Shaunna Garcia 317. 1. 5-03-05 Task Steam Assignment Leadership Concepts and Applications LET1 8 June 2011 Leadership Executive A’s driven and fierce personality with their focal point being directed solely on the company’s success describes a level-5 leadership style. A level-5 leaders are “fiercely ambitious and driven, but their ambition is directed toward their company rather than themselves. ” (Robins, & Judge 2007 p. 37) As described in the scenario Executive A managed to rise the company’s stock 128%, and profit during the second quarter when he became CEO, he does not take all the credit for this, he distributes the success to other leaders as well. He is a level-5 leader because he is ambitious enough to take responsibility of poor behavior and mistakes as well as help mold strong leaders for the company. A transactional leader is “someone who guides or motivates their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements. (Robins, & Judge 2007 p. 437) Leader B is a transactional leader due to the fact that she states the goals, roles, and task requirements clearly while consistently leading employees towards those goals. She believes in action toward good or bad behavior, punishment or rewards. Leader B also highlighted the chain of command, which also insinuates that she is distributing decision making power to lower level supervisors as well but clearly states the process in the emphasis in the chain of command. Leader C falls into the transformational leadership style.
These individuals are “leaders who inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests and who are capable of having profound and extraordinary effect on followers. ” (Robins, & Judge 2007 p. 437) As discussed in the given scenario, leader C sets high expectations for employees, while catechizing a sense of pride in the company. Leader C believes employees should have their own vision to which they are inspired by and passionate about, which supports him having a “profound and extraordinary effect” (Robins, & Judge 2007 p. 467) on his employees.
Transactional leaders have the ability to “lift ordinary people to extraordinary heights,” (Boal, & Bryson 1988 pg. 11). Leader B will get people to follow and complete tasks in a timely manner, he will get employees to try and find ways to make deadlines, and meet or exceed expectations, as they hope for their rewards. The employees and leader B will have an agreement, nothing formal on paper but a knowing that if the employee does a task well, he or she will be rewarded, and if things don’t go so well the employee is held accountable and a punishment will be assigned.
Employee’s attention to detail will increase to avoid a punishment. The company will have increased production levels along with increased employee satisfaction if leader B is promoted to CEO. If leader C were to get appointed to CEO when Executive A retires, the company would remain in high standards, employees would gain a sense of pride in their company and strive for great success. The employees and leader C would have one clear vision they aim for.
Leader C would encourage intellectual stimulation by allowing room for problem solving. Overall the employees will be generally enthusiastic and engaged in their work, while pushing the company to new heights. References Robins, S. P. , Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational Behavior (12th Ed. ). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Boal, K. B. , & Bryson, J. M. (1988). Charismatic Leadership: A Phenomenological and Structural Approach. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
