Kenneth I. Chenault was born on June 2nd, 1951, in Mineola New York. He went to Bowdoin College and he also went to Harvard University. Before he became CEO he was working at Bain & Company from 1979 to 1981 as a management consultant. Chenault is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of American Express. He went to go work for American Express in 1981 as Director of strategic planning. He saw an opportunity to work in a different department within the company, which was the merchandising group. Chenault saw and wanted a challenge, and he got one. He took the company from making 150 million to 500 million. He manages 70,000 employees at American Express; he describes his leadership style as simple but complex. The simple part is that he has been consistent in his goals, which are to serve responsibility of customers, employees and shareholders. He is always looking for good leaders within the company. He feels like since 70,000 employees work at the company and he will not have the chance to interact with all of them, he says that every person at the meeting should share what was discussed to 20 or more employees so everyone can feel part of the company. Constructive confrontation is key and very important to him he wants employees to have that; people should have the ability to speak up, and he believes that leadership can be taught. Even though American Express does not have formal leadership training, Chenault hopes to teach people, by people following him and
In this type of leadership, the leader is always welcoming new ideas, new ways of doing things and new opportunities for employees. The line of communication is very open, employees
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
“Rising through the Ranks,” written by Mike Wynn is one of the popular books on leadership, which explains the importance of leadership and the ways to become an efficient leader. Wynn describes the expectations of an organization from a leader. A leader should undertake certain tasks, such as “short-term, long-term, operational and administrative and ensure the completion of tasks through people” (Wynn, 2008). If a supervisor fails to employ a leadership stance, instead employs a management stance, there are higher chances of risk to lose the effort and loyalty of the people. Adopting a leadership style of supervision has more chances of success as the people always strive for their success as well as the success of their leader.
All leadership styles are unique and executed via a well-thought out process. This paper reviews the leadership and managerial opportunities I have had in my recent work experiences. The experiences mentioned in this paper range from my first work engagement to the current role I am assigned as a Senior Financial Analyst. There are examples which explain the aspects that have impacted my leadership skills. This paper also examines the possibilities of inventing a unique leadership style that will align with Jack Welch's four principles and eight Rules. Furthermore, it provides the
Sey defines leadership as those who lead by example, serve, and nurture others in order to be a well rounded mentor who recognizes the skill sets in the individuals they are leading. He finds it much easier to look for specific talents within his team and this allows him to identify certain strengths which adds to his contribution as a manager. He is certain that “you’re only a leader if people are willing to follow.” Dr. Sey motivates his employees by creating opportunities to learn something new, avoiding micromanaging, enabling flexible work hours, but most importantly allowing productivity to triumph over how many hours each employee should work. I can agree with Dr. Sey on the fact that being an exceptional leader requires effective communication because it is a fundamental skill for anyone who wants to succeed as a manager. It is not just about saying the “right words,” but rather being able to empathize with employees and follow through on the promises one confesses. That is why Dr. Sey gives his employees the permission to complete work on their time table as long as they fulfill their objectives, instead of being too stringent with
Leadership is the elaboration of group inspiration. One person entrusted as leader can implore the aid, and support of supporters in the accomplishment of a common mission. According to Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane “Becoming a more effective leader often requires changing behavior. But although most companies recognize that this also means adjusting underlying mind-sets, too often these organizations are reluctant to address the root causes of why leaders act the way they do” (Gurdjian, Halbeisen, and Lane, 2014) However, today abundant businesses engross importance on the improvement of leaders. Some of the ultimate leaders were formerly followers, such as in instructive businesses. One aspect as leaders many have to contemplate in striving
i. Darla: To effectively motivate employees to change with the strategy implemented managers will benefit from using the authentic leadership method to gain employee trust and build overall confidence and morale in the different departments Riordan has. This strategy requires managers to be genuine with employees about who he or she is as a manager, encourage open communication, share information to keep employees on the same page, and lastly stick to the ideals and best interest of the company. Using this method is one way Riordan can implement a bureaucratic structure to the current informal customer information function.
American Express is one of the main organizations with a solid, worldwide nearness over the whole installments chain. They are the world 's biggest card backer, with premium system for high-spending card individuals. They handle a great many exchanges every day, and have accomplices that give business-building administrations to an overall trader base. With them having this level scale crosswise over installments gives them different chances to develop their business and drive advancement in the commercial center. It 's additionally a portal to a more extensive exhibit of administrations that further separate American Express. ("Our Company," n.d.)
While the sheep are busy eating the grasses in the field, the shepherd must search for green pastures. Just like the shepherd in the fields, a leader in the business world must know where his team is headed, aligning their strategy with the group’s goals. They must step up in order to lead their group. In this chapter, it was also emphasized that just like the gentleness of the staff, a good leader must use persuasion and not coercion.
David Novak’s point of view is that leadership is not about techniques; rather, it is about empowering people. Novak, Chairman and former CEO of Yum! Brands, believes in the power of taking people with you to accomplish big things. This is “the job of every leader…it’s not something that can be delegated” (Novak, 2013, p. 221). Honestly, the title of the book says it all. While I believe the book is written for individuals who hold leadership positions, it could also be useful for anyone wanting to improve their leadership skills or even grow as an individual.
American Express, also know as AMEX, is a global financial services company headquartered in New York City and founded in 1850. With 54,000 employees and a revenue of over 35 billion dollars American Express stands tall on the New York Stock Exchange (Sec.gov). American Express is best known for it’s credit cards, which make up about twenty-five percent of total dollar volume in credit card transactions in The United States of America (Reviews.greatplacetowork.com). American Express’ goal is to maintain a leading and almost elite reputation with as many qualified card holders as possible. American Express does this by concentrating on the customer’s experience and branding that experience. American Express’ key components in maintaining and further exceling into this goal includes focusing on their human recourses, social responsibility, and marketing techniques.
A leader is defined as a person with responsibility to influence one or more followers and directing them to achieve a set objective (Sethuraman, 2014). In order to achieve that set of objectives effortlessly, effectively, and efficiently, the most important and valued trait of a leader is an effective leadership styles. Effective leadership styles are required in every organization at every level to be successful. The success or failure of an organization depends on the quality of leadership particularly on the part of top management. An effective leadership style can be developed on the basis of understanding of the situations (Sethuraman, 2014). Top management should know which leadership style is needed based on the situation to be most effective to gain trust and respect from their employee. There is no single method of influencing the behavior of employees for every situation. The employee’s level of knowledge on the task and can determine which leadership style that will be most effective for the situation. Preparing leaders to lead
Most Norwegian leaders tend to have an informal, inclusive, supportive, and non-authoritarian leadership style. They give their staff considerable autonomy and opportunities to participate actively in the solution of tasks and the development of processes in the workplace. In comparison to the Norway style of leadership, the U.S. has several similarities but after employed in the U.S., we have saw things differently. After doing research, we found out that the U.S. holds leaders and CEO’s to high standards. Leaders are building blocks of the organization in the U.S. The most effective men and women who are leaders are those who can competently organize the cooperation and assistance of other people to accomplish goals and objectives.
American Express has established a travel division in 1915 which made travel easier, the first travel agency was established in the 1930’s and the travel had grown widely.
I have learned many lessons from Jack Welch on leadership. Jack Welch has been with the General Electric Company (GE) since 1960. Having taken over GE with a market capitalization of about $12 billion, Jack Welch turned it into one of the largest and most admired companies in the world by the time he stepped down as its CEO 20 years later, in 2000. Jack Welch used his uncanny instincts and unique leadership strategies to run GE, the most complex organization in the world and increased its market value by more than $400 billion over two decades. He remains a highly regarded figure in business circles due to his innovative leadership style. Jack Welch demonstrated Kouzes and Posner’s five practices of modeling the way, inspiring a shared