CHE GUEVARA A LEADERSHIP STUDY Introduction The first thing to note is that in my son's veins flowed the bloodof

f the Irish rebels, the Spanish onquistadores and the Argentinean patriots. Evidently Che inherited some of thefeatures of our restless ancestors. There was something inHis nature which drew him to distant wanderings, dangerous adventures and new ideas. - Ernesto Guevara Lynch ( Ches Father ) Background 1. as el Ernesto "Che" Guevara ( June 14, 1928 October 9, 1967), commonly known Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician,

author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture. As a young medical student, Guevara traveled throughout South America and was radicalized by the poverty, hunger, and disease he witnessed. His burgeoning desire to help overturn what he saw as the capitalist exploitation of Latin America by the United States prompted his involvement in Guatemala's social reforms under President Jacobo rbenz, whose eventual CIA-assisted overthrow at the behest of the Company solidified Guevara's political ideology. Later, while living in Mexico City, he met Ral and Fidel Castro, joined their 26th of July Movement, and sailed to Cuba aboard the yacht, Granma, with the intention of overthrowing U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Guevara soon rose to prominence among the insurgents, was promoted to second-in-command, and played a pivotal role in the victorious two-year guerrilla campaign that deposed the Batista regime. Following the Cuban Revolution, Guevara performed a number of key roles in the new government. These included reviewing the appeals and firing squads for those convicted as war criminals during the

revolutionary tribunals, instituting agrarian land reform as minister of industries, helping spearhead a successful nationwide literacy campaign, serving as both national bank president and instructional director for Cubas armed forces, and traversing the globe as a diplomat on behalf of Cuban socialism. Such positions also allowed him to play a central role in training the militia forces who repelled the Bay of Pigs Invasion and

bringing the Soviet nuclear-armed ballistic missiles to Cuba which precipitated the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Additionally, he was a prolific writer and diarist, composing a seminal manual on guerrilla warfare, along with a best-selling memoir about his youthful continental motorcycle journey. His experiences and studying of MarxismLeninism led him to posit that the Third World's underdevelopment and dependence was an intrinsic result of imperialism, neocolonialism, and monopoly capitalism, with the only remedy being proletarian internationalism and world revolution. Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to foment revolution abroad, first unsuccessfully in Congo-Kinshasa and later in Bolivia, where he was captured by CIA-assisted Bolivian forces and summarily executed. Guevara remains both a revered and reviled historical figure, polarized in the collective imagination in a multitude of biographies, memoirs, essays, documentaries, songs, and films. As a result of his perceived martyrdom, poetic invocations for class struggle, and desire to create the consciousness of a "new man" driven by moral rather than material incentives, he has evolved into a quintessential icon of various leftist-inspired movements. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century, while an Alberto Korda photograph of him entitled Guerrillero

Heroico (shown), was cited by the Maryland Institute College of Art as "the most famous photograph in the world". 2. Across the globe, there is only one man whose face is associated with, and

immediately recognized as part of, revolution. Renowned as a folk hero to some, while branded a ruthless monster by others; his name will be synonymous with rebellion for years to come. As a child, his asthma left him frustrated and weak, but increasingly stubborn, while determination and desire for social justice persuaded him to join the Cuban revolution. When Cuba was secured, it was clearly not the Utopia he had dreamed of, and he vanished, only to reappear in Bolivia importing revolution. There he was assassinated by the CIA in a clandestine cooperation assisting the Bolivian government.This was the life of Ernesto Che Guevara, a folk hero, a socialist, and, forever, a revolutionary. This paper will analyse the leadership qualities of Che Guevara and determine exactly what qualities he did possess. The paper will then examine in detail the leadership qualities of Che Guevara to determine what leadership qualities he did and did not possess. The analysis will focus on Guevaras relationship with his 2

people, that is the leadership that existed between Che Guevara and the people of Cuba. This paper will show that, when Guevaras leadership qualities are analysed against a recognised leadership model he was not a good leader. Indeed he was not a leader at all but rather a brutal, ruthless and lacked flexible attitude.

The late Ernesto Che Guevara was a genuine leader. His cause was to liberate Cuba from a corrupt military dictatorship, and resist United States interference in Cuban political affairs (More or Less, 2002). In the beginning this cause was just, but his passion grew to hatred, which inevitably consumed him. Che personified a collectivist but real concern for people, and truly came to believe that the key to realising that concern was through armed, savage, anti-imperialist political action
3. Nature of Leadership a. Effective leadership is a key factor in the life and success of an

organization b. c. Leadership transforms potential into reality Leadership is the ultimate act which brings to success all of the potent that is in an organization and its people.

potential d.

Leaders propose new paradigms when old ones lose their effectiveness.

4.

Elements of Leadership a. b. c. d. e. Leader-follower Influence Organizational objective Change People

5.

Elements of Leadership of Che Guevara

a.

Leader-follower- The widespread poverty and oppression he witnessed,

fused with his interest in Marxism,convinced him that the only solution to South and Central America's problems wasmed revolution. b. Influence- After the success of guerrilla war, people started believing that

Guvera will always do things that will bring profit and prosperity to Cuba.

6.

Traits of Leaders of Guvera a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. Confront reality head-on Seek feedback and listen Say what needs to be said Encourage push back Take actions on performance issues Communicate openly and frequently Lead change Make decision and move forward Give credit to other

7.

Strengths a. b. c. d. e. True to his cause Honest Empathetic Learned from experiences Led by example

8.

Weaknesses a. b. Brutal & Ruthless Lacked Flexible attitude

9.

Summary of Che Guevara s Leadership

From the brief discussion above of Guevaras leadership characteristics it is clear that on most criteria defined in the leadership model Guevara failed to be an effective leader. There is no doubt he had some redeeming leadership qualities but on balance the negative by far outweigh the positive.

10.

Conclusion

Through a balanced assessment, against a recognised leadership model there is no doubt that Che Guvera was not a good leader because he undoubtedly agreeable leader as he failed as a visionary leader and failed to forecast the change. Indeed, based upon the significant leadership flaws in Guveras personality the author argues that he was not a leader at all.