Braveheart: Leadership with a Courageous Moral Purpose EDL 701 Dr. Kramer Eileen McCabe, Kristin Ciccone, Kris Boyle, Nicholas Perrone

History of Braveheart  Sir William Wallace (1272 – 1305): –Scottish knight and landowner who is known for leading a resistance during the Wars of Scottish Independence

 Father died in battle; Wallace was raised by his uncle  Marries his true love in secrecy (“Prima Nocta”); as a result, she gets killed by one of the King’s magistrates  Wallace forms a crusade against the King and rallies followers to win back Scotland Series of Events

Leadership Development  Mind versus Fist  “I know you can fight, but it’s our wits that make us men.”  “Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it.” (Moral purpose)

Lewin’s Change Model  Unfreezing – revolt by the Scotsmen who oppose English King’s rule (tired of status quo)  Movement – battles for freedom  Refreezing – Scotland’s freedom following the death of the King

After Battle Scene  Wallace saw what the troops needed  Yelled to unite their cause during a difficult, but victorious time; rallies troups – Symbolic Frame (Bolman & Deal, 1991)  Situational leadership – responded to the needs of his troops  Leads fellow Scotsmen to fight for freedom (Challenges the process – Kouzes & Posner, 2002)

Knighting of Sir William  Clans are at odds  Fosters collaboration (K & P, 2002)  Wallace inspires a shared vision = Freedom for Scotland  Enlists others (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)  Creates “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point” (Burke, 2008)  Thinks politically – finds partners (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002)

“Nobles, who needs nobles?”  Metaphor for administrators and their titles  Titles vs. Courage – Transformational leader: shift from title to leader (Burke, 2008)  Held steady – focused attention on the issue: freedom (Heifetz & Linsky, 2002)

Meeting with Princess of Whales  Wallace will not compromise beliefs  Appeals to the heart – freedom (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)

Meeting w/ Robert the Bruce  “Unite us!” – Wallace empowers others to lead  Wallace inspires Scots to unite under shared value = freedom  Robert betrays Wallace

Robert the Bruce Confession  Fighting for heart is inspiring  He wants freedom  Wallace indirectly transforms Robert – shifts from managing (transactional) army (fighting because they have to) to leading army (fighting because they want to) (Burke, 2008)

Exaggerations of Wallace  Larger than life figure as a leader (Reeves)  Perpetuates the story – becomes a legend (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)  People judged Wallace to be a capable leader who meets their needs and can solve their problems (Gardner, 1986)

Robert the Bruce Pep-Talk  Sustained leadership even after Wallace’s death  Transformational leadership culmination (Burke, 2008)

Leading & Managing Change  Inspires followers by giving hope  Creates vision by believing in himself and making others believe in a better future (motivates)  Develops political support with nobles  Gathers strength in numbers  Fights on the front line; doesn’t put himself above anyone else (servant leadership & models the way (Kouzes & Posner, 2002)  Sustained momentum even after his death

“Sons of Scotland”  “I see an army…” (Optimize – McREL)  “Free men” (Ideals and Beliefs – McREL)  Strategic leadership: “simultaneous acts of executing, evaluating, and reformulating strategies, and refocusing organizational energy and resources on the most effective strategies” (Reeves, 2002)

Moral Leadership  “Moral authority comes from the development of shared agreements and compacts that bring community members together into a shared fellowship” (Sergiovanni, 1992)  Shared fellowship: manage themselves; committed to the organization and purpose; build up confidence and focus on maximum impact; courageous, honest, and credible (Gardner, 1986)

“They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!”