The Challenges Of Leadership: Indra Nooyi

The leader that I chose to research is Samuel Truett Cathy, the founder and chairman emeritus of Chic-Fil-A, Inc. Cathy has been featured in magazines like Forbes and Business Insider for his

In today’s society, there are some people who possesses the qualities of outstanding leadership. Also, in today’s society, there are some people who keep qualities of a poor leader. A good leader is someone who reads and understands their own emotions and recognize the impact on themselves and others. Another thing great leaders do is think and act with optimism, by looking at the positives and not so much on the negatives. Another great strength a good leader has is that he or she knows the strengths and limits of the certain people on their team (Hewertson). Furthermore, a great leader leads by example, set achievable goals, assigns tasks within someone’s strengths, gets the right people on board,

Out of the leaders mentioned above, the one leader I admire is Steve Paul Jobs, Co-founder and CEO of Apple, Inc. from 1997-2011. Steve Jobs started with Apple, Inc. in 1977 with a company he created in his garage. After twenty years of working with Apple, Inc., Steve Jobs finally earned his title as CEO of the

While lots of theories of leadership have been projected, characteristics of leaders have been endless over a period and around the world. Leaders are individuals with vision and he/her view the future different from the commonly accepted view. A leader can influence change and communicate his/her vision to other staff and gain the support, and acceptance in order to implementing the vision. Leaders have established values which offer a basis for vision and passion to attain individual and organizational goals. Influence is vital to attaining change and to be grounded based on knowledge through formal schooling and proficiency (Yphantides, Escoboza, & Macchione, 2015). The influential leader how is a pioneer in her field is Rebecca Onie who is instrumental in creating a company for communities in poverty and have become an advocate for these individuals to be heard and acknowledge by society (Michaels, 2011).

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

Throughout my short life, I have come to realize that a leader does not necessarily, although they may, maintain a defined position of leadership. A leader is one who will rise to the challenge even when the odds in opposition. A leader will tackle any barrier that stands in the way of the goal. A leader is willing to be hated and face criticism for doing what is right. Leaders come in all different forms, but a leader is the one who is always willing to make the difficult decisions.

Leadership is both an inherent value and is forged overtime. Inherently, some people are born good leaders and intrinsically have good values imbedded. Leadership traits can be honed and developed overtime; you never stop learning to be a good leader. Leadership is the cornerstone of all successfully run organizations and is what drives stewardship to successfully carry on the organizations mission statement. Throughout one’s life experiences, they come across some great leaders and some not-so great leaders. Those life experiences transcend one to become a better leader through experiential circumstances.

By definition, leadership is the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. But can we really sum up “leadership” in a single sentence? Recently, an article was run in Business News Daily (2015) that listed 30 ways to define leadership. In those 30, there were many quotes by CEOs, COOs, Founders, and company Presidents. Common attributes like “behavior”, “ability”, “vision”, and “followership” were mentioned. So it goes without saying that if these prominent individuals can figure it out, why can’t those below them? Thankfully, most do, and some will even rise to the top like those previously mentioned. The key point to all of this though is that it takes more than just one characteristic to make a leader. Throughout this piece, I’d like to explore the aspects that make up a Leader, how I fit the role of a leader, and what I’ve learned throughout this course in leadership.

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.

The importance of developing good leaders in today’s global economy is one of the most important factors for any corporation whether they are a non-profit or for-profit endeavor. Study after study has shown that solid leaders are a critical necessity to not only be able to compete globally, but to build companies that can be sustained. According to Kouzes and Posner (2007) leaders not only need to put numbers on the board (profits) they must have a focus on the longer-term development of people and institutions in order to prepare for change, adapt to market conditions, and prosper and grow. Additionally, they go on to describe five key practices of exemplary leadership as: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging from the heart.

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

In this ever growing, rapid developing world as we can see today, there are many different successful leaders. As we know it, leaders are humans just like everyone else. How did they manage to stand out from the crowd? What did they do to achieve great success for an organization? As of all the successful leaders in the world, Steve Jobs is one of the successful leaders that managed to achieve great success for an organization. Therefore, Steve Jobs is the leader that I personally admire and would like to emulate.

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

One of the topics in organizational development today is leadership. Leadership is what individuals do to mobilize other people in organizations and communities. According to Kouzes & Posner, there are five practices and ten commitments of exemplary leadership. The five practices of exemplary leadership include: Model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. In the Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner found similar patterns and actions of leadership that created the essentials to achieve success. Utilizing the research conducted by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, I have created a leadership plan that would apply to the Admission Department at Texas Wesleyan University.

There are different leadership styles; a particular leader that will be discussed is Alan Mulally a CEO of Ford Motor. Alan faced many challenges and he impacted