The “L” Word: What it Means to Be a Leader

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Leadership is a funny thing. There are the leaders we hate, that lead with intimidation and fear; there are the leaders we love, that inspire and amaze us; and there are the leaders we need, that bring out the leaders in all of us.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, your friends at KudosWall have decided to provide a more magical look at your favorite characters’ leadership styles. So pour yourself a pint of butterbeer, grab your quill and parchment, and take a read.

Albus Dumbledore

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It wouldn’t be a leadership analysis if we didn’t start things off with the one and only Albus Dumbledore. Not only does he serve as a father figure and mentor to Harry throughout his years at Hogwarts, he also successfully inspires (and has inspired) countless witches and wizards to join the fight against Lord Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore leads with charisma and reverie. He effortlessly inspires the masses to fight in his stead, sometimes without doing so intentionally; Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army band together and name him their (completely uninvolved) leader. Furthermore, when Harry is nearly punished for leading this “rebellious” group of students, Dumbledore lies to authorities and sacrifices himself to the cause, knowing full well it means imprisonment in Azkaban.

Dumbledore is able to capture the attention of hundreds with a simple wave of his hands, and demands the respect of all those around him without a single spoken word.

Lessons we can learn about leadership from the late (still crying), great Albus Dumbledore:

• Always fight for what you believe in. Be uncompromising in your values and have courage in your convictions. People will fall in line behind leadership like this.
• Work with your strengths and be aware of areas of your leadership that may be lacking. Acknowledge those deficiencies and enlist the help of others who strive in the same way.
• Be confident. Confident individuals lead purely because people want to follow them.

Dumbledore, on leadership, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Lord Voldemort

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Over the course of many years, Voldemort brings countless witches, wizards and magical creatures over to the dark side through coercion, fear-mongering, the threat of violence, and promises of pure-blood supremacy and power… not to mention, he kills everyone who defies him, but that’s neither here nor there. He demands the utmost loyalty from his followers, the Death Eaters, branding them with the Dark Mark and expecting them to follow his orders until death.

Hear me out: whether you call him You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Tom Riddle or The Dark Lord, Voldemort is a terrifying and powerful leader, despicably evil though he may be.

Lessons we can learn about leadership from Lord Voldemort:

• Never give up. You have to give it to the Dark Lord here, he didn’t let anything stand in his way (like losing his body or six different parts of his soul) to power. It wasn’t until our main man Harry came around that anyone was able to halt that crazy train.
• Delegate. Don’t take everything on yourself. Many heads are almost always better than one (just ask Fluffy).
• Wildly pursue your dreams. Have an endgame, set your goals, and do whatever it takes to achieve them.
• Most importantly… never sacrifice your nose for power.

Voldemort, on leadership (from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone): “There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to see it.”

Harry Potter

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Last (but certainly not least), we come to the Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter is undoubtedly one of the greatest fictional characters of the age and one of the best young leaders in literature. From his eleventh birthday, we watch Harry fight the forces of darkness while trying to face the battles of growing up and becoming a part of a world he knew nothing about. Throughout his years at Hogwarts, Harry is thrust into leadership thanks to his sealed fate as “The Chosen One” to defeat Lord Voldemort. In his first year, he becomes the youngest seeker in a century to lead the Gryffindors to victory on the Quidditch pitch. In his fourth year, he wins the Tri-Wizard Tournament and subsequently convinces everyone that Voldemort has returned, despite being discredited by the Ministry of Magic. In his fifth year, he teaches his fellow students how to defend themselves and leads them through Dumbledore’s Army. These are just a few ways Harry exhibits exceptional leadership.

Clearly, we can learn a lot from The Chosen One, such as:

• Remember who you are and what brought you to where you are.
• Lean on your friends. You need them and there is absolutely, positively, no shame in that. Let them be there for you just like you pride yourself on being there for them.
• Be humble. When Harry had the chance to win the Tri-Wizard Tournament, he instead chose to share his victory with Cedric Diggory (again… still crying).

Harry, on leadership (from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix): “Working hard is important, but there is something that matters even more, believing in yourself.”

All in all, the characters of this magical series by J.K. Rowling exhibit various different kinds of leadership; the good, the bad, the noble, the vindictive. It is important to recognize all of these as they are sure to come up amongst the Muggles in your world.