Angelina Jolie: Analysis Of Leadership Style, Behaviour, And Contributions To Society
In 2014, Angelina Jolie was listed at number 21 in Fortune’s World’s 50 Greatest Leaders for good reason. Not only is Angelina Jolie a Hollywood movie star, but she is also an incredibly charitable person. In 2001, Jolie was named a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with the goal of helping educate the public about the conditions refugees faced as well as the perseverance and courage refugees showed to overcome all odds and rebuild their lives. She has been on over 50 field missions all over the globe, using her global influence to shine a light on human rights that have been neglected and other humanitarian issues. She has donated to countless charities and founded the Maddox Jolie-Pitt foundation that focuses on “preserving Cambodia’s environment and supporting rural communities”. In 2003, Angelina Jolie was the first recipient of the Citizen of the World Award presented by the United Nations Correspondents Association to those who have considered having contributed significantly to the world and in 2005, she was awarded the Global Humanitarian Award by the United Nations Association USA for the work she did with the UNHCR and refugees. In 2013, the New York Times released an editorial by Angelina Jolie about her decision to get a double mastectomy, a controversial decision in the 21st century, speaking out to the public about her medical choice to let other women know that they have choices too. These are just a small number of things she has done to contribute to society and the world.
Leadership Style and Behaviour
Angelina Jolie demonstrates a team leadership style by accomplishing work through committed people. She joins the United Nations refugee agency, a group of people “dedicated to saving lives and protecting the rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people” and works with them to reach their shared goal. Jolie demonstrates a strong emphasis on both tasks and interpersonal relationships, focusing on informing the public in official meetings and to government ministers, at a diplomatic level of the conditions refugees face while also going down to the ground level to visit the refugees she is speaking about and see first-hand what they are going through.
As a leader, Angelina Jolie stimulates participation, acts determined, makes priorities clear, follows through, behaves open-mindedly and enjoys working. She brings awareness to issues important to her and encourages others to help the cause. She is determined to help those in need and puts almost all her energy into her humanitarian efforts. She enjoys working as an ambassador because it means she is helping others in need and she takes advantage of her strength, which is her “ability to influence governments and move public opinion at the same time”. On the evolution of leadership, Angelina Jolie falls under emerging leadership approaches under authentic leadership. In this type of leadership, the leader is self-aware and genuine. In the speech she made when accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2013, she acknowledged that there are people just like her who do not have the same opportunities as her and that she was lucky to be born with the chance that she had (Bulman, 2016, para. 1).
Angelina Jolie is aware of her privilege and status and uses it to help those who need it. During field missions, she covers all her costs and shares the same working and living conditions as the other UNHCR field staff. She has an internalized moral perspective. When speaking about her causes, she says she tries to speak for what she believes in, showing that she does not just say what people want to hear. Her morals dictate her actions and she sticks to what she believes in. She is also vulnerable by being open with the public about certain issues. In her 2013 editorial in the New York Times, she opened up about a very personal decision: getting a double mastectomy. She found out she had an 87 percent risk of getting breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of getting ovarian cancer. This vulnerability did not define her. Instead, she presents herself by being open and honest about what she went through. Angelina Jolie demonstrates the positive psychological capacities of an authentic leader which are confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience, as well as the moral reasoning capacities of an authentic leader that are deciding right and wrong and promoting justice. Jolie often speaks out about justice for women and is a strong activist for women’s rights. The main application of authentic leadership that applies to Angelina Jolie is that leaders are shaped by critical life events that lead to growth and greater authenticity.
Flaw and Coaching
Although Angelina Jolie may be a great leader, there is always room for improvement. In an interview, Jolie reveals that her weakness is similar to one of her movie characters, Tigress, in the movie Kung Fu Panda and that is being too tough and not knowing how to be soft. This may be caused by her strong sense of determination and drive for her work that does not leave her a lot of time to loosen up. Another supposed flaw Angelina Jolie may have is not playing nice with others (Sager, n.d., para. 28). She does not have many friends and is protective of her public image to the point that there may be manipulation involved.
The coaching method I would use is general coaching with the GROW model. This model raises an individual’s awareness as well as their understanding of their situation and the actions they wish to take to reach their personal and professional goals. I would ask her what her goals are, where she currently is with her goal, the options she has to reach her goal, and the steps she needs to take to reach her goal. This model provokes critical thinking and may lead her to show concern for her previous actions. The GROW model would help her be a better person which will help her do more for the greater good.
