Using relevant theories and models critically evaluate and analyse the leadershi

Question

Using relevant theories and models critically evaluate and analyse the leadership of a leader working in an (business, government or not-for-profit) organisation. If you were in the position of the leader, what could you do to be a better leader and make a stronger impact on the followers and on the situation? I your own words.

For this assignment you can select a leader from a large or a small organisation. You can select a leader from your own organisation or one that you are familiar with. It could be a CEO of an international organisation whom you have read about in the newspapers/biographies, or a family member who runs a small business with a few staff members. The choice of leader and organisation is yours.

Write a report in which you cover the following:

A clear description of the leader, the organisation/industry, and situation/context.

An evaluation of the leader by referring to concepts and theories covered in the subject (e.g. style, behaviour, traits, attitudes, power) and by referring to relevant examples.

A discussion of how you would lead differently if you were put in the same situation/s as the leader and how you could make a stronger impact on the followers and on the situation/s.

It is important to demonstrate your knowledge about Leadership and to clearly reference your sources. (you can use the Leadership- Theory and Practice 7th edition by Peter G. Northouse as reference).

Explanation / Answer

I select Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. as my favourite leader as he grew from a middle-class family to a business tycoon. I listened to his graduation ceremony speech and got influenced by his leadership. Steve Jobs was the CEO of Apple Inc. He founded the company along with Steve Wozniak and operated from a garage initially. Then the company grew gradually after the investment of Mike Markkula joining the company. The success of Apple Inc is mainly attributed to these three people. Steve Jobs was the captain of the ship leading Apple from the front. Cameroon Craig worked as a communications professional at Apple Inc. and describes a tense situation where Steve Jobs was on the brink of releasing Apple II but received no support from his workers as the former team did not receive any recognition. The situation became worse with one of the employees shouting openly at Steve Jobs and showing his anger. Steve Jobs remained calm and continued with his decision to launch Apple II despite the employee resistance. Cameroon Craig states that Steve Jobs made huge blunders but was smart enough to learn from the mistakes and had a futuristic approach. According to Cameroon Craig, Steve Jobs was an autocratic leader taking all the crucial decisions individually. He decides on the future action and drives the employees towards the goals set by him. He is known for his innovative thinking in eliminating the tape recorder and making songs available in the pocket of people in the form of Apple iPad.
On analyzing the above situation, I think that Steve Jobs had poor interpersonal communication skills with his employees and team. This misunderstanding led to the conflict between him and the employee. Steve Jobs is individualistic and creative to bring new products into the market. In the above situation, Steve Jobs was a bit stubborn on the employees and carried forward with his plan showing his individualistic nature. I critic this autocratic leadership style of Steve Jobs. I tend to be more people oriented and get the support of the employees in such a situation. I would have made efforts to console the resenting employees as they had worked on Apple II. On analyzing the leadership of Steve Jobs as a whole, I identified that he is a risk taker, ability to learn from his mistakes, managing change effectively, master in handling pressure and ambiguous situations, had clarity in decision making and adopted innovative methods. These traits made him a great leader.

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