Leadership Styles in the Forrest Gump Film

Table of Contents

Introduction
Forrests mother
Lieutenant Dan
Forrest Gump
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Forrest managed to inspire Elvis Presley, who imitated Forrests dance moves. As such, he received a football scholarship and became a top running back and was awarded by John F. Kennedy. After graduation, Forrest was drafted into the US Army and fought the Vietnam War, where he saved almost every member of his platoon and received the Medal of Honor. After coming back to the US and recovering from his wound, Forrest started playing ping-pong and became a ping-pong celebrity playing against Chinese teams. Forrest Gump also revealed the Watergate scandal after a meeting with Richard Nixon. After a short reunion with Jenny, who had been Forrests love interest since school, Jenny left, which caused Forrest to start running across the country. This run lasted for 3,5 years, making Forrest even more famous. At the end of the movie, Forrest finds out that Jenny had a child with him and married her, but she died after a year, leaving Forrest and his son alone.

Forrests mother

There are not many scenes with Mrs. Gump. The main sources of information about her are two scenes in the school principals office and when she is lying on her deathbed. Nevertheless, those scenes provide viewers with an image of a faithful, loving, and wise single mother that is willing to do anything to provide the best opportunities for her son. There are a few traits that characterize her as a leader:

Goal-oriented. In the scene in the principals office, the principal explained that Forrest could go to the special school due to his low IQ, but his mother refused and demanded that he go to a normal school.
Self-sacrificial. As a single mother, Mrs. Gump had to sacrifice herself for her son, which is shown in a scene where she has to sleep with the school principal.
Creative. Life is a box of chocolates is one of the most famous quotes from the movie delivered by Forrests mother on her deathbed trying to explain to him what his destiny was.

Lieutenant Dan

Lt. Dan is a character that has occurred in several stages of Forrests life. He was a platoon leader in Vietnam. Forrest Gump rescued him from the enemys ambush, but when they came back to the USA, his legs were amputated, which led Lt. Dan to a life of misery. Then, Lt. Dan was part of a shrimp fishing boat crew, and one day, he decided to jump in the water in the middle of the ocean and swim away from Forrest. As a platoon leader, he was:

Humorous. When Lt. Dan met Forrest and his Afro-American friend Bubba, he asked whether they were twins. This shows his ability to talk and great communication skills.
Loyal. Lt. Dan protested when Forrest Gump was carrying him from danger. He wanted to die there with his platoon.
Truthful. The recommendations that Lt. Dan gave to Forrest were simple yet realistic, which is a sign of the leaders truthfulness.

Forrest Gump

Finally, Forrest Gump acted as a leader when he started running across the country and gained popularity and following. As a leader, he was:

Inspiring. Forrest Gump inspired a group of people who saw him as a wise leader and followed his example.
Assertive. When journalists attempted to take an interview with Forrest to find out the true reasons behind his run, Forrest assertively stated that it was just a run.
Transparent. Although Forrest gained popularity and following, he never thought about taking advantage of it, remaining transparent about his personal goals.

Conclusion

Mrs. Gump is a servant leader. She wanted her son to receive all possible opportunities and perform to his best. Hence, she sacrificed herself as a woman.

Lt. Dan is an affiliative leader as he notes that soldiers are responsible for their own life, hence, should not do anything stupid. He also cares about the morale and well-being of his soldiers.

Forrest Gump is an example of laissez-faire leadership. He is not responsible or even involved in engaging with his followers. He leads by example, and his followers have to care for themselves.