Leadership Principals & Practices - Sese Seko Mobutu
1.0 Background|
Mobutu’s early life was marred by instability and transience, his father died when Mobutu was eight, leaving him without a father figure – a crucial lack of authority and guidance in his formative years. (Some say he spent much of his 20s and early 30s subconsciously looking for his father) His single mother struggled to provide them and moved often, meaning Mobutu didn’t have the grounding effect of a group of close friends either.
He was sent to a catholic boarding school, where he was rebellious and constantly in trouble with the priests who ran the school. The Catholic Church said he was a smart man but lacked morality- Mobutu remained antagonistic to the Church his whole life, even refusing to have a Catholic wedding.
Mobutu’s power began when he enlisted into the army, as punishment for his behavior in high school. He made a lot of connections and found a lot of supporters in the army. His roots here would be critical to his ascent to ‘the president’s office’. Very ambitious, and charismatic, his rise to power, though propelled by his merit was greatly facilitated by external forces, the cold war was at its height, and with memories of the Cuban missile crisis still fresh, the CIA was eager to have a staging point for possible operations in Africa; consequently they supported Mobutu providing him with military and financial support.
Mobutu saw Lumumba as the father he never had (at least subconsciously) and was eager to help him, but turned on him quickly, envious of his position. Later on he declared him a national hero.
2.0 The Fall |
2.1 Possible Causes of Failure |
There are a few causes of Mobutu’s failure, and they were a combination of his corrupted and selfish personal attributes that led him to make decisions only for his self-gain. This section of the essay will discuss some of his characteristics that ultimately resulted in his demise.
2.1.1 Greed & Self Service |
Mobutu was very greedy and self-serving in his
Mobutu’s early life was marred by instability and transience, his father died when Mobutu was eight, leaving him without a father figure – a crucial lack of authority and guidance in his formative years. (Some say he spent much of his 20s and early 30s subconsciously looking for his father) His single mother struggled to provide them and moved often, meaning Mobutu didn’t have the grounding effect of a group of close friends either.
He was sent to a catholic boarding school, where he was rebellious and constantly in trouble with the priests who ran the school. The Catholic Church said he was a smart man but lacked morality- Mobutu remained antagonistic to the Church his whole life, even refusing to have a Catholic wedding.
Mobutu’s power began when he enlisted into the army, as punishment for his behavior in high school. He made a lot of connections and found a lot of supporters in the army. His roots here would be critical to his ascent to ‘the president’s office’. Very ambitious, and charismatic, his rise to power, though propelled by his merit was greatly facilitated by external forces, the cold war was at its height, and with memories of the Cuban missile crisis still fresh, the CIA was eager to have a staging point for possible operations in Africa; consequently they supported Mobutu providing him with military and financial support.
Mobutu saw Lumumba as the father he never had (at least subconsciously) and was eager to help him, but turned on him quickly, envious of his position. Later on he declared him a national hero.
2.0 The Fall |
2.1 Possible Causes of Failure |
There are a few causes of Mobutu’s failure, and they were a combination of his corrupted and selfish personal attributes that led him to make decisions only for his self-gain. This section of the essay will discuss some of his characteristics that ultimately resulted in his demise.
2.1.1 Greed & Self Service |
Mobutu was very greedy and self-serving in his
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