Is it better to be feared or loved?

When watching the Alice in Wonderland movie, one of the characters, the Red Queen, posed an important question which got me thinking…is it better to be feared or loved? In the movie the character tries hard to be loved by the kingdom but when betrayed she quickly changes to be a fear-driven queen.

These characteristics had me thinking as to which leaders are more effective in their ruling? There are many examples of leaders which have taken both sides of the fence. You have Nelson Mandela who proves to be an unselfish leader who fosters relationships based on love and sound governance. On the other side, a good example is Adolf Hitler or better yet, let’s keeps it local, Robert Mugabe. These leaders fostered a following based fear and hardship.

How often is it that you come across a work environment whereby, the manager is adored and respected – not too often. I think a contributing factor is due to the fact that mangers have the unfortunate of disciplining staff. Would it then be a factor in which the success of the leader is dependent on? Is it possible that if the people in question are good that it is possible to have a loving superior?

While Hitler may have been a cruel leader, he got results. In today’s world, his governance may have been out of line as we attempt to become more civilized human beings. One thing is for sure, I am glad I come from a democratic ruling where there is freedom of speech …even if the people at the top do very little about it.