Erin Brokovich Made Famous by Her Eponymous

Erin Brokovich

Made famous by her eponymous movie, Erin Brockovich is a consumer rights advocate whose work has exposed the weaknesses inherent in organizational behavior. The 2000 film was about Brockovich's fight for social and environmental justice. Pacific Gas & Electric had been blatantly poisoning groundwater with Chromium 6, a toxic agent related to a host of health issues. Brockovich's determination to expose the injustice led to a successful litigation against Pacific Gas & Electric. Her work did not stop there; Brockovich became passionate about a range of consumer rights and social justice issues related to the ways corporations can too easily hide behind legal loopholes and overtly unethical legislation. Brockovich exemplifies core principles related to leadership and organizational behavior.

Erin Brockovich's personality traits likely make her well suited to become active in her social justice campaigns, like the one depicted in the movie. Brockovich exhibits, for example, the Big Five personality traits that help to qualify effective leadership potential. She would score high on the extraversion scale: evidenced by her outspoken nature and willingness to use the powers of persuasion to get people on her side. Erin Brockovich might not seem agreeable to those she opposes in senior management, but most people would certainly say that she is highly personable, warm, and caring. Her priorities related to people are highly ethical, too. Unlike those who would criticize her, Erin believes that businesses can thrive while still remaining committed to ethical principles and goals.

Her conscientiousness, another Big Five trait, also defines Brockovich's ability to succeed. Without a formal law degree, Brockovich demonstrated a level of organization, attention to detail, and dogged determination that many lawyers lack. As far as emotional stability is concerned, Brockovich is highly emotional and yet she understands how to channel that emotion to serve others in the organization. Finally, based on her willingness and interest to apply what she learned with Pacific Gas & Electric, Brockovich is very open to new experiences. According to her official biography, Brockovich is now president of her own consulting firm: Brockovich Research & Consulting, and "she is currently involved in numerous environmental projects worldwide." Moreover, Brockovich "travels the world for personal appearances." Her scope of leadership is broad and not limited to one company.