When we talk about leadership, a number of questions usually come up. One of the most commonly asked questions is who is a leader. In my own opinion, I believe a true leader is a person who represents a group of people with common interests and goals and he/ she has the best interest of the group he/she represents at heart. A true leader is the one who is willing to do anything to ensure that the set goals are achieved. A leader has also been defined as a person who is able to overcome weaknesses and challenges and does not let anything stop him/her from building a better nation and a promising future for all human beings. (Roberts, 2000)
One of the leaders who stand out and whom I can relate to when it comes to leadership is Oskar Schindler. Oskar Schindler is considered a hero by many for saving many Jews during the Second World War from the holocaust. A hero is someone who has courage to do whatever it takes and has the unfailing courage even when the situation seems challenging and hopeless. Many heroes suffer and get many injuries, fall, but they are still rising up and courageously continue with their quest for the best interest of others. Oskar Schindler exemplified such a hero when he sacrificed and risked his own life to save more than a thousand lives. (Thompson, 2002)
Oskar Schindler was born in Austria, Hungary on April 28th, in 1908. His mother died at a young age and his father was an alcoholic. Despite that, Oskar still managed to become an incredibly talented and charming business person. . I believe that all this is what made him a tough and courageous leader capable of overcoming difficult situations. Oskar could benefit from the most unlikely situations such as war. However, when the persecution of Jews started during the world war2, Oskar Schindler was not happy about it. This is probably because he spent most of his childhood among Jewish playmates. Oskar transformed and stopped his greedy, selfish desires to make money. He began building his own factories in Poland, where he employed the Jews so as to save them from being prosecuted. This act did not go unnoticed by the SS. Oskar was actually arrested twice for this, but he did not give up. This shows us how resilient he was. This is undoubtedly a quality that every leader should have. He continued to work tirelessly so as to ensure that his factories remained open and operational. He used expensive gifts and bribes on German officials and this enabled him save the doomed Jews. (Wukovits, 2003)
Oskar stood out alone, boldly and defied his people the Germans, for what he believed was right. This brings about the quality of a true leader. One who is not afraid to stand out alone and fight for what is right, even if it means going against his people. German occupied Poland was a country which was full of hatred and racism against the Jews in the year 1941. Most Germans agreed blindly with Hitler’s crazy ideas that the Jewish race was inferior and unworthy of their attention. Oskar Schindler was an exception to this. He refused to join the majority and watch the Jews being tortured and treated in an inhuman way. He felt that the Jews were being destroyed and he could not just stay there and watch. (Barber, 2008)
Oskar Schindler assembled his first popular factory in the year 1942 in Poland. This factory employed Jews of all ages. Even the under aged and the over aged all worked together to manufacture suppliers for the German army. He managed to help many more Jews, even in the presence of the SS who was sharp and interrogated. He was able to make the officials believe that what he was doing was innocent (Keneally, 1999). By doing this he was risking his life and money just to save the poor Jews. If the official unveiled his intentions to save the Jews he could have been jailed or even put to death for his actions. This however did not shake him. He did not even think about glancing at the door of getting out of his sacred mission to save the poor innocent Jews, even with the knowledge of the consequences he would face if his intentions were unveiled. He continued to fight bravely for what was honorable and right according to him. He indeed portrayed the qualities of a true leader through his bold actions. (Crowe, 2004)
The unfailing courage of Oskar Schindler is well revealed when the SS visited his factory and demanded the over aged and under aged Jewish to be liquidated. The SS was presented with fake documents by Oskar he had created himself thus proving to the SS that he had no over or under aged workers in his factory. He courageously declared this to the SS even though many who worked for him were not legitimate thus saving the poor children and the old Jews working for him. Creating of fake documents was something that Oskar Schindler commonly did so as to make sure that his Jewish workers whom he had come to love and respect were safe. By doing this while aware of the consequences, he showed he was willing to do whatever thing it would take to save lives. His courage is however one of the most important qualities of a leader that helped him to press on and take every chance he got to rescue the helpless Jews. (Roberts, 1996)
Oskar Schindler sacrificed all that was important to him and all that he could throughout his campaign to rescue as many Jews as possible from the inhuman treatment and torture by the Germans. In 1942, his factory was unfortunately closed down and all his workers were deported out of the country to a death camp. The SS refused to give Schindler’s workers back even after Schindler demanded the SS to bring the workers back with claims that they were important for the success of the Germans’ army. This however did not stop Schindler. He used his talent for persuasion and proposed to build a new labor camp using his own money so that his employees would work for him untouched by the Nazi guards. He sacrificed all his money and built a luxurious camp Emalia where the Jews were protected rather than being prosecuted. He cast aside the possibility of living a comfortable, good life which was clearly his dream before the war began. (Fensch, 2004)
When the war ended, Oskar Schindler was hit by the loss of his reputation. Many Germans despised him and thought of him as a betrayer who betrayed his own country. They hated him and ruined his reputation which resulted in his inability to continue running his business. Oskar was forced to move to Argentina, together with his wife. However, in 1958, he returned to German where he spent his time. He also visited Israel several times and received great honors there. He later died in 1974. (Byers, 2005)
Today Oskar Schindler is not just considered a leader, but he is also considered a hero by many. Even though he became famous long after he had died when an Australian writer wrote his story, his courage remains an inspiration to many. His selfless actions to save his workers (the Schindler’s Jew) are undoubtedly the qualities of a true heroic leader.
Work Cited:
Barber, Terry. Oskar Schindler. Edmonton: Grass Roots Press, 2008. Print.
Byers, Ann. Oskar Schindler: Saving Jews from the Holocaust. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2005. Print.
Crowe, David. Oskar Schindler: The Untold Account of His Life, Wartime Activities, and the True Story Behind the List. Cambridge, Mass: Westview Press, 2004. Internet resource.
Fensch, Thomas. Oskar Schindler and His List: The Man, the Book, the Film, the Holocaust and Its Survivors. Forest Dale, Vt: Paul S. Eriksson, 2004. Print.
Keneally, Thomas. Schindler's List. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999. Print.
Roberts, Jack L. Oskar Schindler. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2000. Print.
Roberts, Jack L. The Importance of Oskar Schindler. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books, 1996. Print.
Roberts, Jeremy. Oskar Schindler: Righteous Gentile. New York: Rosen Publ. Group, 2000. Print.
Thompson, Bruce E. R. Oskar Schindler. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print.
Wukovits, John F. Oskar Schindler. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2003. Print.
