Team Executive Summary

Leadership in Light of Aristotle’s Writings on Rhetoric
Author’s Name
Institution

Abstract
Leadership is perceived as the capacity of an individual to steer a group or team towards a common goal. There are numerous leadership lessons that we can obtain from experiences. For instance, the film Twelve Angry Men can teach us innumerable things about leadership. Further, the rhetoric by Aristotle that discusses good and bad can be applied in leadership since leadership in the twenty-first century is grounded on ethos and pathos. From the film, a lesson that can be learned about leadership is self-awareness which involves knowing oneself regarding strengths, weaknesses, and values. Apart from self-awareness, the film teaches us on the importance of fair-mindedness since a leader is expected to consider all options before taking action. Further, the film indicates that a leader should be genuine and also do the right thing. An aspect that is found in all these lessons from the film is authenticity, which is an essential belief for the twenty-first-century leader.
Keywords: Self-awareness, fair-mindedness, genuine, authenticity
Introduction
The motion picture Twelve Angry Men narrates a story regarding a jury composed of twelve men in the trial of a Hispanic boy eighteen-years-of-age accused of taking his father’s life. Eleven of the jurors want to vote against the accused so that they can get out of the place but the film shows how one juror convinces the others to vote in favor of the boy.

From the heated arguments to the unanimous vote several leadership lessons can be obtained from the film. The following paper will aim at showing the leadership lessons obtained from the movie with regards to Aristotle’s rhetoric.
Application of leadership
Self-awareness
The first leadership lesson derived from the film Twelve Angry Men is self-awareness. Self-awareness denotes knowing oneself when it comes to strengths, weaknesses, and values. According to Aristotle’s rhetoric, self-awareness is essential when it comes to an understanding your capacities. Further, for a twenty-first-century leader, it is of utmost importance to possess authenticity. Authenticity implies being original, and strengths, weaknesses, and virtues only evidence this (O’Connell, 2014). Davies or the juror number 8 shows the importance of being authentic because he is willing to stand alone even though the other jurors want to vote the boy guilty so that they can leave. Therefore, Davies shows the importance of a leader being self-aware since he does not support anything even if it means being alone and being ridiculed.
Fair-mindedness
Another aspect of leadership portrayed in the film is fair-mindedness since a leader is expected to consider all options before taking action. In Aristotle’s rhetoric, he indicates that things are feasible if they can be done easily or if it is possible to do them. Therefore, before determining the practicability of things, a leader should consider all options and only select the realistic one. Further, the twenty-first-century leader should encourage others to check their values. In the film, Davies depicts fair-mindedness when he ponders over his decision and tries to understand the arguments of the other jurors. He also does not make assumptions. Therefore, the film shows that for one to be a great leader, they need to be fair-minded.
Being genuine
As a leader, it is important to be genuine, and this is evidenced by being straightforward and honest when handling others. In Aristotle’s rhetoric, honesty is perceived as a token that comes from being famous and doing what is right or good (“Internet Classics Archive | Rhetoric by Aristotle,” n.d.). The twenty-first-century leader is expected to be authentic by having no hidden agenda. A genuine leader will openly express how they feel and their thoughts to their subordinates. In the movie, Davies is portrayed as a genuine character since he is transparent regarding his stand even though he is alone. Eleven jurors try to convince him that he is wrong but he does not change his mind. Further, Davies has no hidden agenda since he expresses his point of view to the other jurors and does not engage in side-conversations.
Doing the right thing
Another aspect of leadership portrayed by the film is that any authentic leader should do the right thing by considering their ethics and executing justice. In Aristotle’s rhetoric, he explains why it is essential for one to consider good and bad since it dictates the means to ends. In the film, Davies questions the other jurors why they want to send the accused to go and die even without considering the case or discussing the same. Davies further criticizes the others for not taking their roles seriously. Therefore, this is an indication that for anyone to do the right thing, they should take their role with seriousness.
Conclusion
There are many leadership lessons to learn from the film Twelve Angry Men, but those contained in Aristotle’s rhetoric stand out the most. From the film and Aristotle’s perspective, it is always important to consider good and bad. It is through leadership that upholds virtues that Davies convinces the other jurors to vote in favor of the boy.

References
The Internet Classics Archive | Rhetoric by Aristotle. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.1.i.html
O’Connell, P. K. (2014). A simplified framework for 21st century leader development. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(2), 182-203.