Organizations, business professionals, and even the public often take a keen interest in discussions about uncovering leadership styles. The reasons for the popularity of discussing leadership style approaches may lie in the way leadership researchers define leadership as a collection of observable behaviors. People can both observe and learn behavior, unlike innate traits. When people study the behavior of a successful leader, such as a CEO, from a leadership styles perspective, they may seek to uncover what aspects of that person’s leadership style led to his or her success. People then attempt to emulate that leadership style in the hope of achieving a comparable level of success. Leaders with unconventional leadership styles, such as the late Apple founder Steve Jobs, attract considerable attention. Jobs’s leadership helped make Apple one of the more prosperous companies in the world. He remains an inspiration in spite of his reputation for being rough on employees. He achieved success despite the fact that his leadership style was different from those widely recommended in published leadership style approaches. People like Jobs challenge previous assumptions and conceptions of good leadership. While many others debate these issues, researchers continue to look for empirical and systematic ways to uncover an elusive link between leadership style and leadership success.
Uncovering Leadership Styles
To prepare for this Assignment, select and interview a business executive about whom you can find information regarding his or her leadership activities and the organization with which he or she is affiliated. This may be someone you know or who owns a business local to you. Use the weekly readings as additional support for your ideas. Your interview should focus on the following two questions:
- How would you describe your leadership style?
- How would you describe your role as it relates to the health of your organization?
- Submit a 3- to 4-page analysis of the individual’s leadership style and the impact of that style on his or her organization. Your analysis should include the following:
- An evaluation of the leadership style of your selected leader, according to an existing leadership style theory
- An assessment of the health of that leader’s organization, based upon information shared during the interview as well as any additional resources to support your assessment
- A comparison of the relationship between your chosen leader’s leadership style and the health of his or her organization, as conveyed in the interview, to what is depicted in any local media, websites, or news information about the organization
- A minimum of two specific citations per page from this week’s Learning Resources and/or additional scholarly sources; you may also include media examples of leadership behavior and other relevant organizational information to support your analysis.
Note: Be sure to use the APA Course Paper Template to complete this Assignment
Generally, leadership is defined as a capacity or potential to influence others. There are many processes through which successful influence can be achieved. The type of leadership employed by different leaders affects followers in different ways. For instance, autocratic leaders tend to force subjects to follow them because they fear threats. On the other hand, charismatic leaders emphasize providing professional guidance to the followers and management built on strong communication skills and persuasiveness to help get the most out of all individuals that work for them (Vroom & Jago, 2007). The common element of these two methods is that both leadership styles get the work done. However, there are other elements that differentiate these two styles, such as employee satisfaction and engagement. Another common type of leadership employed is referred to as situational leadership. This type of leadership cannot be said to be a particular leadership style. Instead, it entails a rational understanding of the situation, and the best-fit response is given.
