A Brief Analysis of the film Thirteen Days through the Lens of Supervisory Leadership

Ruben E. De Pena
Fort Hays State University

LDRS 600 Seminar in Organizational Leadership

Karl Klein
May 12, 2015

A Brief Analysis of the Film Thirteen Days-De Pea, R. 1

Introduction
I was barely one year old in my native Dominican Republic (D.R.) when the Cuban
missile crisis broke out in 1962. As I young child and into my teen years, my parents would
share with my siblings and me about the tense moments that the world lived, awaiting a peaceful
breakthrough between the leader of the Soviet Bloc and John F. Kennedy, his U.S. counterpart.
While it was obviously hard for a young child to fully- grasp the situation, my parents facial
expressions and intensity of words would make it evident that the world was at the brink of
World War III, but this time involving the dreaded nuclear weapons. With only 90 miles
separating Cuba from Florida, and with missiles ready to reach almost every major city in the
U.S., the implications for a war of that caliber with the Soviets could be catastrophic. For the
natives of Hispaniola, an island that the D.R. shares with Haiti, the issue was particularly a cause
of heightened concern due the islands even closer proximity with Cuba, which is barely 45
miles away, according to anecdotal information available.
Therefore, because of my interest throughout the years in the relevance and implications
of this historic event, it pleased me greatly to see that Thirteen Days was included in the list of
films to choose for analysis. For this paper, I watched the DVD of Thirteen Days (2001). It is
important to clarify that the film, while beautifully made and fun to watch, does not pretend to
provide a pristine accuracy neither on the roles that the characters played nor in the plot itself,
according to movie critic Robert Ebert (2001). In fact, among other things, he says that Kenny
ODonnell (played by Kevin Costner), the loyal political advisor and close friend to the
Kennedys, actually had an irrelevant role during the crisis according to White House documents.
Nonetheless, I found the movie very relevant for analysis, due to the several similarities
and differences in the leadership styles exhibited in the film, from autocratic to utilitarian. The

A Brief Analysis of the Film Thirteen Days-De Pea, R. 2

movie focuses on the pivotal role of several characters, including President Kennedy and his
brother Bobby, the presidents special assistant and childhood friend Kenny ODonnell,
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and Air Force General Curtis LeMay. Due to depth
and scope constraints of this paper, this analysis will provide two contrasting leadership styles,
only from the good guys perspective. For the first group of individuals, that I would call the
pro-war group, I believe General Lemay could be its worthy representative. Conversely, for
the pro-peace group, I have chosen JFK himself, given that his leadership style is very similar
to both his brother Bobby and his special adviser ODonnell. These styles will be primarily
analyzed under the light of the well-known Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the VroomYetton Model for both decision-making and follower participation. This paper will also briefly
touch on other leadership characteristics, or lack thereof, that the protagonists exhibited before,
during and after the crisis.
Lastly, this paper will conclude with a brief narrative of what I learned this semester on
supervisory leadership and a few applications from my own working environment.
Leadership style of General Curtis LeMay
As Air Force General, Curtis LeMay felt that JFK had a very soft reaction to the Soviets
aggressions and threats. Moreover, he felt that the President was dangerously waiting excessively
long in ordering a strike on the missiles. In fact, in the following exchanges with JFK, he
anxiously makes the following comments and requests,
[] Now, God forbid we find ourselves in a nuclear exchange, but, if launched,
those missiles from Cuba would kill a lot of Americans. The very presence of
those missiles gives the Soviets first-strike capability. Those missiles make a

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nuclear exchange more likely, and that is why I'm being such a pain in the ass
about destroying them, and destroying them immediately []
[] Mr. President, you give me the order right now, my planes will be ready to
carry out the air strikes in three days time. All you gotta do is say go and my
boys will get those Red bastards [] (Thirteen Days Quotes, 2000).
Evidently, by using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in decision making, based on
General Lemays demeanor and interactions in different scenes of the movie, I believe he had a
little bit of both sensing and intuition in gathering information on the crisis, and for the most part
he exhibited more of a thinking approach for making decisions. How do I substantiate that?
[] People who prefer Sensing like to take in information that is real and tangible
what is actually happening [like the missile crisis]. They are observant about
the specifics of what is going on around them and are especially attuned to
practical realities. [Key characteristics of this approach are] Oriented to present
realitiesFactual and concreteFocus on what is real and actualObserve and
remember specificsBuild carefully and thoroughly toward
conclusionsUnderstand ideas and theories through practical applicationsTrust
experience. [General LeMay exhibited a little bit of intuition as well because he
wanted to move]quickly to conclusions [and] follow hunches.
[In addition, LeMays desire for a swift attack was based on the Thinking
approach, a characteristic of people who] like to look at the logical
consequences of a choice or action. They want to mentally remove themselves
from the situation to examine the pros and cons objectively. They are energized
by critiquing and analyzing to identify whats wrong with something so they can

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solve the problem [] [Evidently, the General had a few of the characteristics
associated with the Thinking style, including, but not limited to] []Analytical
Solve problems with logic[and] Can be tough-minded (Mosley et al, 2011,
p. 75)
Furthermore, and by looking at the Vroom-Yetton Model, it is no surprising that General
LeMay had an A Type as far as participation style, which states that You solve the problem
or make the decision yourself, using the information available to you at the present time (ibid.
77). Hence, this style seems to be one of many contributing factors to the frequent clashes the
president had with him, the Joint Chief of Staff and other key military advisors for their desire to
quick military action, regardless of consequences.
In addition, it is not hard to conclude that, as a military man, General Lemay is ready to
take action, particularly upon the escalating circumstances. He did not like at all the idea of a
naval blockade because he thought the response was at best an exercise in futility. As a result, as
a leader he feels compelled to make a decision between the two alternatives at hand, which is a
key characteristic of a leader. Therefore, he ultimately supported the naval blockade, as noncompliance of his commander-in-chiefs order might have resulted in a very high price to pay
politically, militarily, and even legally. The authors affirm this principle of decision making
when they state, when you make a decision, you first consider a matter causing you some
uncertainty, debate, or dispute, and then make a choice or judgment that more or less results in a
definite conclusion (ibid, p. 66).
Lastly, it is not hard to conclude that, as a military man, General Lemay is ready to take
action, particularly upon the escalating circumstances. He did not like at all the idea of a just
naval blockade. However, I contend he was not assessing the situation correctly, in light of the

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huge consequences of a U.S. attack and/or invasion to Cuba. It is uncertain if his first ranking
officers were completely aboard on the mission. In this regard, Northouse (2013) cautions that
[] In a given situation, the first task for a leader is to determine the nature of the
situation [such as] How complex is the task? Are [the subordinate officers and
soldiers] sufficiently skilled to accomplish the task [given the Bay of Pigs fiasco a
few years earlier]? Do they have the desire to complete the job once they start it?
[] Having identified the correct development level, the second task for the
leader is to adapt his or her style to the prescribed leadership style [] (p. 103)
What about the Generals adaptive leadership skills? Given the destructions of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki that happened just a little bit over twenty years before the Cuban missile crisis, I
can contend that the general and his group were not adaptive enough. They should have had a
much cooler approach and be supportive of the president and his teams position, particularly
favoring blockage to military strike. The rational for that is because
[] Adaptive leadership is about organizational members taking a hard look at
the past to identify what to hold on to, while deciding what needs to go []
[Moreover,] [] [A]daptive Leadership requires an experimental mindset
approach, not an Ive got the answer mindset. Its not enough to have a vision
for the future and to identify a critical path for moving forward. Adaptive leaders
have to understand that todays plan is simply todays best guess. They must be
able to deviate from the plan when they discover realities they hadnt anticipated
[like the reality that the Soviets had more long-range missiles with nuke heads
than the U.S. thought] (Mosley, 2011, p. 242).

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Leadership Style of John F. Kennedy
As the tension rises in light of imminent danger, the film depicts President Kennedy
poised, determined to find a solution to the crisis, even at the expense of cutting a deal with the
Soviets that would involve to never invade Cuban and the removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey.
He was able to do so because his actions suggest he had a keen sense of Intuition in getting
information and Feeling, in making decisions, which are key characteristics of personality types
that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator proposes. As Mosley et al (2011) indicate,
[] People who prefer Intuition like to take in information by seeing the big
picture, focusing on the relationships and connections between facts [and] [t]hey
want to grasp patterns and are especially attuned to seeing new possibilities.
[Individuals like Kennedy present characteristics associated with Intuition, such
as:] Oriented to future possibilities [] Imaginative and verbally creative []
Want to clarify ideas and theories before putting them into practice [and] Trust
inspiration. [] [Moreover] People who prefer to use Feeling in decision making
like to consider what is important to them and to others involved. They mentally
place themselves into the situation to identify with everyone so they can make
decisions based on their values about honoring people. They are energized by
appreciating and supporting others and look for qualities to praise. Their goal is to
create harmony and treat each person as a unique individual. [He most definitely
showed certain virtues and characteristics associated with Feeling, such as]
Empathetic [] Guided by personal values [] Assess impacts on decisions on
people [like the millions of military and civilians lives at stake] [] Strive for

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harmonious and positive interaction [] Compassionate [] May appear
tenderhearted [and] Fairwant everyone treated as an individual (p. 75)
As with JFKs participation style for making decisions, the Vroom-Yetton Model would
define him as participation style C because [He] share[d] the problem with the relevant
subordinates individually [like Kenny and Bobby], getting their ideas and suggestions without
bringing them together as a group. Then [he] ma [de] the decision (ibid, p. 77). He also
exhibited participation style D, which like C is also consultative, because [He] share[d]
the problem with [his] subordinates in a group meeting [as he did when he met with the
Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chief of Staff, General LeMay, and others]. Then [he] ma [de]
the decision (ibid, p. 77).
I believe the film presents JFK as a very versatile president, one that displays his
impressive leadership by both overdoing and underdoing his decisions. He had to do that in order
to avoid a catastrophe. In fact, when referring to leaders versatility, Kaplan and Kaiser (2006)
argue that
[] You cant just be one thing. You have to big-picture and little picture. You
have to be a big power tool and sometimes a small screwdriver. You have to be
able to zoom in and zoom out. And you cant just use one extreme quality to solve
the problem. [] [Moreover,] [t]he potential always exists to reconcile seeming
opposites and integrate them into a complex whole. This is the ideal for you to
strive forto embrace both sides of an opposition but neither side too tightly, to
incorporate both sides in your repertoire without giving either too big a place,
and, because there are no complete leaders, to honor what you lack so you can
find it in others ( p.158).

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The following dialog between JFK and Kenny seems to show a good display of the
presidents versatility,

President Kennedy: Acheson's scenario is just, it's unacceptable, and he's got
more experience than anybody.

Kenny O'Donnell: There is no expert on the subject; I mean, there is no wise old
man. There's - shit, there's just us.

President Kennedy: The thing is that Acheson's right, 'cause talk alone's not gonna
accomplish anything.

Kenny O'Donnell: Well, let's bomb the shit out of 'em! Everybody wants to. I
mean, even you, I mean, even me, right? It sure would feel good (Thirteen Days
Quotes, 2000).
Moreover, it is evident that the Cuban missile crisis was ultimately averted due to JFKs
transformational leadership skills. Northouse (2013) describes this key characteristic as
[] a process that changes and transforms people. It is concerned with emotions,
values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals. It includes assessing followers
motives, satisfying their needs, and treating them as full human beings.
Transformational leadership involves an exceptional form of influence that moves
followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected of them. It is a
process that often incorporates charismatic and visionary leadership. []
Although the transformational leader plays a pivotal role in precipitating change,

A Brief Analysis of the Film Thirteen Days-De Pea, R. 9

followers and leaders are inextricably bound together in the transformation
process (pp. 185-186).

In addition, JFK, with the aid of his closest collaborators, deserves a lot of credit for not
yielding to the pressure of the military for a swift attack on the missiles. Also, even when the
blockade seemed at first unsuccessful, it ultimately prevailed while negotiations to end the crisis
were secretly happening between the White House and the Kremlin. He was indeed an
emotionally-intelligent man because of his self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation,
empathy, and social skill (Mosley et al, 2011, p. 249)

Lastly, I believe that the following words from Kennedy on his commitment for peace
reflect the greatness of this man: If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can make
the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all
inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And
we are all mortal.

Conclusion
Thirteen Days (2001), is more than a great political thriller with a happy conclusion. It
shows very important lessons and implications about contrasting styles of leadership and best
practices to handle difficult situations. This film is definitely a key reminder about the power of
effective negotiation to resolve conflict because, whether negotiation involves a peace
settlement among nations or a business contract, people often engage in positional bargaining.
This common form of negotiation of negotiation involves proposing and then giving up a
sequence of positions. The idea is to give up things that are not important (Mosley et al, 2011,
p. 361). Organizational leaders in general, have an opportunity to enhanced communication and

A Brief Analysis of the Film Thirteen Days-De Pea, R. 10

collaborative practices from their followers. The application to real life seems to be that even
when facing threats due to takeovers, restructuring, strikes, or any other crisis, leaders in todays
global economy should take a closer look at this film to glean important ideas toward victory.
As for me, as student of leadership, I can say that while the movie has been impactful, I
can say that I have learned more on how to be a better leader from the actual course in
Supervisory Leadership. For this particular semester, while I enjoyed almost everything, the
lesson on Emotional Intelligence (EI) resonated the most because it involves both internal and
external interactions in my department. Growing up in a different culture outside of the United
States, being able to fully understand and apply to my professional life the four dimensions of EI,
Perceiving emotionUsing emotions to facilitate thoughtUnderstanding emotions [and]
Managing emotions (Mosley et al, 2011, p. 250) have proven to be a wonderful experience that
I will cherish throughout the rest of my life.

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References
Ebert, R. (2001, January 12). Thirteen Days Movie Review & Film Summary (2001) | Roger
Ebert. Retrieved May 12, 2015, from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/thirteen-days2001
Kaplan, R., & Kaiser, R. (2006). The versatile leader: Make the most of your strengths without
overdoing it. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
Mosley Jr., D. C., Mosley Sr., D. C., & Pietri, P. H. (2011). Supervisory management. Mason,
OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Northouse, P. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Thirteen days [Motion picture on DVD]. (2001). New Line Home Entertainment.
Thirteen Days Quotes. (2000). Retrieved May 13, 2015, from
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0146309/quotes