Jack Welch a great leader?
As it is always stated, leaders are not always from birth but they are made too. Jack Welch is a glimmering example of the latter. The leaders also have high level of empathy, vision, ethics, hard working mentality and a respect for past.
While going through the passage, it was found that Jack Welch’s immaculate leadership did have some flaws.
Strength of any strong building lies in its foundation and so does leadership. It can be seen from the passage that Jack was very competitive and could not stand a raise of $1000, the same amount given to his colleagues and to prove this point he quit. He, however, was lucky to get a personal favor from Reuben Gutoff and could land a small company with big-company resources. In my opinion, not many leaders could get a providential succor for scaling heights and the adversities on the way ennobles them. Their sole target is not only business but also human welfare.
Leadership also requires patience and optimistic attitude. This also entails the belief of creating castles off shambles. As per the text, it also seems evident that Jack took out the ailing TV and toaster units but later it could be seen that the market of TV and Toaster has not died. An intuitive, proactive and learning leader as Jack Welch could have picked up the nuggets from the contemporary market leaders to revive the business.
Jack’s main focus was to get business done by people and not business with people. The fact translates to generating profits, as a result he “rationalized the work force” by 25%.
In the face of inflation, it was a heavy brunt on the poor Americans who lost the job. A leader would always make sure that the followers he has should get nurtured enough for the next career.
The Welch era was not devoid of any setbacks, Welch’s poor handling socio-political issue, while failing to acquire Honeywell was one of them. Moreover, to race past Japanese competition and acquire high top line, GE polluted Hudson River with PCB and had to pay dearly for cleaning it up. It exposed poor compliance to GE’s corporate citizenship agenda. GE was also not very supportive of Women and minority managers, and hence was not clearly an equal opportunity employer.
Legalizing of plagiarism was also an issue, as people were free to inculcate any un-patented best practice to enhance productivity and profit.
... This decade-long struggle continued until the black waves of war rolled through both the Atlantic and Pacific and threatened to drown the “sleeping giant” that lay in-between. Only then did the unemployment rate drastically decrease because instead of more people needing jobs, more people were needed for jobs that would help manufacture weapons for Great Britain and eventually the US. Additionally, he, in a way, hurt the economy through deficit spending. However, he expanded the federal government, and especially the executive branch, so that it could help the American people in the decades to come.
In the past, some businesses did not estimate their costs and would have no idea whether they would have profit or loss at the end of the year. Thanks to his experience at the Pennsylvania Railroad, Carnegie understood the importance of cost control. Tracking costs led to increased accountability because Carnegie could discover, “who saved material, who wasted it, and who produced the best results” (95). Knowing costs also allowed Carnegie to confidently charge low prices, understanding they would produce a profit. Additionally, he thought that if he kept costs low, profits would take care of themselves. One technique used to slash costs was speeding up individual operations to produce more goods per dollar of capital. Another technique was reducing labor costs while sustaining current production. These practices revolutionized big business because they began to focus on cutting excess costs that were hurting profits. Cost management improved the efficiency of labor and profits of
What comes to mind when someone hear the words “born leader”? Certainly, one thinks of a person with the qualities of passion, integrity, confidence, and intelligence. Since the beginning of civilization, born leaders, through their actions, have been able to greatly impact their environment. Shi Huangdi, Siddhartha Gautama, and King Hammurabi are just a few examples of specific leaders in early civilizations that left legacies that have lasted for centuries. Overall, individuals in the past had such amazing leadership skills that they were able to shape the times in which they lived.
Most people think that being a leader is all about prestige, loyalty, or fame. While being a leader certainly is a great confidence and social status booster, there is more to being a leader than these. Being a leader requires passion, dedication, time, effort, and most importantly hard work. I would like to make myself believe that leaders are made and not born and that hard work can spell the difference between an immature and a holistically effective leader. The objective of this paper is to discuss by knowledge, belief system, and perception of leadership in relation to Bleachers by John Grisham which outlines the leadership story of Coach Eddie Rake and how he handled his team through thick and thin and through the greatest leadership challenges, towards success; to outline which character in the story I see myself in; and to characterize what type of leader I want me to be not in the future, but as early as now.
As a whole, Warren Bennis defined the values and achievement plan for becoming the most successful leader one can be. He highlighted the link between self knowledge and business. A leader is not just “doing a job” or “running a company,” but it’s finding one’s personal vision. Bennis tries to do as much as he possibly he can to shatter this myth. Today, more people are starting to learn what leadership exactly means and what is expected of a leader. It might be evident that in the future competition will be harder
Our world is filled with many successful leaders. The gift of being a leader can be learned; however some individuals have a natural born talent to be a leader. Each leader has his or her own unique leadership style. The gift of being a leader can be learned. Certain individuals are born with a charismatic style and can easily be a leader. A successful leader is one who can inspire and motivate people towards a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. was an individual with a born gift to lead people. The following paper will discuss how Martin Luther King Jr. was able to inspire and motivate people with his effective leadership style.
the CEO at Home Depot, Robert Nardelli’s tenure was marked with heavy-handedness and inflexibility. Robert Nardelli’s leadership styles was autocratic. He utilized a command, control and conquer approach. He dictated policies and procedures, decided what goals were to be achieved, and directed and controlled all activities without any meaningful participation by the subordinates. He was in full control of the team, leaving low autonomy within the group. Before Nardelli came onboard, the managers of Home Depot had enjoyed independence under the laid-back entrepreneurship leadership style of Bernie Marcus. Almost immediately after Home Depot got Nardelli, he embarked on an aggressive plan to centralize control. He neglected the build relationships, inspired and aligned purpose, and create open communication with his team. He also disregarded the care of his shareholders. He was obsesses with goals, objectivity, and accomplishments within the boundaries of the values of the company. He
Sears Holdings is a company in transition. Now, faced with adversity and the threat of bankruptcy looming its leadership has come under scrutiny. “Great leaders not only have drive; they want to lead. Also important is a high need for power, a preference to be in leadership rather than follower positions. A high power need induces people to attempt to influence others, and sustains interest and satisfaction in the process of leadership. When the power need is exercised in moral and socially constructive ways, rather than to the detriment of others, leaders inspire more trust, respect, and commitment to their vision (Bateman, pp 399, 2007).”
Leadership and success come hand in hand. You cant only have one. People that are great leaders are successful. They need to lead the right people and stay true to themselves. The best thing a person can do to become the best potential leader is to read and learn about the most influential leaders of all time. A person has to have the right mind set and the most drive out of anybody else to become successful. They have to want to be more successful more than he or she wants to breath. Being a leader is not a trait. Its a way of life.
Leaders do not just appear out of thin air and automatically start making great things happen in the world. A leader must learn from prior leaders or role models that they are surrounded by that they look up to. Not everyone can be a leader, only some people have the correct characteristics it takes to lead others in the right direction. Those who do great things, for example volunteering at a homeless shelter, are not leaders. Many people mistake a “great person” as being a leader, which is completely incorrect (Kouzes and Posner, p. 3). While playing an active role in your community is a positive thing it does not make someone a leader of that community. All leaders have a group of people they have inspiration too and that is a good way of determining who your personal leaders are. My mother, brother, and grandfather are my leaders because I have always looked up to them and tried to mimic some of the great things that I have seen them do. My mother has always been an independent women with goals and an action plan to accomplish those set goals. Stephen, my elder brother, is outgoing and tends to have a leveled head when it comes to evaluating stressful situations. My grandfather is the most caring person I know and he is amazing at keeping situations under control in order to please everyone. These are all the qualities I want to combine into my own leadership style. I know I am not a efficient leader of these actions yet, but I plan on growing into this as I more on into my career, fulfill my set goals, and adjust to the curve-balls that life throws at me.
Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.
I have been fortunate to work with several heads of departments within a couple years of graduating college. During this time, I have worked with quality leaders and not so great ones. The quality leaders were competent, skillful and endowed with people skills. These leaders gave me the opportunity to grow and a sense of purpose. After reading The Leadership Advantage by Warren Bennis, I was quickly reminded about a former superior of mine that lacked the understanding and knowledge of what qualities a leader should have. The company also did not entertain a culture that promotes employee satisfaction.
To be an authentic leader one must discover their True North and the purpose of leadership. Leadership decides the success or failure of organizations. The chief cause of organizational failure for the last decade has been failed leadership. A leader’s
As Yukl (2010) indicates, such factors (e.g. personality, values and capacities) attributed to a leader. Normally it is widespread acknowledged that someone is born to be a lead...
Leadership is found not just at work but all around us. In any situation, leaders take a step forward and take charge of the situation. It can be at home, at work or at any other place. Leaders are never born, they become leaders because they have the credibility and people would love to follow them.