The Lion King - Mufasa

Synopsis

The movie I have chosen to write my blog about it is “The Lion King”. The character who best exemplifies the role of a leader in “The Lion King” is Mufasa, original king of the Pride Lands and father of Simba.

            The movie “The Lion King” takes place in the Pride Lands of Africa, where a lion, Mufasa, rules over all other animals as king. A lion prince, Simba, is born in Africa and the animals of the Pride Lands pay tribute. Later Simba is told by his father, King Mufasa, that when Mufasa dies, Simba will become King of the Pride Lands. However, Mufasa’s brother, Scar, would have been king after Mufasa if Mufasa did not have a child. Simba’s birth enrages Scar and causes him to plot to kill Mufasa and Simba so he is able to take over the throne. Scar uses the hyenas to cause a stampede through the canyon where Mufasa and Simba are, and personally ensures Mufasa falls to his death. Simba survives so Scar implies that the stampede was Simba's fault and that the pride will blame him Simba for Mufasa’s death. Simba, overcome with grief, and not wanting to face the pride, decides to flee the Pride Lands meaning never to return home. Simba is found, collapsed with exhaustion, by Timon the Meerkat, and Pumbaa the Warthog, and the trio become friends rather quickly. Simba stays with Timon and Pumbaa until he eventually grows to be an adult. At this point Simba runs into Nala, a lioness and one of Simba’s childhood companions. Nala is hunting outside of the Pride Lands, due to having left the Pride because of Scar’s poor leadership. Astonished to find him alive, Nala begs Simba to return to the Pride Lands, where Scar has reigned as King for years, and ruined everything. All of the animals will starve if Simba does not return. Simba eventually agrees to fight for his kingdom. Simba battles Scar, and learns his father's death was Scar's fault, not his own. Simba defeats Scar and takes his father’s place as rightful king.

Mufasa’s Positive Traits

             Mufasa’s personality encompasses many qualities that make him a good leader. Firstly, Mufasa demonstrates exceptional knowledge and a deep understanding of his duties and responsibilities as King; and holds great influence over his kingdom. Mufasa is also an extremely confident and intelligent individual, and uses his intelligence to teach his son, Simba, in order to make Simba a good leader as well. Mufasa's greatest quality as a leader is his ability to effectively pass on all of his traits and values to his subjects, including his son Simba. Finally, Mufasa acts with integrity; he is a loyal leader to his family, friends and the Pride Lands. Mufasa respects the circle of life and in turn all of his subjects respect him.

Mufasa’s Leadership Style

             Mufasa best demonstrates transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is defined as the process whereby a person engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower. Focusing on a scene in the movie called “Everything the Light Touches”, Mufasa engages with his son, Simba, in attempt to prepare the young lion cub for a time when he will need to take of the father’s role as king. In this scene, Mufasa explains to Simba that “One day the sun will set on my time and rise with you as king.” Not only is Mufasa articulating ideological goals for Simba but he is also communicating a high expectation for Simba that he will one day be King. Mufasa is providing a vision for Simba and inspiring him to embrace the vision of one day being king. Transformational leaders lead by being strong role models. They appear competent to followers, articulate ideological goals that have moral overtones, communicate high expectations for followers while exhibiting confidence in followers’ abilities, and arouse task-relevant motives in followers. Mufasa exemplifies being a transformational leader by acting as a strong role model for Simba. Mufasa provides Simba with the beliefs and values that he wants Simba to adopt. He explains to Simba the importance of respect through the lesson of the circle of life in the kingdom, and explains the how all of the animals of the Pride Lands are connected. Transformational leaders like Mufasa strive to not only be good leaders themselves, but pass on their traits and values to everyone whom they lead in order to ensure the future success of their people. 

Mufasa’s Vision

            Mufasa’s major vision as a leader is to not only serve all his followers and subjects for the greater good, but to prepare his son Simba to follow in his footsteps and one day be as great of a leader as him. Mufasa is constantly encouraging Simba to be brave, strong, and courageous because he understands the circle of life – one day he will be gone and Simba will have to take his place as King of the Pride Lands. As a transformational leader, Mufasa finds it important to pass down his values and strong sense of morality to Simba, so one day Simba may pass on those values to his successors, thus forever ensuring that the Pride Lands and circle of life function properly under strong leadership

How Mufasa Works with Individuals

            Being a transformational leader, Mufasa’s major priority is to inspire and motivate his followers so they will not only respect him but become better individuals in general, and often better leaders. Mufasa uses his strong intelligence and wisdom to not only inspire his son, but all his subjects, therefore increasing their confidence in both him as a leader and themselves. Mufasa focuses on being a strong role model for Simba and through inspiration, encouragement, and discipline, teaches Simba to be a good leader. Mufasa invests a great deal of time and patience in order for his son to gain an understanding and learn the traits of a leader and create a vision of becoming King. Mufasa’s lessons create a positive change in Simba because in the end Simba is able to summon his courage and defeat Scar. Simba reclaims leadership of the Pride Lands and is able to be a good king to all his subjects because of what Mufasa taught Simba when Mufasa was king.