Business Studies
Many names have been recognized as notable business leaders. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Welch, and Colleen Barrett are all leaders identified for their unique approach to leading people. Choose one of the following business leaders for this assignment: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Indira Nooyi, Anne Mulcahy, Howard Schultz, Colleen Barrett, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, Susan Wojcicki, Marissa Mayer, or Mary Barra. Select one leader and discuss (in 1,250-1,500 words) what you have learned about the selected individual as a leader and the leadership style that leader embodies. Address the following in your discussion:
Identify a leader and justify why you selected that particular leader. With what organizations is the leader affiliated? In what industry is the leader recognized? How long was the leader in a leadership position?
Discuss which leadership theory best describes the chosen leader’s approach to leading people.
What was the leader’s greatest career achievement?
Identify a significant career challenge the leader faced and how the challenge was handled. Did the response align more with a managerial role or a leadership role?
What power base did the leader use in handling or resolving the challenge?
Compare the leadership style used by your selected leader against that of the leader’s successor/predecessor (or competitor in the same industry if a successor/predecessor is not applicable). Was there a difference in the leadership styles? Which leader do you think is more effective and why?
Include a personal reflection and identify two to three attributes you hope to emulate or avoid (based on studying this leader) in order to be a successful leader.
You are required to use at least two external sources to provide evidence in support of the leadership style displayed by your selected leader. The rationale should be justified; this should not be completed based on an opinion.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
ANSWER
Leadership Analysis
Introduction to Leadership
Business leaders play a pivotal role in the growth and advancement of their establishments. Their leadership style dictates the milestones and objectives in their journey. Jeff Bezos is a leader who has built and advanced his name and image in the global business environment. He integrates a transformation leadership style to create a viable and committed relationship with his followers. Notably, he always puts customers on top of everything, enabling him to develop a viable culture of change. He has effectively led Amazon into achieving more remarkable milestones as far as growth and productivity is concerned. Bezos leadership traits, successful handling of prevailing challenges, and desire to achieve advanced personal and professional outcomes are tactics that allow him to create a quality brand in the global business domain. Leaders must integrate strategies that enable them to effectively guide and direct others while aiming to achieve optimal results.
Identification of the Leader
Jeff Bezos is one of the admirable leaders globally. He always focuses on the customers who act as the focal point. His leadership style revolves around meeting the consumers’ needs and interests, which makes him a key icon in the industry. He is the leader of the Amazon Company. The technology-based business has earned a reputable brand name and image internationally. It deals with e-commerce activities, logistics, and media. Jeff Bezos started Amazon in 1995 and has been the leader since then (Business Insider, 2018). Today, he is the President and the CEO of Amazon Company. His leadership style exists as one of the aspects that makes him an effective leader in today’s business setting. While most leaders are keen on their competitors as they seek to acquire a competitive advantage, Bezos central point of interest is the consumer. He believes that meeting consumer needs is an opportunity that allows a business to improve their productivity and growth.
A Leadership Theory that Describes Jeff Bezo’s Leadership Approach-Transformational Theory
Bezos leadership aligns with the transformational theory. This form of leadership entails a vision for change while involving followers in all essential steps. The leader encourages, inspires, and motivates the workers to deliver optimal results. Bezos has incorporated all these to shape the company’s future. He remains committed to driving the company to new and greater heights. As states, transformational leaders create new ideas and perspectives that enhance growth and prosperity (Korejan & Shahbazi, 2016). Commitment and passion allow these leaders to achieve set milestones and objectives. Bezos is always looking out for opportunities that can positively transform the business. He identifies the change needed and executes it appropriately. As an innovative and strategic leader, he has provided Amazon with the opportunity to boost its operation and gain a reputable brand name. These are some of the skills that have enabled Bezos to lead his team into achieving desirable changes. They are often motivated by his efforts to create a vision for change and the strategic actions he adopts to meet the expected goals and objectives. One of Bezos important leadership element that has successfully transformed the business is setting high standards. He ensures that team members understand the processes and expected outcomes. This permits him to establish a change culture where he drives an engagement that oversees workers achieving optimal results.
Jeff Bezos Greatest Career Achievement
Bezos greatest achievement was the startup of the Blue Origin Company. He had achieved significant milestones at the Amazon Company, which opened further opportunities for him to focus on other potential career segments. His interest in space travel saw him venture into this industry. He targeted the production of new technologies for the spaceflight. His major focus was to ensure that humankind exceeded beyond the Earth space. This is one venture that earned him an improved brand name and financial status to become one of the richest persons globally. The commencement of the Blue Origin Company was a significant achievement in his personal and professional goals.
A Major Challenge faced by Jeff Bezos and Mitigating Measures
Bezos faced a challenge with the sale of the newspapers in the technological era. Readers and advertisers lost interest in newspapers in the wake of expanding technology. Internet commerce came as a shock to everyone, and Amazon’s leader strived with reduced sales as the majority of people shifted to the Internet for media-related products. Keeping up with E-commerce growth was a major challenge for Bezos as Amazon’s leader. However, Bezos invented new tactics that saw the business shift to the use of technological systems and structures in handling its operations. Amazon created a powerful digital platform that enabled sellers and buyers to interact appropriately (Reinartz, Wiegand & Imschloss, 2019). The digital transformation process is a strategic move that Bezos adopted to increase Amazon’s competitive advantage. The response portrays a robust leadership strategy targeting at creating a vision for change. In a world defined by the Internet and technological growth, the leader needed to develop a solution that offered quality and sustainable change.
The challenge encountered integrates expert power. The leaders possessed essential skills and knowledge that enabled him to understand E-commerce growth. He was able to incorporate viable solutions while relying on a solid judgment. Bezos had led the company for years and was well-informed about emerging changes and trends in the business environment. He engaged creative and rational thinking to adopt a powerful tactic for meeting a competitive advantage.
Comparison between Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg
Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg leadership styles have a closer similarity. The two leaders portray a transformation leadership style. They are always committed to creating and implementing a robust vision that ensures that leaders achieve greater and new heights. For instance, Bezos always comes up with improved and innovative ways of delivering services to consumers. Notably, Zuckerberg provides improved systems and structures that allow individuals to communicate and interact via the Internet. The two also portray an aspect of aggressiveness as they focus on ensuring that the followers deliver the expected standards. Both leaders are committed to constant innovation and growth.
Zuckerberg’s leadership style is admirable compared to Bezos. Even though he depends on the transformational leadership style, he adjusts depending on the situation. Zuckerberg relies on autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire leadership styles. The combination of various styles enables leaders to adjust depending on the situation. As Chishty-Mujahid (2016) states, these styles shapes follower actions and motivations. A leader who combines various styles is better positioned to guide and direct the team effectively. Overall, I admire Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership tactic as it allows him to adjust depending on the situation and circumstances.
Personal Reflection
I believe that effective leadership is the foundation for progressive growth and development across all organizations. Leaders must develop and cultivate viable leadership strategies that enable them to meet the set goals and objectives. For a business leader to effectively execute a corporate mission, one must integrate quality characteristics that motivate the team members to work effortlessly to achieve the intended outcomes. Jeff Bezo’s case study portrays a leader committed and always putting their best foot forward. He is innovative, creative, resilient, and passionate, among other key virtues that have made him excel in all his deeds and actions.
As a potential leader in the future, I will invest my time and efforts in building characteristics such as commitment, innovation, and passion. These are essential traits that I intend to apply in any leadership position. I believe that quality leadership is all about assessing the needs of the stakeholders and strategizing all operations to revolve around their interests. This calls for the establishment of excellent professional values that enables leaders to deliver effective change. I intend to avoid setting high standards and expectations all the time, especially when dealing with hectic and difficult situations. I always believe that leadership is a learning process, and we at times, we fail to achieve the results we target.
Conclusion
Leaders offer suitable guidance to the followers and establish potential organizational strategies to achieve the desired results. There is a dire need for leaders to cultivate admirable characteristics which followers and other potential leaders can emulate. It is also important to develop an excellent leadership style that permits them to handle various corporate tasks, processes, and solving existing challenges. Jeff Bezos is a leader whose tenure has been characterized by quality leadership aspects that have made him a global icon. Since Amazon’s commencement, Bezos has always been on the front line to boost its productivity. This portrays the commitment that leaders should have in their respective positions. They are expected to engage innovativeness, creativity, and vision for change to take their businesses to greater levels.
References
Fifteen fascinating facts you probably didn’t know about Amazon (AMZN). Business Insider Africa. (2018). Retrieved 12 February 2021, from https://africa.businessinsider.com/tech/tech-15-fascinating-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-amazon-amzn/qpf86lk.
Chishty-Mujahid, N. (2016). The prevalent and persistent virtues of autocratic leadership in the corporate sector: An analysis. Business Review, 11(1).
Korejan, M. M., & Shahbazi, H. (2016). An analysis of the transformational leadership theory. Journal of fundamental and applied sciences, 8(3), 452-461.
Reinartz, W., Wiegand, N., & Imschloss, M. (2019). The impact of digital transformation on the retailing value chain. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 36(3), 350-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2018.12.002
