Stereotypes and Leadership

Let's begin with the word "stereotypes". What does it mean? Our text says that a stereotype is a belief about a group of people who share one or more characteristics (Markus et al., 148). However, these beliefs are not always accurate. Some examples of stereotypes would be all Italians are in the Mob, most Irishmen are drunks, everyone from the South are rednecks, all Blonde women are stupid, and the list goes on.

These discrepancies are what causes social issues such as prejudice, discrimination, racism, etc. So, where do we get these stereotypes from?

In class, we discussed that we can get stereotypes from family, media, friends, and personal experiences. I think there is another, more specific origin of many stereotypes we have. If we consider that there are "ingroups" that use stereotypes to describe other "outgroups"(Markus et al., 148), I think that the most prominent figures in these "ingroups" must be the leaders that influence these groups. Some examples of these leaders would be any teachers/mentors, trend-setters, role-models, etc. Leaders influence the people in certain groups and can change people's ways of thinking.

Another thought to consider, who are the leaders in our society? In order to answer this question, we can look at common stereotypes. Who do these stereotypes favor? Many stereotypes have to do with gender, location, physical appearances, sexuality, religion, and many more. Just looking at the stereotypes I listed above you can tell who the stereotypes are against and who they favor. For example, the stereotype that all Blonde women are stupid is against women and favor men. From this we can determine that males are seen as the stereotypical leaders of our society.

How does this information help us? This determination of leadership from stereotypes can help us realize the influence of leadership and its positive and negative consequences when it comes to stereotypes. Hopefully this insight will help us make better decisions in leadership. Comment below so I can hear your insight! How do you feel stereotypes and leadership complement each other?