[July 28, 2016] It is often that we hear about leaders who are evil, often narcissistic, and have caused widespread death and destruction. It is our responsibility as good leaders to study them; their background, their leadership traits, and their accomplishments. Idi Amin, President of Uganda 1971-79, is a classic case where culture meets evil and evil wins.
Known as the “Butcher of Uganda” for his brutality, Idi Amin was an ethnic Lugbara and Muslim. Poorly educated, he did odd jobs before joining the British colonial army. His rise in the military was the result of his presence as a commanding man, 6 feet 4 inches and powerfully built, and that he saw combat in Kenya against the Mau Mau rebels. He was eventually promoted to Commander of the Army by then Prime Minister Milton Obote. In 1971, Amin lead a coup against Obote and installed himself as President.
“I myself consider myself the most powerful figure in the world.” – Idi Amin
Yet like any successful leader – and Idi Amin was successful for a time – he shares several common traits with other leaders. But he was also inconsistent, unpredictable, and highly erratic. Idi Amin’s leadership traits were:
- Affable, charming, and charismatic
- Ruthless and uncompromising with his enemies
- Risk taker
- Narcissistic
- Prone to anger, violence, and brutality
- A taste for excess and exaggeration (spent 2 million British pounds on his wedding to a Go-Go dancer)
- Loyal to family and tribe
Amin bestowed various titles upon himself and, in my opinion, was a greater narcissist than Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Amin’s official title included “…Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas…”1 He also declared that he personally had defeated the British Empire.
Little can be said about what good Idi Amin had done for Uganda; he stripped much of its natural resources to enrich himself. His evils are too many to list and the destruction to the Ugandan economy was horribly tragic after he adopted economic socialism and became an ally of the Soviet Union, Libya, Zaire, and East Germany. Today, he is best known for his brutal regime and crimes against humanity.
[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]
—————————
- His full title was “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.”