Great leaders have shaped the World we live in today and they are remembered for what they were able to accomplish during their lifetime. The history books are filled with leaders that changed the very nature of something by taking a different road or challenging the way everyone perceived things. Leaders would not be able to accomplish these daring feats without the help of their followers, the individuals in the background giving them their support (Schermerhorn & Uhl-Bien, 2014). Colleen Barrett was able to break through the glass ceiling and led Southwest Airlines (SWA) to become one of the most successful airlines in the industries (Dierendonck & Patterson, 2010). In the following pages will explore Colleen Barrett’s leadership
A leader is anyone who uses interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, worked on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her enthusiasm for her work at the United Nations was rooted in her humanitarian convictions and her steady faith in human dignity and worth. With modesty, Eleanor considered her position on the Commission to be one of ambassador for the common people. Her sensible approach, optimism and energy allowed the smooth facilitation of meetings (Eleanor Roosevelt Biography, 1998). Not actually seeing herself as a leader, Eleanor preferred to work as part of a team, not like a boss. She followed her passion of making positive changes in people’s lives and knew
There is a great importance put on business leadership, this is directly due to how a business not only functions but in how fruitful the company can become. A great leader essentially can take a business plan that is weak yet turn it into a success, whereas a poor leader stands a higher chance of ruining the best of business plans. That is why it is essential to develop effective leadership throughout a companies entire management program at all levels. How does one develop or retain strong leadership? Companies must be focused on hiring strategies that encompass very specific parameters, building from within whilst creating a strong foundation for employee development and succession planning. Leadership is essential in any organization. The style and theory embraced determines whether the company will or will not achieve their goals. in all cases theory must be embraced, as a companies theory, style, and strategy is greatly dependent on the industry the company is in (Sadler, 2014). “The behavioral theory is one of the widely used theories of management. It suggests that leaders are made and not born. It gives room for training to install leadership traits in leaders at the expense of denying them a chance. There are various leadership styles embraced by companies (Cyert, & March, 2005).” This paper takes a look at the management styles of two specific
This leader has 3 distinctive qualities that have given him the abilities to do magnificent things. The first quality is his ability to make decisions. “Decision-making leaders are leaders are leaders who solve problems by making good decisions that result in lasting solutions” (Borek, Lovett, & Towns, 2005). I have seen him make very hard decisions, some decisions he has made I didn’t
This concept of being a manager who leads is a continuous blend. In clarification she goes on to say that a manager deals with present day issues and concerns. This is a very important aspect of managing and quite a lot can be accomplished with this focus in mind. In order to be a leader you must look beyond today and focus on the future. A leader must be a true visionary. Being able to handle everyday issues and problems while planning for the future are qualities that all leaders must master if they are to truly be successful. For this reason it is vital to have insight, practice forward thinking, and demonstrate the ability to make strategic decisions further improving what is already established. In addition a leader must develop, initiate, and promote their ideas and values. A leader must possess the ability to unite a group of otherwise separate individuals into one humongous group. Most importantly they must focus them to work under a common philosophy with valued goals in mind. Leaders must be proactive in collaborating with others around them. The collaboration must take place with individuals that are equal in position as well as those above and below them. In other words a leader must listen and acknowledge all suggestions, while taking an active part in coaching or developing them further if appropriate. Lastly but equally as important, as a leader you must have authority. This power if you will should not be exerted routinely as it should be reserved
My father once told me that, “everything we do— be it in academia, at work, social or family life—we are guided by principles, beliefs and values that collectively form our ideology of life.” I believe that every leader, to a certain extent, is shaped through her individual personal experience. Although in some cases, we may not realize to what extent our personal assumptions and beliefs shape our ability to lead or be led.
From Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela’s charisma, to Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King’s intelligence and Steve Jobs’ analytical nature, there can be as numerous ways to lead as there are leaders (Crossman, 2010). Leadership is a hot debate both in the business world and other areas of the society. Throughout the world's, there have been as many leadership models as there have been their commentators (Burns & Peltason, 1966). Fortunately, psychologists and businesspersons have established useful frameworks that refer to the main ways of leadership.
This case study is an analysis of leadership as exhibited by Rebecca S. Halstead. The article published at Harvard Business School by Boris Groysberg and Deborah Bell details the traits, motivations and leadership style that Halstead exemplified. Through the analysis of this article I hope to not only document the achievements of Rebecca Halstead but also document and assimilate the leadership lessons imparted by her. An important observation I have made from the progress of time I this course is that study of leadership is synonymous with studying great leaders. The study of science involves experiments & making observations based on results. However, leadership is not an absolute science, there are various approaches. Every leader has a different style & combination of traits. Aspiring leaders & scholars of leadership must find their individual combination to succeed.
Angela Ahrendts is one of the most successful women in business of our generation. This is due largely in part to her exceptionally strong leadership skills. Ahrendts’ resume of accomplishments can stack up with the best in the world and includes honors and awards such as, The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her services to British business in 2013, The Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group from 2010-present, Oracle World Retail Awards: Outstanding Leadership 2010, ranked #4 on Fortune’s 2013 top people in business, and ranked inside Forbes’ top 100 Most Powerful Women in business for the past nine consecutive years (Alexander, 2013). Every company that Angela has held a leadership role in has experienced great success. However, despite her many successes and achievements Ahrendts is describe as motivating and humble by her counterparts. This speaks volumes of not only her vast amount of business knowledge, but also to her ability to lead people in an effective, relationship-building manner. After much research on Ahrendts and her work at each company we conclude that she is predominantly a Theory Y leader and supports that with four key styles and traits. Among those are a balance of task-oriented leadership and relationship-oriented leadership, in addition to strong administrative skills and interpersonal skill. Ahrendts uses a combination of all of these styles and skills to effectively lead her subordinates and drive successful
Family background is the initial factor that helped to shape Indra Nooyi into the leader that she is today. Indra was born in Chennai, India, in 1955. Her mother, Shantha Krishnamoorthy, whom she considers her first management teacher was a homemaker. Although the family was completely from a Hindu background, she was sent to a Roman Catholic school. As a result, it was her mother that introduced the aspect of integration to young Indra by enrolling her in a Roman Catholic school. In fact, Indra Nooyi actually admits to her mother’s encouraging her to become a leader. By telling her that she could rule the entire country, and to maintain her background strong, her mother fostered courage and resolve in her daughter. Moreover, although her mother urged her to observe and uphold her Hindu origins and culture, she also allowed young Indra to exercise her freedom of choice and to follow her dreams of rising to the top, in life. In addition, Indra’s mother helped in sharpening her mental acuity towards decision making, an ability that she had ever since she was young. By engaging Indra and her sister in simple competitions for chocolate, Shantha induced strategic leadership concepts in her daughter, Indra Nooyi, long before she
Indra Nooyi’s success story serves as an inspiration for many people including myself. She led an organization successfully and without sacrificing who she are culturally. It’s not a simple task and yet she faces different challenges every day. She also said that leadership is hard to define and good leadership even harder. But if you can get people to follow you to the ends of the earth, you are a great leader.
The characteristics of a leader like Ms. Jovita Carranza came through in her daily actions with those encircled by her personal and professional life experiences. Leaders come in all forms of varieties, genders, ethnicity and descriptors like Carranza. Carranza didn't stopped to think about some of the leaders that have inspired her or even some that have infuriated her, the qualities of her good leadership skills will became apparent through her professional growth with UPS. When we think about the characteristic of a leader, we often think of leaders that are ever-changing, which calls each of us to act or to follow. We could take on the prime example, such as Carranza. She had some of the values that we all inspire to follow, she had
Jack Ma and Indra Nooyi share very common similarities regarding their leadership stories which appear to be strong catalysts in shaping their leadership purpose. They both came from rather simple beginnings, Indra was raised by a strict conservative Brahmin family in Southern India and Jack was repeatedly rejected for his plans of starting an internet company in America. Not deterred by that experience Jack then returned to China with no money but a solid business idea. While it is clear in watching them that these are leaders who remain quite humble about their achievements, Jack especially is someone who happily admits he has made a lot of errors on his path to success, stating his plans to write the book ‘Alibaba’s 1001 mistakes, that
“Leadership is the capacity to develop a vision that motivates others to move with a passion towards a common goal. Therefore, leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent” (Democracy, 2014). Apple CEO Tim Cook will predictably be compared to his antecedent Steve Jobs, but in one way, he 's greatly more like Bill Gates -- he has encouraged philanthropy at Apple (Stone, 2014). Under his leadership, Apple has become a much more socially aware company, working to enhance conditions in foreign factories and planning to reduce pollution caused by data centers and the devices themselves. In contrast to Tim’s leadership, a successful legend spread out at Microsoft Company where leader Bill Gates has many leadership qualities. One of the most important attributes is his capability to analyze, interpret, and be competent. His methodical intelligence is mentioned in his biography that corroborate of his abilities by scoring 1790 on an 1800 Harvard entrance exam (Stone, 2014). The excellent skills and mentality that Bill Gates has develop places him with to be one of the most powerful transformational leaders who motivate the crowds of whom he shares his vision.
Prior to attending the Business Internship course, my knowledge and understanding on successful business leaders was very limited. Although I had heard of countless success stories in business, I had never actually understood what it took to achieve such measures of success. However, it wasn’t until we had the privilege of hearing from four different business magnates in weeks 6 -9. Each of the business leaders gave an hour’s seminar and which was aimed at providing insights into their personal lives, working experiences and the core essence of 21st century business leadership.