Clarissa “Clara” Barton

By in Leadership

“I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them” ~Clarissa “Clara” Barton

Clarissa “Clara” Barton is known is the founder and the first president of the American Red Cross. She was a school teacher, civil war nurse, activist and founder and the first president of the American Red Cross.

Three Key Events

Leadership Style

Thought Clara Barton was right in the mix with all of the projects the American Red Cross helped in she was known to be a very authoritarian type of leader. She made all of the decisions and did not listen to the insight and ideas of other members of the group. This is why she was asked to step down as the president of the American Red Cross and why they chose to go for a more democratic type of leadership.

Criticism

Clara leadership and management styles are the things about her that are criticized the most. She was a very authoritarian leader and she did not keep good records especially financial records. It is said that she took money from donations as her personal income. Clara is also criticized as being too old to be in charge of an organization and often lied about her age and used makeup to make herself look younger.

References

“Clara Barton – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Barton>.

Cobb, Kristine. “Barton, Clara (Informational Paper).” Learning to Give. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. <http://learningtogive.org/papers/paper74.html>.

Sahlman, Rachel. “SPECTRUM Biographies – Clara Barton.” IncWell. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012. http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Barton.html.