What personality traits do leaders like Todd McFarlane possess that distinguish them from other individuals?
The McFarlane Toy Company Todd McFarlane, president and CEO of the McFarlane Companies, is an entrepreneur who understands the importance of product development. Comics, sports, toys, and rock-and-roll have all benefited from his creativity. While working many hours for low pay at Marvel Comics, he made a name for himself and became the highest paid comic book artist in the industry. But when his creativity was not been appreciated and differences arisen, not to mention his desire to own the rights to his characters, he quit and took six other artists with him and started his own company. McFarlane knew what he wanted and went for it. He knew where he wanted to be and through perseverance and hard work he stayed focused on his goal (Vision and ability).
Although people predicted he would last less than a year, he kept going and first comic book sold 1.7 million copies. He had the confidence because he knew was he was good at and that drove his aspirations. He had the drive and determination to stick with his dream. He was determined to succeed. Even after he didn’t succeed as a major league baseball player he still was determined to be successful. He remained optimistic and believed he could become an entrepreneur (Self Confidence and Enthusiasm and Persistence).
He had the courage to move forward and start his own company. He did not let someone dictate what his vision or dream looked like. He wanted rights for his characters and rightfully so. To be able to take 6 artists with him, showed that he had that. Those 6 artists trusted him and his leadership (integrity).
How have global competition and technology advances changed business conditions and leadership challenges?
For starters, long before the Internet and social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were around, business meetings were held behind closed doors which would prevent the everyday citizen from knowing what is going on in the world. These social medias have changed business conditions and leadership challenges since whatever you do now is being viewed and judged on what is been displayed on these sites. Technology in business encourages innovation and also makes business faster. Personal computers and the Internet have revolutionized the way we work. E-mail interactions have replaced memos, phone calls, and faxes. Even our Smartphones are now able to connect us to our entire business network while we are out of the office, allowing us to respond quickly. The Internet has allowed geographically dispersed teams to virtually meet from anywhere in the world. Conference calling, video conferencing, e-mail, cloud computing, Skype, and instant messaging have become a major part of our everyday lives. Social networking sites like LinkedIn allow businesses to connect to an even larger business network. For example, Todd uses the web to interact with his fans and key demographics. On this site, fans can interact with each other and with the company. Now business leaders have to become more technologically savvy in order to keep the business functioning and in the mainstream. They have to be able to innovate to keep up with modern times. Being global with technology prepares businesses for the inevitable which is the take-over by internet and technology. Going on the internet offers a faster, more convenient way to access products such as comic books in the case of McFarlane. According to McGregor, leadership can be very difficult especially in today’s high-tech, fast-paced and ever-changing workplace. Leaders must now add new demands such as empowering people, generating ideas, coach teams, do the right things and develop people to traditional duties. Leaders must be directors and motivators and implementers and innovators, mentors and team builders.
