Michael Corleones Leadership Qualities
Michael's Leadership Qualities
The Godfather
In chapter 11 of The Godfather, Michael Corleone accomplishes a near impossible hit on Sollozzo and captain McCluskey. Michael Corleone is the youngest and brightest of all the Corleones siblings. At first he tries to avoid the family's killer reputation by distancing himself from them. He finally comes around for this job as he is concerned for his father, the Don's life. Michael demonstrates that he is thorough and precise when he carefully prepares for the murder of one of his family's rival leaders. Even though Michael is not known for his abilities in the family, he demonstrates he has the right qualities and killer instinct to bring down the leader Sollozzo, and one day be the leader of the Corleone family.
With an aching jaw Michael begins preparations for the hit that night. After older brother Sonny remarks, "now is not the time to get slowed up by booze", Michael indicates that he has been in combat with tougher guys than Sollozzo, referring to his years in World War Two. He adds " Where the hell are his mortars? Has he got air cover? Heavy artillery? Land mines?", proving to his bother that he has experience in hairy situations. Michael spent the day with Clemenza practicing on the gun he would be using that night- to make sure nothing would go wrong. He found he could shoot accurately five steps away. Throughout this time of careful planning, Michael keeps his cool and a clear mind while he listened to the advice given. He also tries to imagine how his father has killed people with no remorse and has the ability to forget about it as if he wasn't the one who did it. Before he leaves, a "ready for business" Michael remarks, "I've been riding the gravy train all my life, now it's time to pay my dues."
One quality that makes the Don unique- he takes everything personally. Michael learned that trait from his father and now takes his broken jaw from...
View Full Essay