Abstract

Mohandas Gandhi demonstrated an extraordinary gift for leadership. This study examines this unique gift as a model of leadership described by a number of well-respected writers and commentators on this subject. Foremost among this group are James MacGregor Burns, Bernard Bass, and Bernard Lonergan, S. J. Burns' work in spelling out the nature of transformational leadership, Bass' commentary on transactional leadership, and Lonergan's focus on the necessary connection between societal health and moral intention are most helpful in understanding the scope and depth of Gandhi's impact on the world. ;Scrutiny of Gandhi's own writings, which are considerable, examination of the works of a number of writers on leadership, and extensive reading of Gandhi commentators were the bases for the later conclusions of this study. Particular attention was paid to the broad scope of commentators: as close to him as Nehru, as far removed as Thomas Merton; as varied as Einstein, the scientist, and Erickson, the psychoanalyst. Analysis of his insistence upon the necessary connection between individual moral behavior and societal well-being provides a strong tie to his impact upon the teeming masses of India, the leaders of powerful nations and those aspiring to freedom throughout the world. The change within India of the status of the untouchable caste is arguably one of the most dramatic social changes in recorded history. This upheaval is directly a result of Gandhi's ability to apply, in a concrete manner, the characteristics of leadership as prescribed by Burns and Lonergan. ;The two fundamental principles of satyagraha, the only test of truth is action based on the refusal to do harm, and ahimsa, non-violence, are the pillars of all that Gandhi accomplished in his life. They provide the underpinnings for Gandhi's unique place in the pantheon of twentieth century leaders. These values, in addition to the conviction that ends and means are one, animated all he did and provided the unique Gandhi contribution to the model of leadership that is recognized as transformational