Running head: J. EDGAR HOOVER 2For someone to say, "It's probably better to have him inside the tent pissing than outside the tent pissing in," that means It's better to have a powerful person on your side than to have one aligned against you. Is it really necessary? President Lyndon Johnson said this in a New York Times interview in 1971 when describing J. Edgar Hoover. J. Edgar Hoover was not a well-liked man. His leadership style is still under scrutiny and discussion long after his death. His leadership in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is legendary. The film J.Edgar (2011) profiled his life and rise to power within the FBI. J. Edgar HooverEDGAR HOOVER 4within an organization allows each member to receive the tools necessary to perform their immediate job functions. It also allows the leader to see how that function connects to the rest of the organization. Hoover was always aware of what everyone in his organization was doing, as always. Raelin (2003) also described four aspects of leader practice. He called them the four principles of conventional leadership; competitive, collective, collaborative and compassionate. The mere definition of these four words is opposite to the type of leader Hoover was. He didn't allow anyone to be in power with him, he had no leaders anymore, he didn't consider anyone's opinions but his own, and he was the opposite of compassionate. He cared about no one's dignity but his own and did everything in his power to preserve it. Heifetz (2001) states that followers want stability and comfort from their leaders. Heifetz considered it “babysitting.” Heifetz argues that real leaders ask tough questions and push people out of their comfort zones. This leadership style clearly describes J.Edgar Hoover. When Hoover took control of the FBI, he forced the agents to change how he wanted them to appear. It required a certain dress code and personal appearance on the part of all its speakers. Task-oriented leaders maintain a “closed door” policy (Hackman, 2009). Hoover made loud and boisterous demands on his agents. His agents were never allowed to discuss any grievances with him. If his agents didn't like the way something was done, they either did it anyway or got fired. Only complete loyalty appeased Hoover; the smallest slight was probably interpreted as a betrayal. Hoover's followers could be described in two ways; conformist and passive. Conformist followers are committed to achieving the organization's goals but express very few thoughts to the leader. These followers are often referred to as “yes men/women” and tend to hold back their ideas out of fear of the leader. Passive followers show very little originality. They rely deeply on the leader's direction (Hackman, 2009). Although passive followers can also be described as having a lack of skill or no commitment, Hoover's followers did not meet this description. Could it be due to the fear factor in the first place? It was clearly portrayed in the movie that his followers (agents) were afraid of him. They conformed to his expectations out of fear of losing their jobs or being publicly harassed