Study on 'The Devil Wears Prada': Leadership Style of Miranda Priestly

Andrea is fresh out of graduating from the university in hopes of finding a job to help reach her goal of becoming a journalist in New York City. However, she is sent for an interview as an assistant for Miranda Priestly – the chief editor of Runway, a fashion magazine. The character Miranda Priestly in “The Devil wears Prada” is the embodiment of the term “workaholic”. Andrea reluctantly makes it clear that the year she spent as an assistant to Miranda will give her the opportunity to become a journalist wherever she wants. Although Andrea lacked experience and knowledge of the fashion industry, her authority and clever thinking won her place. Andrea, also known as Andy, believes that it is difficult for her to fit into the lifestyle of absorbed fashion. However, this film shows a picture that is mainly distributed in all organizations. Miranda’s leadership style is highly interesting to analyze. In this essay, we research 'The Devil Wears Prada', leadership style of Miranda Priestly, and highlight her negative and task-oriented approach, as well as her tendency to create a toxic environment through fear. The analysis emphasizes the importance of positive reinforcement and compassion in leadership, and how Miranda's approach resulted in high turnover rates.

An analysis of Miranda Priestley’s leadership style on the basis of different leadership styles shows that she is a slightly negative, advisory, and also structured-oriented type of leader. It is shown that in most cases she makes decisions on her own, asking the opinions only of several of her colleagues, such as Nigel, with whom Miranda was sometimes consulted. Therefore, all workers and subordinates was not valued properly by Miranda. She makes fun of Andy, Emily, and all her subordinates, in front of others, which clearly shows her tendency for a negative leadership style. Miranda also has been shown as extremely task-oriented, including when she forced to Andy to get her air tickets, because of her daughter’s performance, despite the knowledge that all flights was canceled because of a disaster outside. She was shown as a non-considerable leader as well, as she didn't even bother to find out about the personal life of any of her employees. Also, every time when Andy is a little bit late because of bringing something for Miranda, she says, 'Has she died or something?'

According to the research, those organizations that use positive reinforcement to reward employees rather than punish them has the highest rate of employee satisfaction. The Wall Street Journal emphasizes that the main tactic to maintain low turnover is to create a favorable environment. Miranda impress fear in the workplace, which creates a toxic environment. Although she prefers this atmosphere, it is harmful to others and generates discourse. Therefore, strong compassion and kindness towards those with whom they work in order to develop skills and help strengthen weaknesses are usually shown only by true leaders. Miranda used harsh and strict behavior and production of her employees, that consequently many of them left the company. Everyone has had a boss that pushes them too hard without any kind of incentive toward success, as well as had that leader that would have followed you into the “seventh ring”. What makes the difference between the two is the human element of caring about each and every member of the team and treating them as a valuable part of the organization. Also, never for the entire movie did Miranda raise her voice — but the people around her bowed their heads to listen and hear every word. This influence - she speaks softly, because she knows that she will be heard. Although she appreciates the fact that she has the power of fear, at the same time she is nonetheless effective. A person who raises his voice is rarely heard, because the volume he uses is holding back his message. When you speak, be gentle and calm - this ensures that you are more likely to be heard. Often the most respected leaders are calm and quiet ones. However, I believe that Miranda is not simply being a horrendous manager for the sake of making her staff wretched. I see her as a great leader and an incredible asset to the magazine. She motivates her staff to be ready ahead of time for all meetings and tasks. Her style may be viewed as autocratic and domineering, but it also creates an environment of collaboration. Miranda actually builds a highly productive environment. Miranda believes she has to be the ‘Dragon Lady’ for the magazine to reach success. As she always says, “ Truth is, there’s no one that can do what I do… Any of the other choices would have found that job impossible and the magazine would have suffered.” 

In conclusion, the movie 'The Devil Wears Prada' provides an insightful portrayal of leadership and its effects on the workplace. Miranda Priestly, the chief editor of Runway magazine, is depicted as a negative and task-oriented leader who creates a toxic environment through fear. Her approach resulted in high turnover rates, emphasizing the importance of positive reinforcement and compassion in leadership. Despite her harsh behavior, Miranda's effectiveness as a leader cannot be denied, as she motivates her staff to be highly productive and collaborative. The movie ultimately highlights the importance of striking a balance between being an effective leader and showing compassion towards employees. By doing so, organizations can maintain a positive work environment and retain employees, ultimately leading to greater success.