Communism Pope John Paul II

According to Webster’s Dictionary, a leader is someone who has “the power or ability to lead other people.” Marquis and Huston (2015), define a leader as “individuals who are out front, taking risks, attempting to achieve shared goals, and inspiring others to action.” Someone who encompasses these traits is St. John Paul II. He was the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church for 27 years and during that time he led and inspired many people.
St. John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla in Poland on May 18, 1920 (“John Paul II: The Millennial Pope,” 2014). In 1938, he found his calling to the church but was unable to pursue his dream because World War II started (“John Paul II Biography,” 2014). Poland was taken over by Germany under communist rule. Communism
Transformational leaders have the ability to accomplish many goals because people trust and follow them. These “leaders do the right thing for the right reasons, treat people with care and compassion, encourage followers to be more creative and innovative, and inspire others with their vision” (Marquis & Huston, 2015). That is exactly what St. John Paul II did. He inspired the people of Poland to fight against the communists and overturn the regime. Although he was a religious leader, he was very powerful because of his charisma and the way he spoke to people. Even though religion was not allowed under communism, when he visited Poland he led a mass that thousands of people attended. He instilled hope in the people and told them not to be afraid (Gertz, 2008). They listened and gathered the courage to fight
St. John Paul II used a situational leadership style. Situational leadership theory suggests that “no one leadership style is ideal for every situation” (Marquis et al.,2015). This theory shows that every situation requires a different approach and using different leadership styles is beneficial when handling different situations. Not everyone is going to agree with all your techniques. Sometimes putting a stern hand down and making a decision using an authoritarian style is what is needed to get things done. Other times making democratic decisions is more beneficial to make people happy and give them some power. People who worked with St John Paul II said that he was powerful, confident and did not look for others to agree with all of his actions (“John Paul II: The Millennial Pope,”