Idi Amin- Bad leadership Essay

Idi Amin Dada

A “killer, clown, big-hearted buffoon and strutting martinet” , these are just some of the kind words that have been used to describe General Idi Amin or as he preferred to be addressed, “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular."   As evident Idi Amin infatuated with himself. There has never been a more selfish individual to walk this planet. He was a walking advertisement for the dangers of a follower thrown into a leadership role and giving a substantial amount of power. As a former military dictator and self appointed president of the African nation of Uganda, Idi Amin was scrutinized and accused of various atrocities against humanity including human rights abuses, political repression and ethnic persecution amongst many others.   . He was a very troubled man who was the leader of a very troubled country. His early years showed flashes of brilliance and promise as a leader, but in my opinion he was a follower at heart and his years of tyrannical rule shined a light on this. In this paper I will prove using the trait theory, how Amin showed great promise during his years in the army but failed at becoming a developed leader according to Howard Gardner’s theory later in his life because deep down he was a follower at heart.

The trait theory is a leadership theory that says that people are born with inherent traits and that some of these traits are well suited for leaders and the right combination of these traits in one person increases the chance of them becoming a good leader. Idi Amin possessed several traits which were suited for leadership. When he was a Ugandan officer in the King’s African rifles, Amin was believed by many to be an upcoming leader. He showed flashes of brilliance and promise. Some traits that are suited for leadership possessed by...