About leadership and leaders
- Binding: paperback
- Author: collective work
- Publisher: Instytut Zachodni
- PL ISSN: 0033-2437
- Publication date: 16 November 2021
- Number: 2/2021
- Number of pages: 186
- Size: A5
The examples of leadership examined by the authors of volume 2/2021 of Przegląd Zachodni come from both historical and contemporary contexts. Despite their focus being on the leaders themselves, they drill down further and confront leadership roles with popular ideas, expectations and myths. The trust placed in Primate Stefan Wyszyński stemmed not only from his outstanding personality but also from the circumstances in which the Catholic Church operated in communist Poland. The case of the Mayor of Gdynia shows that even a position as exposed to harsh judgments of the constituents as that of a head of a local government offers room for developing one’s unique style ("of a manager, artist or priest") that ensures multiple re-election. The geographically and culturally distant figure of Aung San Suu Kyi is a picture of the morally-ambiguous debunking of a myth that has failed to deliver on political hopes (such hopes differing widely between the domestic population and the international community). Notably, views on Stepan Bandera differ not only along the lines of the Poles vs. the Ukrainians, but also, and noticeably so, within Ukraine itself. This goes to show that the political biographies of leaders must be complemented by analyses of leadership that consider the historical circumstances of the time.
The replacement of the head of the German federal government may well inspire continued coverage of leadership in subsequent editions of Przegląd Zachodni. Authors are encouraged to explore the age brought to a close with the departure of Chancellor Angela Merkel.