened Hitler's support base, and his
charismatic leadership has made Hitler's. However, think the problem is that charismatic
leadership was highly dependent on leaders. As a result, think Hitler's charismatic leadership
in German society has demonstrated both the limitations and possibilities that it has. Also, it
shows the possibility of transformative leadership at the same time.

Hitler's Behaviour
Task-oriented

Hitler was a high task-oriented leader. He had a clear vision and knowledge of the path for
executing his strategy, so he is the one who directed his people in an attempt to execute his
vision. He wanted to monitor everything and retain control of every task, which was about
to be executed. He never blamed himself for his failure but the other which in his case was
Germany as a whole.

Relationship oriented

In terms of Hitler’s relationship orientation, we can mention that he had really good
interpersonal relations with those who worked closest to him. He knew personal details for
them, a fact which shows that he was interested in them and their psychological health. He
was visiting them when they were ill fact, which shows that he was interested in their
physical health.

So, we can say that Hitler had good leader-member relations, his task orientation was high,
and finally, his position power is strong, since he had all the authority of the country.
Consequently, Adolf Hitler appears to be a Task-Oriented Leader.

Transformational

“Transformational leadership is a type of leadership style that leads to positive changes in

those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and
passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also
focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well”.

Transformational leaders engage in intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation. As

far as intellectual stimulation is concerned, Hitler was visionary wanted for Germany to be
the first power and for him to conquer the world. As far as inspirational motivation is
concerned, Hitler strived to be different to become the “great” world leader and had the
proper plans and tactics on how to achieve his goals.

To have their country standing again to their feet Hitler appealed to the values and ethics of
the German people. Although the need for resurrection in Germany’s economy was obvious
we can say that Hitler instead of fulfilling his followers ’ higher mental needs and aspirations
he was fulfilling his own needs. He was a dominant, magnetic leader that would possibly fit
the characterization of a pseudo-transformational leader because a leader satisfies the
needs of his followers and their well-being, but Hitler did not do that.

The contingency model

The contingency model will help look at Hitler's situation that he had to create for himself).
the goals that he made. and his power over people (mostly through fear of punishment).
After looking at these items. Hitler's approach will predict whether or not he chose the
correct style of leadership.

The first step in the contingency model looks at the relationship between the leader and the
subordinates. According to the text. a good leader-member relationship is one where the
members have confidence in the leader, are loyal to the leader. and the attraction that they
have for the leader. Hitler came into politics at a time where the people of Germany were
devastated by WWI and the country was lost. with no sign of nationalism and no hope.
Hitler. once again with his manipulative speeches that were geared toward his goals. gave
people hope and through telling people who to hate and why to hate them. created a
following of a massive army and gave the hopeless Germans something to believe in. The
soldiers felt as if they were a part of something and Hitler used this to gain their absolute
loyalty and gained their confidence. For the people, he was leading. although he did not
care about them. Hider was respected and admired by his followers.

The next item to look at in the contingency theory is the task structure. As was previously
stated. Hitler had his hand in anything that was of interest to hint in military operations. He
was not precise in how he wanted things done that if they were not done exactly as
ordered. his people are punished. sometimes severely. A task is considered structured when
(a) the requirements of the task are clearly stated and known by the individuals required to
perform them.

(b) the path to accomplishing the path has few alternatives.

(c) the completion of the task can be demonstrated.

(d) Only a limited number of correct solutions to the task exist.

Although there may have been a couple of different solutions to the tasks that Hitler
ordered. it was very clearly stated that the "only correct way" to accomplish the task was to
complete the task in the manner that Hitler wanted it to be completed. As was said, each
order was extremely precise and organized. leaving the subordinate little room for error or
chance to sway from the goal path. This exemplifies the high structure of each task that was
delegated by Hitler.

Lastly. the contingency model looks at the position power that the leader holds. Hitler
started his military career as a front-line soldier in WW1 and through his great persuasive
abilities worked his way to being the chancellor of Germany. Once there. Hitler started to
fire people and take over positions to increase his position power over everybody. People
were terrified to fad him let alone oppose him so his positional power over his subordinates
was quite extreme. Hider gave himself the power to do whatever he wanted to do to people
whenever he wanted to do it.

After looking at the previous three items. the information is in place to determine the best
style of leadership given the conditions surrounding the leader and his subordinates. Hitler's
situation comes out as a "1" on the preferred leadership style scale. showing good leader-
member relations. high task structure. and strong positional power. Keeping in mind that
Hitler should be viewed as a low LPC. the contingency model says that people who are in
Hitler's situation would be most successful as a low or middle LPC. Based on this model.
Hitler should theoretically be successful in his directive approach.

Mistakes

The first was in not having sound moral judgment and allowing personal interests to dictate
his governments' actions, thereby misusing his supporter's trust and eventually destroying
the lives of many of them.

The second was in not trusting his subordinate's judgment in their sections of expertise.
This happened in many cases and an example would be during the war in North Africa
where he did not allow his soldiers to retreat from the continent until it was far too late, for
the reason of nothing more than his idea of national pride.

This led to the destruction by death or capture of nearly his entire army in Africa. Another
example was the case of Stalingrad where he did not his generals to order a general
withdrawal of the troops allowed an entire army to be surrounded and cut off insisting till far
too late that the beleaguered air force could supply. surrounded troops. These were
examples not only of letting his emotions guide him but also of micromanagement in cases
where he did not know the entire situation.

A third was in being overly authoritarian. and not allowing any contrary views to be aired. It
helped initially in implementing his policies but eventually, it became dangerous to even talk
about ideas contrary to the official party line. It consequently discouraged free Thinking and
honesty, especially amongst his chief subordinates. This meant that the men who awe to
power did so not based on ability or merit but on telling him things he wanted to hear.

A SWOT analysis for Adolf Hitler

Strengths

 Passionate Speaker
 Charismatic
 Calculated
 Gifted Actor and Politician

Weaknesses

 Angry and full of rage

 Defensive
 Ego driven and selfish
 He became convinced of his infallibility (EGO)

Opportunities

 Rose to power during a time of political unrest and indecisiveness in Germany

 Master of surprise tactics: gauged the psychological effects

Threats

 Anyone who interfered with his mission was an enemy of the people.
 Intellectual and educated people.

Hitler was a very passionate speaker that was incredibly adept at connecting to his
audience to influence or persuade. The people he was speaking to would feel his passion.
His charisma for speaking combined with the weak structure of Germany at the time made
him influential beyond any other. He had the combined skills of an actor and a politician, “he
could talk well, and he had the actor’s gift of mimicry to amuse his companions, and
everything he said and did have a calculated thought behind it.

He was never caught off guard or accidentally let anything slip, “he never let slip an
unconsidered word. He never said what he did not intend to say, and he never blurted out a
secret. Everything was the result of the cold calculation”. Hitler’s ego was his biggest
weakness. The arrogance to believe that he was a “man with a mission, marked out by
Providence, and therefore exempt from the ordinary cannons of human conduct”. Hitler also
had no respect for any type of God or higher being, deeming himself as a supreme deity in
his own eyes.

Anyone that believes they are on a divine mission to destroy and conquer needs a path back
to reality. His anger and rage would often play through during his speeches, though it was
stated that he would often catch himself, calm himself, flatten his hair and continue as if
nothing had happened, and he also tended to be on the defensive, making excuses and
pointing the finger at anyone but himself or his country for the shortcomings of the time.
Hitler took advantage of a great opportunity in early 1930’s Germany. There was a time of
political unrest and uncertain leadership.

The leaders of the respective political parties were weak, and Hitler saw the chance to put
his plan into action to build the perfect nation. Incredibly patient and a master of the
surprise tactic, he waited until the timing was perfect to seize any opportunity. The greatest
threat Hitler faced would be anyone that he was unable to control. The intellectual and the
well-educated didn’t buy into his rhetoric. Hitler had one way, his way. If you weren’t with
him, you were against him. Anyone that interfered with his mission was an enemy of the
people.

Quotes of Adolf Hitler

 He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.

 Words build bridges into unexplored regions.

 If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.

 What luck for rulers that men do not think?

 It is not the truth that matters, but victory.

 The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.

 I go the way that Providence dictates with the assurance of a sleepwalker.

 Humanitarianism is the expression of stupidity and cowardice.

 I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few.

 Obstacles do not exist to be surrendered to, but only to be broken.

In My Opinion

Adolf Hitler may seem like evil and terrifying man but a man that well-known wouldn't be in
history without his passion, dependability, and confidence to make Germany a powerful
nation. To get Germany to become a powerful nation did take both negative and positive
thoughts upon his whom.

In my opinion, Hitler was the man who fought till the last man with the help of his military,
economy, and nothing other than his qualities. As being a man with qualities no other than
dependability, passion, and confidence Hitler would not have led himself to victory,
popularity, success, and rise to power. By putting himself into a position of great power and
fear, Hitler understood the situation that he was in and acted accordingly. If you think about
this situation in a business sense. think about a boss who has made an example of firing a
few people who would not perform as ordered to, and how the next person is going to feel
when ordered to do something. Hitler struck fear into his army but at the same time
maintained loyalty and motivation for the soldiers to arrive at Hitler's vision. For the boss of
the business, if production was his only concern, it is very unlikely that employees would
work harder for any reason other than to not be fired. The boss's goal or vision would not
likely be a priority to the employee as it was to the Germans. Hitler's succussed in leadership
was because of his consciousness of the situation and his ability to exploit it most efficiently.

In my opinion, Adolf Hitler was not an authentic leader. That is because, firstly, he promised
he would help revive Germany; however, he did not say that he would take over most of
Europe doing so. Secondly, to be authentic, one must have self-awareness, to know not only
he strengthens but also his weaknesses, an ability that he lacked. And thirdly, most of the
time, his feeling for conquering Europe, be the winner and the “Fuehrer” was
overshadowing his rational thinking, which in the end brought the fall of his empire.
 Reference
Books

 Armstrong, G & Kotler, P. (2010). Principles of Marketing (14th Ed.) Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson.

 Bateman, T. S. (2004). Management: The New Competitive Landscape (6th Ed.)

 New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Green, W., & McCarthy, G. (2001). Adolf Hitler. Oneonta,
NY: The Hartwick Humanities in Management Institute. Judge, T, & Robbins, S.
(2013). Organizational Behaviour.

 Hitler's Ethic: The Nazi Pursuit of Evolutionary Progress – by Richard Weikart

(Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) (New in paperback, April 2011)

Bibliography

 Megargee, Geoffrey, Ph.D. “Hitler's Leadership Style.” British Broadcasting

Corporation. History. 21 February 2003

 Mommsen, Hans. “The Dissolution of the Third Reich: Crisis Management and
Collapse, 1943-1945.” German Historical Institute. 2002. < http://www.ghi-
dc.org/bulletin27F00/b27 mommsen.html>