...Introduction: The intention of this research paper is to establish that President Barack Obama is a high-minded leader. This composition is aimed towards those who are uncertain whether they support our current president. In this research paper, the question, “Is Obama a great leader? “Will be answered. To support the main question of this paper these questions will also be answered: Does Obama have influence, has he created a positive change, Does he exhibit integrity, Does he have well-defined priorities, and does he display the quality of vision? Mythology: The method of research used in determining whether president Barrack Obama is a good leader was as follows: First, defining what traits a good leader exhibits. Through the article “Great Leaders grow deep roots: six characteristics of exceptional leaders” provided great insight in explain what a good leader is. Second, by researching speech given by Obama the quality of his leadership was able to be determined. Then, a variety of articles were investigated though the internet. Finally a number of blog post where sifted through to experience the opinions of others. By this method of research a wide range of thought was gathered on Obamas leaderships skills. Research: Many sources were used to derive a conclusion on Obamas leadership character. Below our the sources with their Claim, Evidence, and reasoning. Barack Obama in the speech, “American rhetoric” claims that America is a great country full of oppurnitys but...
Words: 813 - Pages: 4
...LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP THE TRIUMPH OF HUMILITY AND FIERCE RESOLVE What catapults a company from merely good to truly great? A five-year research good to truly great? A five-year research project searched for the answer to that question, and its discoveries ought to change the way we think about leadership. The most powerfully transformative executives possess a paradoxical mixture pf personal humility and professional will. They are timid and ferocious. shy and fearless. They are rare -- and unstoppable. In 1971, a seemingly ordinary man named Darwin E. Smith was named chief executive of Kimberly-Clark, a stodgy old paper company whose stock had fallen 36% behind the general market during the previous 20 years. Smith, the company's mild-mannered in-house lawyer, wasn't so sure the board had made the right choice -- a feeling that was reinforced when a Kimberly-Clark director pulled him aside and reminded him that he lacked some of the qualifications for the position. But CEO he was, and CEO he remained for 20 years. What a 20 years it was. In that period, Smith created a stunning transformation at Kimberly-Clark, turning it into the leading consumer paper products company in the world. Under his stewardship, the company beat its rivals Scott Paper and Procter & Gamble. And in doing so, Kimberly-Clark generated cumulative stock returns that were 4.1 times greater than those of the general market, outperforming venerable companies such as Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Coca-Cola,...
Words: 7181 - Pages: 29
...change of society, an increasing number of women have engaged in work and their roles as leaders in work have also caused people’s attention. The purpose of this bibliography is to find the changes of gender in leadership. With the development of society, the number of female leaders is increasing in recent years (Michelle and Elaine, 2008). According to (Stewart, 2009), there are more difficulties facing female leaders than male leaders, which makes it difficult to involve more females in the leading positions. A research (Hilary, 2009) indicated that although the number of female leaders is increasing, the ratio of female leaders in leadership is not balanced and more females should be involved in management positions. According to Kaycee (2010), the changes of gender in leadership have been in the process, which can be proved by the changes of people’s attitudes to female leaders. Reference | Michelle M & Elaine Y(2008), The trend of female leaders in organisations, Journal of Management, 23, 7, pp 105-124 | Type of Article | Literature review | Aim\purpose | The purpose of this article is to find out the changes of female leaders in the past decade and explain the reasons of the changes and then predict the trend of changes. | Approach | This paper reviews previous theories about the necessary of involving female leaders and then it presents the process of female leaders entering the management field. It highlights the trend of changes of gender in leadership...
Words: 3235 - Pages: 13
...Abstract This paper will compare and contrast trait and situational approach leadership theories, the development of the theories and how effective each are in organizations. This paper will compare each approach, some of their research history and the challenges they faced in the past and the challenges they may or may not face in the future. The trait approach is the oldest theory that have been researched by numerous researchers. The situational approach consist of two elements that focus on leadership style and the development of subordinates. The strengths and weakness of each approach will also be compared and constrast. Contrast and Comparison: An examination of Trait and Situational Leadership Approaches There are over 200 definitions for leadership that have used since the 1900’s. The ability to impress the will of the leader, acts by persons which influence other persons in a shared direction, and do as the leader wishes are a few definitions that were used during the 1900’s (Northouse, 2013). Today, leadership is defined as a process that involves individuals or groups to reach a common goal (Northouse, 2013,). It’s motivating and persuading people to obtain a desired result through communication and influence. Leadership is also defined as a process that happens between a leader and a follower (Northouse, 2013). During the 20th century, researchers belived that there were natural born leaders who were born with the “trait” to lead. They believed...
Words: 1124 - Pages: 5
...understand how some companies are able to sustain superlative performance. It may seem surprising that of the seven factors Collins identified as essential to take a company from good to great, he chose to focus on leadership in this 2O01 piece. However, even a casual rereading of the article will convince you that he was right to do so. Collins argues that the key ingredient that allows a company to become great is having a Level 5 leader: an executive in whom genuine personal humility blends with intense professional will. To learn that such CEOs exist still comes as a pleasant shock. But while the idea may sound counterintuitive today, it was downright heretical when Collins first wrote about it-the corporate scandals in the United States hadn't broken out, and almost everyone believed that CEOs should be charismatic, larger-than-life figures. Collins was the first to blow that belief out of the water. Level 5 Leadership TheTriumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve by Jim Collins What catapults a company from merely good to truly great? A five-year research project searched for the answer to that question, and its discoveries ought to change the v^ay we think about leadership. I n 1971, a seemingly ordinary man med Darwin E. Smith was named cfeief executive of Kimberly-Clark, a stodgy old paper company whose stock had fallen 36% behind the general market during the previous 20 years. Smith, the company's mild-mannered in-house lawyer, wasn't so sure the board had made the...
Words: 7858 - Pages: 32
...Leadership Approach Paper Sharon Boahn LDR/531 May 13, 2013 Drew Stevens Ph.D Leadership Approach Paper Leaders aid a group in achieving a common goal. Leaders have new ideas and goals they introduce to the group and motivates the group to work on the new ideas and achieve the goal. Leaders also inspire the group to perform at their best and assist them in their performance. Leaders have leadership skills and approaches that help them to be successful. The trait leadership approach is based on the theory that leaders are born with the leadership characteristics that enable them to be great leaders, instead of being developed or taught into the leadership role. There are strengths and weaknesses in the trait approach concerning leadership. Strengths There were several characteristics founded to be very strong in the trait leadership approach. “This approach emphasizes attributes of leaders such as personality, motives, values, and skills” (Yukl, 2010). The personality of a leader has a large role in his or her success. The personality of a leader can be very valuable when interacting with individuals, the personality of a leader can set the mode within the workplace. A leader with a positive personality will create an encouraging atmosphere where goal accomplishment and motivation will be successful. There are strong abilities identified in the trait approach of leadership, such as continuous force to get the job complete, sharp perception, and influential power. The...
Words: 571 - Pages: 3
...INDM 4260 – Organizational Dynamics Graduate Research Paper Devender Reddy Mada University of Central Missouri Table of Contents Abstract 03 Introduction 04 Summary of Leadership ideas and philosophies from my readings 04 Definition of Leadership 05 My Ideal Leaders 06 Leadership Traits 07 Leadership Styles 08 My Goals 09 Achieving my Goals 09 Improvements 10 Conclusion 11 References 12 Abstract Leadership is defined as "organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal". Leadership is considered as an important aspect in many areas such as business organizations, politics, and sports and in many other fields. This research paper is about leadership and its various styles, traits, characteristics based on my ideal leader. It concentrates more on my ideal leader’s leadership qualities and leadership skills which I observed. My understanding on leadership was clearly explained in this paper. Moreover the traits a leader must have like vision, courage, integrity etc., are also analyzed. This paper also contains information about my goal. It also includes my approach to achieve my goal and types of skills I should improve to succeed. Introduction To my knowledge leadership is a set of skills developed or acquired through experience in one’s own life or by experience of others. These set of skills include good communication skills, ability to understand other...
Words: 2371 - Pages: 10
...at companies that went from good to great and sustained that performance for 15 years or more were all cut from the same cloth. It didn’t matter when the transition took place... the successful organisations all had a level 5 leader at the time of the transition” (Collins 2001) Discuss the importance of leadership in the context of developing corporate strategy. (Summer 07) Leadership is incredibly important in developing corporate strategy. Good leadership and bad leadership can have huge beneficial/detrimental effect to a company and its strategy development. There are many dimensions of leadership such as: * Leadership and Teamwork: Leading the individuals and promoting teamwork in the team/division that they are under. * Time management: Insuring time is spent wisely and deadlines are met. * Decision-making and Problem solving: Leaders have to make decisions that will affect the whole team and come up with solutions to problems that they encounter along the way. * Creativity and Innovation: Leaders have to be creative and innovative as they strive to get the best out of the group of people that they are working with. * Motivation: Leaders have to motivate their team in whatever task they are involved in. * Communication and Presentation: Leaders communication skills will have to be excellent as they have to communicate not only to the team they are working with, but also their supervisors. * Vocation: Leaders have to be passionate and committed...
Words: 1259 - Pages: 6
...Leadership and business performance Assignment of “a good leader influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them” Word count: 2,927 Introduction Leadership is always considering as an important managerial topic because a good leader does not only able to guide behaviors from followers, but also leads individuals within an organization to achieve their common objectives (Morrill, 2010). The commonly accepted definition of leadership is contributed by David and Vince (2008, p2), who defined leadership as a person has “abilities of leading a group of people, and also has abilities of supporting group of people to achieve common objectives”. More specifically, Bass (1990) defines leadership as the ability to adapt the setting so everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving the problems. The primary aim of this assignment is to critically discuss the topic of “a good leader influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal and perform well, without having to watch over them.” In order to answer this question well, the author selects Steve Jobs as the leader, and then with reference to Apple Inc to discuss why a good leader as Jobs influences group of individuals without watching them. As an essay based assignment, the author organizes this paper in three main parts, including introduction, main body and conclusion. In introduction section, the definition and importance of leadership...
Words: 3299 - Pages: 14
...Abstract Leaders are the embodiment of individuals who seek to create a shared vision in which their followers are able to follow. Leadership incorporates several factors that include the capabilities of influencing, directing, and motivate others. Leadership takes more than just power and brawns, but instead focuses on the relationships that are able to be formed with their followers. Throughout this course, we have focused on the many ways many ordinary individuals could be capable of being leader. Leaders knowingly and unknowingly adopt leadership styles in which they use to carry out the responsibilities of doing the greater good for others. The purpose of this research is to view the leadership behaviors of a person that I admire, and caused for personal reflection. As well as look at the theoretical framework of leadership styles and behaviors that have help to craft the inherent leadership characteristics that I possess. Leadership Introduction The characteristics of leadership encompasses their abilities to direct, guide, and influence others. While there is not set definition, leadership define requires much thought. Leadership is viewed from the casting of a collective vision that others want to follow. Leaders are not born, even though many believe this old trope, but instead there are imperfect, which makes them all the more authentic. The capabilities of leadership can be found through anyone that has a desire to lead,...
Words: 2950 - Pages: 12
...Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION 7 2.0 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP AND CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE LEADER? 7 2.1 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? 7 3.0 LEADERS IN REVIEW: WHO IS MORE EFFECTIVE LEADER? 9 3.1 BIOGRAPHY - RICHARD BRANSON & VIJAY MALLYA 9 3.2 WHO IS THE MORE EFFECTIVE LEADER? 10 4.0 CONCLUSION 14 5.0 REFERENCE 15 1.0 INTRODUCTION The objective of this research paper is to analyse the differences between the leadership qualities of Richard Branson and Vijay Mallya and come to the conclusion as to who is more effective leader. The paper first defines the leadership and then briefly discusses the concepts associated with the leadership. It then presents two leaders with some brief biographies, characteristics and their contribution to their individual company. It would then conclude who is the more effective leader by providing with some aspects of leadership and leadership framework. 2.0 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP AND CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE LEADER? 2.1 WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? Leadership is an interesting and widely discussed subject and has been described by James MacGregor Burns (1978) as “one of the most observed and least understood phenomena on Earth”. Northouse (2010) defines leadership being a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. The leadership definition that I favour and think is more suited to the 21st century is “The process by which an agent induces a subordinate to behave in a desired manner”...
Words: 2853 - Pages: 12
...5 hours in weekly work. This includes preparation, activities, and papers. Week ONE July 2 – 8 Preparation, Activities, and Evaluation Preparation o Reading(s) o Chapter 1: Learning about Organizational Behavior o e-Activity o Use the Internet to research an especially effective leader and / or manager. Be prepared to discuss. Preparation o Reading(s) o Chapter 2: Individual and Organizational Ethics o Chapter 3: Understanding Individual Differences Preparation o Reading(s) o Chapter 4: Perceptions and Attributions o Chapter 5: Learning Concepts to Improve Performance o e-Activity: o Use the Internet to research a social learning theory applicable to the workplace that has not been addressed in Chapter 4. Be prepared to discuss. PAPER DUE: o Assignment 1: Consensual Relationship Agreements Case Study. Please see Course Guide for Specific Questions which must be addressed in the paper. o Log into BUS520 Classroom on Blackboard (Bb); go to WEEK 3; scroll to the bottom of the week and submit your assignment using the Link found there. o Your paper is due Sunday, July 22 by 11:59 p.m. ET Preparation o Reading(s) o Chapter 6: Motivating Employees o Chapter 7: Motivation: Goal Setting and Reward Programs o e-Activity o Use the Internet to research a rewards program that has been especially effective at improving employee performance. Be prepared to discuss. PAPER DUE: o Assignment 2: Joe Salatino, President of Great Northern American Case Study – Please see Course Guide for the Specific...
Words: 904 - Pages: 4
...Business Ethics This paper will attempt to decipher the leadership style and techniques used by Robert Nardelli during his tenure as the CEO of Home Depot. To help decipher his leadership style, the paper will incorporate three leadership theories discussed within our text. The first leadership theory is the “Trait Theory”. Assumptions from the great man theory lead us to believe that people are born with inherited behaviors; certain traits, characteristics, and behaviors indicate that an individual is a born leader. A great leader is also born with a natural mixture of leadership traits. The second leadership theory is “Behavioral Therapy”. Assumptions with the behavioral theory indicated that leaders are groomed and prepared; they do not come prewired with innate leadership characteristics. The behavioral characteristics of a successful leader is a learned and honed skill attained through intense mentoring and practical experience. The last leadership theories this paper will discuss are the “Situational and Contingency Theories. Assumptions with the situational theory are, as the name suggest and based upon a leader taking the best course of action while taking into account the situation at hand. Based or dependent upon various situational factors, assumptions of contingency theory include proficiency and behavior of followers and the style of leadership the leader chooses. Next, using my personal opinion, text material, and research: this paper becomes the judge...
Words: 1494 - Pages: 6
...Theories Overview What makes a great leader? Are there certain skills or common traits good leaders possess that others don’t? What makes a leader stand out? These questions have fascinated humans throughout history. There have been many studies about leadership and a host of researchers and philosophers have tackled this subject and published their findings. Much of the interest in leadership started around the beginning of the twentieth century. Early leadership theories primarily focused on identifying qualities that distinguished leaders from followers. Subsequent leadership theories addressed more of the leadership skills. This paper is an overview of eight leadership theories that incorporate both germinal and current research and findings. Great Man Theory The Great Man Theory evolved around the 19th century (1847 – 1960). This theory asserts that leaders are born – not made and that leadership skills and attributes are inherited. While there were many historians who supported the Great Man Theory, it is Thomas Carlyle, a commentator and historian, who has been most associated with this theory. Carlyle stated, “The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” Carlyle and others like him felt that history was directly influenced by great men and heroes and their leadership characteristics. (Great Man Theory, n.d., para. 1) There are five fundamental axioms that characterize this leadership theory. (Bass, 1990) Axiom 1: Leaders possess unique qualities that...
Words: 1899 - Pages: 8
...Course: Foundation Degree in Business Management Module title: Management Skills Module Number: Title of Assignment: Written Assignment Assignment number: One Tutor: Student No: Date: The author’s objective of this paper is to investigate the difference between a manager and a leader. There are numerous discussions around whether a manager is a leader and are leaders born or made. This paper will discuss various theories relating to managers and leaders and their differences. In order to complete the research there are different ways of interpreting the data. The author will be completing an inductive research assignment with an interpretivism approach. When undertaking and presenting research, it is done with the objective of accumulating knowledge. The author will be using this approach as, although there are a number of management and leadership models and theories a number of conclusions drawn in the journals and books are the thoughts and opinions of the individual authors not necessarily facts. In research there are two methods of reasoning; deductive and inductive. There are also two approaches that can be used positivism and interpretivism the author will briefly summarize these methods. Ehow (2011) sums up inductive and deductive reasoning - ‘Inductive reasoning moves from the specific to the general. Deductive reasoning moves from the general to the specific Deductive reasoning arrives at a conclusion based on generalizations. The basis of the argument...
Words: 1781 - Pages: 8
