Organizations, business professionals, and even the general public often take a keen interest in discussions about leadership style. 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 (Issacson, 2012). 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.
To prepare:
Search recent media and select a business executive about whom you can find information on his or her leadership activities and the organization with which he or she is affiliated.
By Day 7 of Week 2, submit a 3-page analysis of the individual's leadership style and the impact of that style on the organization.
The paper should include the following:
An analysis of the leadership style of your selected leader, according to an existing leadership style theory
An analysis of the health of that leader's organization, based upon media information
An analysis of the relationship between your chosen leader's leadership style and the health of the organization