Leadership Styles

Barbuto & Burbach (2006) indicate that emotional intelligence is a prerequisite for strong leadership. This notion has been present within the body of literature on leadership within the past few years. In order to conceptualize this, it is prudent that we operationally define emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence can be thought of as an intricate mix of skills which invariably include the following:

• The ability to respond to an individual with empathy and understanding
• The ability to predict changes in moods of individual team members which will prove to be disruptive to the team dynamics
• The ability to communicate effectively with individuals irrespective of their status within an organizational structure. The aim of this communication is to establish networks and to effectively manage relationships within an organization
• The ability to self-motivate beyond and go beyond the financial implications of effective leadership
• The ability of an individual to be in touch with self. Essentially an individual needs to be aware of his/her moods and how they affect the dynamics of the work environment.

The impact of an emotionally intelligent leader can be profound when one examines it within the scope of transformational leadership in that in order for a leader to be effective, he/she has to understand what is going on with the individuals they are charged with leading. In other word, he/she has to understand the strengths and weaknesses of an employee in order to guide that individual along the path which proves to be most beneficial for the company.

This can only be done through empathy as well as the utilization of strong interpersonal skills and an understanding of the moods of their employees. He/she should be cognizant of the fact that moods have a tendency to permeate an organization and spread to other employees within that organization. In addition to the aforementioned factors, it is wise for an individual in a leadership role to be cognizant of his/her emotions and the effect they might have on the company as a whole. Finally, an emotionally intelligent leader has to possess the quality of internal motivation. Essentially, he/she needs to have an internal locus of control which will serve to empower the individuals in their charge.

In examining examples of positive emotions, one can cite the emotions related to a positive mood, disposition and affect. Barbuto & Burbach (2006) credits a positive mood for creating a positive outlook on problems wherein organizational problems are viewed as challenges which can be utilized as a means of gaining the necessary experience to proceed in an informed manner. A positive disposition is seen as the facilitator of stability which impacts the ability to make accurate decision as well as to form stronger interpersonal bond.

A positive affect can work to enhance problem solving skills and the ability to make accurate decisions as well as afford the leader the flexibility to allow other team members to be viable and contributing members of the team by exploiting their strengths.

Reference

Barbuto, J.E. & Burbach, M.E. (2006). The Emotional Intelligence of Transformational Leaders: A Field Study of Elected Officials. The Journal of Social Psychology, 146(1), 51-64.

Introduction

Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo, is known for establishing her own standards of work that contributed to the corporation’s unprecedented performance. One of the aspects of her policy’s success is a clear vision of the company’s needs and the ability to take corrective measures when the applied strategies are not properly implemented. Aside from having a perfect picture of the organization’s future, Nooyi possesses the authority to set forward goals and make her subordinates fulfill her demands. She is one of the 100 most influential people on the planet according to the list provided by Time magazine (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). The harmonic combination of passion, charisma, and professionalism make Nooyi the leader who can react to any changes on the market and thus, keep the company’s steady course.

Indra Nooyi’s Vision of Performance

I do think that Nooyi’s vision of performance has been effective. My claim is supported by the fact that the woman took guidance from the two strategic objectives: to diminish the prevalence of obesity and to make PepsiCo compliant with the existing environmental requirements (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). These goals were achieved owing to the improvement of the products’ nutritional status. Today, the product has lower sugar and calorie levels and contains no trans fats (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). It was her decision to purchase Tropicana and Quaker Oats, which allowed PepsiCo to launch a healthier product line. With such a complex approach to improving nutrition, I believe that the corporation will make a significant contribution to fighting obesity and cardio-vascular diseases worldwide. Also, using fewer amount of harmful components and reducing waste is the first step in protecting the environment.

How Nooyi’s Charisma and Leadership Combine

I am fully convinced that Nooyi possesses both charisma and a leader’s potential. The CEO of PepsiCo uses grace and charm to motivate people to achieve the goals she sets; these two qualities are the characteristic features of a charismatic leader. This woman is held in respect since “she listens to those around her, even when they disagree with her” (“10.2 cases,” n.d., para. 4). One of the aspects that make her a wise leader is that Nooyi easily accepts criticism viewing it as a stimulus to improve. She promotes the values she has and makes others share their values too (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). Her charismatic personality, as well as a high level of self-belief, is the instrument encouraging her employees to work harder and follow new initiatives.

Factors Contributing to Nooyi’s Success

The level of authority is only one of the factors making Nooyi so successful. Besides charisma and a strong personality, the CEO of PepsiCo possesses high-level professionalism and the ability to establish contact with employees. The woman is respected by both colleagues and subordinates; she has earned this respect owing to the considerable work and the corporation’s remarkable achievements it has resulted in. Nooyi demonstrates genuine talent in what refers to allocating human resources and planning business strategies (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). The working methods she utilizes have stood the test of time, and an increasing number of business owners are becoming interested in borrowing her model of management (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). To add more, the leader never takes short-lived decisions: replacing plastic bottles with eco-friendly materials for one year only was not enough to suit her demands.

Advisors and Values the CEO of PepsiCo Relies on

In terms of business, Nooyi is a rather collaborative person. She mainly obtains information from the three former company’s CEOs who can be regarded as her informal advisors (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). The woman closely examines all the data related to the corporation’s previous failures and successes to never repeat the same mistakes. In fact, avoiding mistakes is what she values most in both herself and her subordinates. Nooyi has a progress-oriented mindset and expects people to prioritize such values, as hardworking, empathy for others, and good intentions (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). In her opinion, these qualities can assist corporations with building a required organizational culture, which, in turn, will contribute to a streaming company’s growth on the market.

Passion as a Driving Force

Nooyi treats her role as the CEO of PepsiCo with a lot of passion. She gives all of her energy and never stops until the results are achieved (“10.2 cases,” n.d.). The woman puts in plenty of effort to make the corporation environmentally sustainable, delivering healthier products to the market. She is also very reliant on her company and, therefore, will do the impossible for PepsiCo to respond to all consumers’ needs.

Conclusion

Among the factors making Indra Nooyi a globally known and generally respected businesswoman and CEO, charisma, passion, and the vision of the future are the most prominent. The woman has introduced a unique model of business, which motivates her subordinates to follow their leader in all of the projects. Accompanied by high-level professionalism, authority, grace, and charm, the given formula has allowed the corporation to significantly improve performance and win back customers’ devotion.

Reference

10.2 case in point: Indra Nooyi draws on vision and values to lead. (n.d.). Web.

In his article “What Makes a Leader?” (1998), Daniel Goleman explains the connection between emotional intelligence (EI) and success in business. Goleman emphasizes the fact that leadership qualities are defined not so much by some predetermined principles as by a set of suitable features pertaining to a person. The author mentions that while such features are different for every person, all prosperous leaders have one common quality, called EI. He admits that technical abilities and intelligence quotient are necessary for a good executive, but he considers EI an indispensable quality for organizing successful leadership. Goleman says that no matter how smart or well-trained a person is, he or she cannot attain the best results without EI. In his article, Goleman shows the connection between EI and productive accomplishment, explains the way EI works, and suggests hints that help in recognizing EI abilities in oneself and others. The author pays attention to all elements of EI: self-regulation, empathy, self-awareness, social skill, and motivation.

To assess EI, Goleman investigated nearly two hundred companies’ competency models. His target in performing this task was to establish the personal abilities that led to excellent performance in these firms and to figure out the extent to which these abilities had an impact. Goleman classified the abilities into three types: purely technical skills, cognitive skills, and abilities that indicated EI. The psychologists in the organizations asked the senior managers to single out the capabilities personifying the most effective leaders within the companies. In so doing, they became able to generate some of the competency models. To generate the others, objective principles were applied to discern the most outstanding performers in the organizations. Further, Goleman performed interviews with the chosen employees with the aim of correlating their capabilities. He discovered that EI turned out to be twice as significant as IQ and technical skills. Additionally, he found that the higher the position of an excellent employee, the more impact EI had on the employee’s performance. To prove the reliability of his findings, Goleman provides a summary of other research papers dedicated to the connection between excellent performance and EI.

Goleman considers self-awareness the basic element of EI. He defines it as a profound comprehension of an individual’s advantages and disadvantages, requirements, and emotions. Self-awareness helps people to organize their work in the most efficient way as they come to identify their assets and drawbacks and come up with the best solutions in advance. Goleman notices that notwithstanding the importance of self-awareness, executives in the companies often neglect this feature when searching for leaders. He says that the executives make a big mistake by firing those employees who admit their faults when in fact this makes them much better candidates for promotion. Goleman emphasizes that being honest about one’s abilities and perspectives differentiates a great leader from an ordinary worker. Unfortunately, frankness is often mistaken for cowardice, and candid people are underestimated.

Self-regulation is the next significant element of EI. Goleman explains it as a process that allows people to regulate their emotions. He remarks that all people have bad moods and negative impulses, but only people owning self-regulation know how to eliminate the impact of their emotions on their work performance and the people surrounding them. Goleman explains that if an executive has no self-regulation, his or her behavior may affect employees in an adverse way. Outbursts of anger will never lead to anything good, while calm explanation of the team’s failures and thinking of possible solutions make work more productive and the employees friendlier and more dedicated. Also, Goleman remarks that self-regulation boosts the competitive abilities of a firm. People who can manage their emotions meet the new requirements more easily and thus can make their company more competitive and prosperous.

Goleman emphasizes the significance of motivation for a good leader. He remarks that this is a feature that all outstanding leaders have in common. Motivated people strive to accomplish more and to drive others to do so. Goleman notices that while many employees are inspired by prestige or high income, truly dedicated leaders are motivated by mere achievement. He says that such leaders enjoy challenges, do their job passionately, show great energy in everything they are doing, and seek for new methods to improve the quality of work. Goleman mentions that motivated people are optimistic even in really dangerous circumstances, and they are apt to follow their progress, as well as the advancement of their team. Commitment to what one is doing is considered a crucial part of a motivated leader.

Empathy is the easiest quality to identify among the EI components. An empathetic leader does not have to work to perceive others’ emotions and strive to make everyone satisfied. Goleman remarks that business empathy presupposes careful dealing with employees’ feelings in the course of making intelligent resolutions. The author emphasizes the significance of empathy in modern business affairs and names several reasons to prove his point. First of all, it is connected with the growing use of teams. Next, the fast progress of globalization is playing a role. Also, empathy is necessary in connection with the need to employ talented people. A leader needs to feel and comprehend the opinions of all team members. Goleman believes that interpersonal relationships play a crucial role in building a successful company.

Another ability that is necessary for a prominent leader, as described by Goleman, is social skill. He emphasizes that this skill is more complicated than it may seem. Social skill is not only about having a friendly disposition. Goleman describes this quality as friendliness with an aim: A leader needs to be able to make people turn the way he or she wishes. Leaders owning social skill know many people, and they can find common interests with anyone. Goleman mentions that this does not presuppose constant socializing. Rather, these leaders realize that anything significant needs to be done in a team. The author considers social skill the apex of EI elements.

Goleman remarks that EI is an inseparable part of any successful leader, which gives benefits both to the person and the company where he or she works. Each of the EI elements has unique functions, meaning that all of them must be present in an outstanding leader. Goleman admits that it is not an easy matter, but EI can be learned if it does not naturally pertain to a person. According to scientific research, EI is present in everyone at a genetic level, while psychological research shows that natural environment also occupies a significant place in the development of EI. Goleman concludes that with proper enthusiasm and desire to learn, anyone can become a great leader.

Introduction

As the company decides to restructure and expand its operations, I would like to be a manager in one of the departments of the company. Leaders and business managers should possess the best skills and leadership styles to promote performance. The leadership applied in the company determines how the employees are motivated to work for the success of the business. Different theories on leadership offer useful insights and revelations about leadership (Robbins & Judge, 2011). My roles in the company will be to motivate the employees, provide them with the best incentives, lead them, and promote an effective organizational culture. The roles will be relevant in the organizations because I will offer the most benefit to the company.

Main Body

The leadership style model I will apply in the organization is the horizontal structure. According to leadership theories, the kind of leadership adopted in a business organization will determine the success of the business. The leadership style determines who employees are motivated and provided with training, mentoring, and skills. Different models of leadership have their own disadvantages and advantages. It is therefore important that the leaders in an organization use the best model that suits the business to promote functionality and performance (Yukl, 2010). As the organization intends to expand and restructure its business, I will make sure I have applied a new leadership style that will improve profitability through employee motivation.

In the organization, I believe that the horizontal organizational structure will be the best leadership style that best fits the business. As a leader in the company, I will offer the required feedback, decisions, and opportunities to the employees such that they have the chance to be involved in the process. The employees in the business have different skills and expertise that can be of value to the company. It will be time to give the employees the opportunity to make decisions, mentor them, and involve them in the operations of the company (Robbins & Judge, 2011). According to leadership theories, a motivated and engaged employee is the trick to improve profitability in a company. Personally, I believe that every person has the potential and ability to offer the best ideas and decisions that will promote the performance of a business.

After learning much about different models of leadership, I believe a horizontal approach will improve the profitability of the company. This approach is important because it will benefit the organization by motivating the employees and mentoring them. According to different leadership theories, a leader should mentor, lead, train, and motivate the workers. As suggested by the leadership model, I will embrace the relevance of teamwork in the company (Yukl, 2010). When the employees are working as a team, they offer synergistic support to each other and can solve the challenges affecting them. The leadership will make the company successful thus leading to its profitability.

After assuming the role of a leader in the company, I will use the horizontal form of leadership because it promotes understanding and performance. The approach treats leadership as a complete system with different individuals and ideas working together to determine what appears right. The leadership model makes the exchange of information and ideas easier in the company (Yukl, 2010). The approach will help to solve any challenges and problems identified in the company. The creation of teams in the company will improve the level of performance because the workers will be working together. The leadership structure improves the networking of information. This will make every person in the company is aware of the vision of the business. It is the duty of the employees, the management, and the stakeholders to make sure the business implements its vision.

As the manager, I will use horizontal leadership because it the most effective for companies with a large number of workers. As the company plans to expand and restructure its kind of business, I will change the kind of leadership applied in the company for many years. This will motivate the employees and provide them with the best skills and incentives to improve their activity level in the organization. The only disadvantage of this form of leadership is that it might result in laxity (Yukl, 2010). However, I will have a proper Human Resource in place to ensure the workers are motivated and monitored in the company. The approach will definitely make the employees active and careful about the mission and vision of the business.

Conclusion

Leaders should use the best style that values people and gives them a chance to apply their skills in the working environment. Vertical structure results in a hierarchical leadership and it might not be effective for different organizations. For a profit-making business, it is important to avoid the vertical structure of leadership because it does not value the input of the other people. As discussed in the paper, the use of horizontal leadership empowers the employees in the company thus making it possible to achieve the intended goals (Robbins & Judge, 2011). As the company plans to restructure itself, I will promote the best leadership styles to improve the productivity and engagement of the employees. The approach will make the organization successful and improve its profitability levels.

References

Robbins, S. & Judge, T. (2011). Organizational Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in Organizations. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Introduction

The concepts of leadership and management have been consistently misused to refer to either of them. The two concepts are complex in their applicability and use in the field of business activities. This paper presents the role of leadership and manager in an organization. Besides, the treatise presents the uniqueness of leadership and management. The second part of the paper examines ethics and morality in an organization, how they are modeled by organization leaders, and enforced by the organization managers.

Leadership and Management: Apple Company

Role of Leadership

By definition, leadership is the capability to internalize the environmental setting that incorporates and empowers a group to creatively contribute towards definite course of addressing a challenge in an organization (Drucker 25). The main roles of leadership in an organization include adaptability, empowerment, commitment, contribution, and critical problem solving skills (De-George 54). Through these adjustments, Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, has applied innovative leadership that reassures and discerns the wants and desires of the organization. The aspect of empowerment involves inspiring self esteem and confidence among the subjects to align their feelings to specific intuition or instinct. Therefore, the leadership of the Apple organization has facilitated the degree of empowerment and faith in solutions given, as was the case of the successful iPhone 6 brand innovation (De-George 57).

Role of Manager

The role of management in an organization include setting goals, strategic planning, managing resources, and deploying the needed resources to realize specific objectives that are measurable within a specified period of time (Drucker 28). In addition, management in organization inspires the need to contribute proactively towards creation of a suitable environment for closing the gap that may exist between a challenge and its solution. In the dynamic Apple organization, strategic management is a rich recipe for an imaginative response to stimulation that creates a wider chain of adaptation of viable solutions to different need, which directly affect organizational sustainability in its innovative goal. Basically, management of the Apple Company is characterized by imitation, status quo, and narrowed focus to a planned approach towards realizing its goal of efficiency in the music service (De-George 31).

Unique features and differences between leadership and management

In the practical Apple Company’s business environment, leadership and management share a complementary relationship despite being different concepts with different meanings and scope. Unlike leadership, the management of the company’s product innovation is an organized process that involves setting, planning, running resources and deploying assets to achieve specific goals and objectives that are reviewed within a closed period of time (Drucker 32). For instance, Tim Cook is a strategic manager and team leader at the Apple Company who has successfully applied transformational, participatory, and autocratic leadership styles to steer the company into its current position of the best innovation company in the world. Basically, management involves administration while leadership operates on the parameters of innovation. In most cases, the role of Tim Cook as the manager is reproducing the Apple’s action plans and their implementation while at the same time offering leadership in line with the originality of each plan.

Ethics and morals in an organization

Ethics are obligations that the management of a business should follow in doing business activities. Reflectively, when a business fails to follow these obligations, ethical dilemmas are likely to occur and negatively affect the organization. On the other hand, morals consist of systems that provide a basis for discerning whether an action is correct or erroneous. Positive ethical and moral aspirations in an organization are achievable through action oriented respect, mutual coexistence, and deeply entrenched social values through proactive organizational leadership strategies (Drucker 39). The basic code of ethics and morals functions on the need to develop good culture by fostering a strong alignment to path of achieving goals, missions, and vision of an organization through proactive leadership skills (Eriksen 751). The managers may enforce the created moral and ethical standards through ensuring that all the employees in an organization follow the written rules of engagement, expected behavior, and create repercussion guidelines for deviation.

Role of morals in an organization: Enron case

Morals play a significant role in an organization. The organizations with weak moral values may face serious ethical dilemmas as was the case with the Enron Company in the US, which had to be dissolved because of fraud. Enron’s corporate culture had little moral regulators to balance the goals of the company and expected behavior when handling business environment risks. Enron’s bankers, editors, and attorneys conspired to support the fraudulent dealings despite their ethical responsibility of maintaining integrity in the company. From an ethical perspective, they connived with the top management to inflate the asset values, overstate the reported income and cash flow, and eliminate the liabilities from the financial records. This means that they lacked integrity and objectivity in running the Enron organization (De-George 22).

When faced with a decision dilemma that requires critical assessments, morally upright organizations resort to analytical tools that ensure competitive positioning advantage. The competitive advantage position is meant to minimize the costs of different ethical dilemmas. Each option is assigned to a quadrant with predetermined response strategies and ‘follow-ups’ upon implementation (De-George 39).

Works Cited

De-George, Richard. Business Ethics. 7th ed. 2013. New York, NY: Pearson Education Limited. Print.

Drucker, Peter. People and Performance. Massachusetts, Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2007. Print.

Eriksen, Matthew. “Authentic Leadership: Practical Reflexivity, Self-Awareness, and Self-Authorship.” Journal of Management Education, 33.1 (2009): 747-771. Print.

Introduction

A leadership style of every organisation depends on the culture, goals, and external factors that surround the organisation. In essence, various companies have managed to meet their ultimate goals by adopting leadership styles that suit their operations. Markedly, some of the styles that are common in different organisations and institutions include laissez-faire, transactional, autocratic, participative, and transformational, among others. These leadership styles bring changes in the organisations’ departments in accordance with the mission and vision of every firm. For this reason, each organisation employs at least one of the leadership styles to enhance competition in the global and unpredictable economy. For example, in an organisation where employees require close supervision, autocratic leadership style would be appropriate to reduce laziness and carelessness among employees (Culpan 12). Equally, the autocratic leadership style ensures that an organisation strikes the target within the shortest period. On the other hand, a participative leadership style would be relevant where there is a need to improve the confidence of workers. This ensures that every employee takes part in any activity within the firm, like decision-making and other activities. This essay seeks to explore the different leadership styles, an observable leadership situation, and how the leadership style is displayed in the world.

Five leadership styles

Participative leadership style

This leadership style is also termed as a democratic leadership style. In this leadership style, every employee in the organisation contributes to the activities of the organisation. In addition, employees feel that their views are of great importance in the organisation because no progress can occur without their consent. An organisation that employs this leadership style is able to deal with the challenges accordingly because different employees provide their opinions on how to solve the problem (Johnson par. 4). This leadership style encourages the smooth running of the companies because of fewer objections in the industry. Some of the organisations that employ this leadership style include political parties and family-owned companies.

Transactional leadership style

Organisations that use this leadership style give the managers the power of rewarding or punishing the team members depending on the output of each individual. The leaders, together with the team members, set the mission and vision of the organisation and every team member is expected to perform as per the goals of the organisation. According to Johnson (par. 6), employees agree to concur with the norms and rules of the company in the leadership of the top management in order to achieve the set strategic goals and objectives. Finally, the leaders are under the obligations to evaluate the performance of employees to determine their rewards. Notably, when employees fail to meet the target of the organisation, the leaders may decide to punish such personnel. The punishment may be in the form of deduction of the wages or suspension of employees. On the other hand, when an employee shows exemplary performance, the managers provide a reward to boost the morale of the employee. The reward may be in the form of bonuses or gifts that encourage the employee.

Autocratic leadership style

This style gives the administrators the power to arrive at resolutions solely without the contribution of other team members. The managers have the absolute power to exercise their will on employees. In this style, employees have no option but to abide by the existing rules. In this leadership style, employees may change their mode of operations according to the will of the manager. Most of the organisations employ this leadership style because it ensures that the lazy employees perform in accordance with the goals of the organisation. Moreover, the leadership style has been used in various countries (Pope and Blyth 72). However, the style compromises the creativity of employees because they do not contribute to the activities of the organisation. For this reason, it discourages the efforts of employees. The team members have no power to challenge the decision made by the leader

Laissez-Faire leadership style

In laissez-faire style, a leader lacks close supervision with the other team members. This leadership style is applicable to employees with good command of the required skills. Employees are assumed to perform well under less supervision. This leadership style may have limitations because not all employees are skilled enough to handle certain tasks in the organisation. Notably, deficiency in the control of employees may lower the level of production, hence lowering the profit margin of the organisation (Culpan 15). Contrarily, this leadership style gives employees time to perform the assigned duties without unnecessary influence from their leaders.

Transformational leadership style

For a company to meet its set objectives and goals under this style, the manager should possess the required skills for passing the right information to the team members. Adequate communication skills enhance the motivation of team members, thus increasing the productivity in the organisation. In essence, this leadership style is concerned with the achievement of the goals in the organisation. Most leaders exercise this style by allotting the duties of the team members.

Personally observed leadership situation

My personal observable leadership situation is the case of Howell Raines’ style of leadership at the New York Times. The New York Times is one of the companies that experienced and is still experiencing the autocratic leadership in its operations. This was during the reign of Howell Raines. In the early 1970s, A. M. Rosenthal was the famous autocratic leader that was at the helm of the company (Bowen par. 3). However much it is was difficult to work under this autocratic leadership; it was necessary to dictate the operations of the company to meet deadlines of newspaper productions (Sadler 54). The motive of the autocratic leadership was to reduce the level of laziness among the employees in order to deliver the newspapers on time. As a result, there was efficiency and growth in this industry. Similarly, Howell Raines came with a rule referred to as ‘flooding the zone,’ which meant to utilise the resources to achieve the important information in the newspapers. Notably, this leadership style in the company also resulted in charges of imperiousness and heartlessness. The surge of getting things done as required made Raines sardonic, flippant, and scornful to top journalists. In addition, autocratic leadership in the organisation led to the centralisation of the decision-making process. Before he took charge of the company, he refused all the efforts, inputs, and presumed that other employees were lethargic. In the end, he divided the employees into “stars” and “and-also” which led to the emergence of anguish and discord among the journalists (Bowen par. 7). Similarly, the situation led to the demoralisation of the staff. This caused low quality and quantity production of the information in the organisation. Raines was later sacked from the job.

Description and analysis of the observed leadership situation

Howell Raines and A. M. Rosenthal led the New York Times Company in a very ruthless way. The employees were never allowed to contribute to any activity of the company. For instance, decision-making was solely in the hands of the leaders. The leaders brought any change within the company without considering the affairs of the employees. This brought wrangles and misunderstanding among the employees. For instance, the decision made on the reduction of employees’ wages demoralised the entire workforce. From this analysis, it is evident that the leadership of the company led to the low performance of the corporation. The production of the newspapers reduced due to this type of leadership. In the analysis, every company should involve employees in any decision concerning the changes in the organisation (Pope and Blyth 108). This will encourage teamwork, hence motivating employees. For instance, a decision that may reduce the earnings of the employees should be made after considering the opinions of the workers. Other changes that require the inclusion of employees include delegation of duties and changes job designs. Clearly, the leadership of the New York Times Company did not consider the welfare of the employees.

Conclusion

Clearly, different organisations use different leadership styles. In some firms, it may be a combination of two styles. Ultimately, organisations have defined leadership style. Any organisation without a defined leadership style has limited chances of meeting the set goals. Defined leadership style controls and regulates all the resources of the organisation, and ensures that all the activities are geared towards the achievement of the ultimate goals. This paper has explored the autocratic leadership at the New York Times Company. As discussed, all the activities in this company were under the control of the leaders without the consent of the employees.

Works Cited

Bowen, Ronda. A Review of Companies with Autocratic Leadership. 2011. Web.

Culpan, Refik. “Leadership Styles and Human Resource Management.” Journal of European Industrial Training 11.8 (2007): 11-16. Print.

Johnson, Rose. 5 Different Types of Leadership Styles. 2010. Web.

Pope, Sara, and Eileen Blyth. Team Leader Workbook. Amherst, Mass.: HRD, 2008. Print.

Sadler, Philip. Leadership. London: Kogan Page, 2003. Print.

Nelson Mandela’s Leadership

Clint Eastwood’s 2009 Invictus is a must-watch movie that presents Morgan Freeman as the protagonist who strategically assumes a crucial leadership position that is similar to that of Nelson Mandela. Mandela adopted a democratic leadership style in most of his management endeavors. As a democratic leader, he allowed his followers to voice their issues and/or involve them in every step of the decision-making process.

Throughout his battle against apartheid in an effort to bring democracy to South Africa, Mandela adopted a self-governing headship approach where he could set policies through group discussions and decision making, encouraging and helping group members to interact, and requesting the cooperation of others. For instance, from the movie, when he attended the South African games conference, he held discussions with the rugby players where they could deliberate with him concerning their earlier election of team members. Mandela believed in the value of the democratic process. Some of his unsuccessful pursuits included the instance when he tried to have prisoners addressed more respectfully by guards during his imprisonment and later when he attempted to have the national voting age lowered to 14 years so that many citizens could participate in decision-making processes.

Nelson Mandela’s leadership is also considered revolutionary. Through his innovative antics, he successfully organized the fight against racism and apartheid in South Africa. In the movie, he said that anything that did not serve the country was worthless. He preached forgiveness, reconciliation, and love. The skills and prowess of Mandela’s leadership were attained from experiences in his early life. Mandela demonstrated the art of management at a youthful age through the examination of his keeper when he (keeper) was administering familial executive committees. For instance, the good listening skills and democratic approach that Mandela exhibited could be attributed to how his custodian applied the same skills in his administration. Mandela’s keeper was excellent in terms of observing, rather than talking when other people were given the chance to present their views.

This tactic was evident in the movie when he deliberated issues with the rugby team. He let the members air their views without criticizing them, but later gave his advice. Following his strong conviction about democracy and free will of the people, Mandela relinquished power after only one term of presidency. This phenomenon was not common in African states. Charismatic leadership style was also evident in Mandela’s leadership.

His approach compelled his followers to act in a particular way. For example, as a leader of the Youth League of African National Congress (ANCYL), he led several boycotts, strikes, petitions, and protests against the segregation regime of the South African apartheid. In fact, Mandela’s charismatic leadership skills can be traced back to his university years where he influenced students to go on strike to have their democratic rights to vote in university elections upheld. This move resulted in his expulsion from the university. Moreover, when Mandela was released after 27 years of imprisonment at Robben Island and Victor Verster Prison, South African citizens overwhelmingly voted for him to become the first black president. Perseverance for a course was another key feature in Mandela’s leadership. To begin with, Mandela was expelled from the university as a second-year law student for leading a students’ protest against an undemocratic voting process at the university. However, he did not give up his pursuit of education. Rather, he enrolled in a foreign university where he completed his law degree.

Moreover, he did not give up his fight for democracy in his country. He later joined the youth league where he became its leader. When the government banned ANC and its youth association, Mandela organized an underground continuation of the movement, which resulted in his arrest and imprisonment for 27 years. While in prison Mandela was persecuted over the years. He did not give up on his urge to set his people free through democracy. When he became the president, his government faced challenges of racial discrimination, poverty, crime, and violence. However, he came up with various intervention measures such preaching forgiveness and reconciliation.

How Nelson Mandela achieved results through Communicating and Motivating People

Mandela believed in the power of the people in leadership. As such, communication and motivation of his colleagues and followers were key components in his leadership. One of the communication tools that Mandela used was the face-to-face meeting with influential personalities or opinion leaders. For instance, when he took over the government, the country was facing major challenges of racial discrimination, including his security details. The former presidential security officer who used to guard his white predecessor lived with suspicion from the black guards. This situation made Mandela advocate equality and trust between blacks and white citizens.

For example, in the movie, he met the rugby team captain François Pienaar to plan on how to influence unity and trust among citizens through his team. Moreover, Mandela used sports to communicate his message of trust between blacks and whites. The success of the rugby team and the cheering from both blacks and whites motivated the ANC activist who distrusted the whites and the Afrikaner security personnel to agree to work together. Conclusively, Mandela’s headship achievement can be accredited to his ability to build harmony among his antagonists. For example, he made the white people trust their black counterparts and vice versa through discourses. His strong poetic speeches also motivated his followers to fight for a unified and stable South Africa.