Six page Leadership Research Paper

Running head: Understanding Effective and Ineffective Leaders 1
Understanding Effective and Ineffective Leaders 10

Understanding Effective and Ineffective Leaders

Understanding Effective and Ineffective Leaders

Transformational Leader: Jeffery Bezos

Jeffery Bezos has been considered one of the most wealthiest men in the world (Awodesu, 2018). Having built a global empire from the bottom up, speaks volumes to his leadership abilities. Nearly 30 years ago, the concept of Amazon.com was birth (Awodesu, 2018). An idea that started on paper soon became a global leader in selling products and services (Hodges, 2018). Not to mention the business opportunities that became available for small businesses and large corporations. What are the key ingredients to creating an empire that has been able to survive the often unpredictable economy of the world? How can one individual infiltrate the e-commerce market to the point where global entities bargain for their share and stake? It’s quite simple; the laws of effective leadership.
Maxwell (1993) states the most effective and impactful leader have influence. In other words, they understand the importance of creating a following that will buy into what they are selling (Maxwell, 1993). Let’s explore Bezos leadership style a little more. According to Awodesu, 2018, Jeffery Bezos ability to make strategic business decisions as think innovatively characterize him as an effective leader. Moreover, such characteristics also correlate to the mentality of “win-win” (Awodesu, 2018). It’s merely impossible to stay within the confines of the traditional organizational ideals and expect exponential growth.
As a transformational leader, it’s first essential to recognize what you bring to the table, make decisions that are well-thought out and executed, and follow through with clearly defined goals (Hodges, 2018). While such characteristics are at the core of being a transformational leader, there is also the importance of staying on a trajectory of reward versus risk (Hodges, 2018). Are you willing to take the risk, and believe there’s also a reward.
Transformational leaders have an instinct that relies on breaking the mold of tradition (Maxwell, 2013). The success of a transformational leader is dependent upon their strategy of moving and navigating through the niche of their market (Maxwell, 2013). Furthermore, they assess the needs and hone in on the gap or inconsistency (Maxwell, 2013). Transformational leaders explore the bigger picture and put action behind their vision, while others may simply envision (Maxwell, 2013).
When Bezos started Amazon.com he pinned a letter of motivation to his employees. In this letter he shared a simple yet complex concept that’s based on perception. Bezos stated, whenever there is development and creation, there will always be loss. However, having the knowledge that this may happen prepares you to view product and service development from a different angle (Maxwell, 2013). The strategy of motivating and inspiriting his employees caused a sense of belongingness. Early on, the culture of the organization was centered on having confidence in the abilities, gifts and talents of his employees (Maxwell, 2013). The disbursement of power throughout the organization provides employees with a sense of not only taking value in the integrity of the organization, but also feeling appreciated and respected (Maxwell, 2013).
Nearly twenty years after starting Amazon, continued to empower and motivate his employees by introducing a concept that allowed employees to engage in decisions for the company (Hodges, 2018). While there were some guidelines to this decision- making process, employees feel a sense of power and belongingness. Moreover, creating an ongoing environment of productivity, creativity, and commitment (Hodges, 2018). Transformational and successful leaders are constantly thinking of ways to keep employees enthused and driven, this has been Bezos leadership style from the beginning.
Bezos’ success as an effective leader was based on being unrestricted, understanding the value of utilizing the ideas and concepts of his employees as being critical to company growth, being pioneering, and unafraid to explore options regardless of the outcome (Hodges, 2018).

Authoritarian Leadership Style: Martin Winterkorn

The next leader I have chosen to discuss is Martin Winterkorn, former CEO of Volkswagen. Martin Winterkorn as known for infamous emissions scandal where his integrity was questioned. Prior to this scandal, Volkswagen was on the track to making history in the financial market (Clark & Eddy, 2015). Winterkorn had a goal of making Volkswagen the leader in the auto industry. Unfortunately, the ambition of his goals as well as his drive, ultimately lead to a well-known scandal that will likely forever taint his image.
Martin Winterkorn is known for being a domineering and controlling boss who didn’t believe in failure (Clark & Eddy, 2015). Many have coined Winterkorn as being a fearful leader who was very intimidating (Clark & Eddy, 2015). The organizational climate has be defined as cold, harsh and unrelenting (Clark & Eddy, 2015). Input from employees were virtually non-existent. As a matter of fact, employees weren’t privy to the key happenings within the company. According to Winterkorn’s goal was to become the leader in the auto industry; his target was growth and recognition from the public sector.
Under the authoritative leaders, decisions are made at the top, there is little to no input from those outside of the key stakeholders (What is Autocratic leadership, n.d). Generally employees are paid well but undervalued and appreciated (What is Autocratic leadership, n.d). Authoritative leaders rely on their intellect and resources to carry the company (What is Autocratic leadership, n.d). Any suggestions or feedback from outside of upper-level management are disregarded. Winterkorn was aware of the issues regarding lack of motivation of employees, low work ethic and poor communication. As a result, he was in the process of changing the hierarchal structure of the organization. Despite this change, Winterkorn’s leadership style motivated him to want more, to be the best of the best, regardless who was impacted (Clark & Eddy, 2015). As an authoritative leader, and the culture it’s speculated his “get it done” mentality didn’t condone any potential illegal activities.

Contingency Leadership Theory

According to the Contingency Leadership Theory, there’s no one size fits all approach According to this leadership theory, the manner in which you lead an organization is based on situations. In other words, one’s leadership response and position were based on the actual situation. This often dictates the morals, values, and ethical behavior of a leader (Benjamin, 2018). The desire to be a global leader cause you pursue and engage in unethical behavior or will motivate you to constantly find better solutions. I believe this was the difference between Bezos and Winterkorn. While both were considered great leaders, the trajectory of their career and the organizations were quite different.

Influencing Styles

Maxwell (2013) says that without influence it’s impossible to be a great leader. The best leaders influence people through power politics, networking or negotiations. This level of influence is based solely on the style of in which one leads. Jeff Bezos was a powerful leader. He had the position of power as he was well known for capitalizing off the input from his employees. There was no top-down management approach (Lussier & Achua, 2016). Both Bezos and Winterkorn had legitimate power, however it’s the approach and exercise of this influence that sets both apart.
Leadership is not innate. Leaders are not born they are trained and positioned. The two leaders I have discussed in this paper had different style of leading their company. One chose an approach that incorporated more input from their employees while the other chose a more take-charge approach. It just so happens that Bezos’ approach was more effective. His decisions were based on ethical decisions that catapulted the organization to be a global leader in e-commerce.
Winterkorn on the other hand, his style caused the potential downfall and demise of his career. This had a negative impact as well on the culture of the company and overall output and production. The same can be said for Bezos.

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References
Awodesu, O. (2018, March). Critical Reflection on personal leadership skills and leadership style of Jeff Bezos. Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323547822_Critical_Reflection_on_personal_leadership_skills_and_leadership_style_of_Jeff_Bezos
Clark, N., &; Eddy, M. (2015, September 23). Volkswagen’s chief in the vortex of the storm. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/international/volkswagens-chief-in-the-vortex-of-the-storm.html

Hodges, C. (2018). The top personality traits of the world’s richest Man, Jeff Bezos. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://www.gogig.com/blog/top-personality-traits-of-the-worlds-richest-man-jeff-bezos
Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2016). Leadership Theory, Application, & Skill Development (6th edition) Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Maxwell, J.C (2013). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Harper Collins.
What is Autocratic leadership? Definition of Autocratic Leadership, autocratic Leadership Meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2021, from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/autocratic-leadership