21st Century Leadership: Leadership Styles and Tactics - Coursework Example

21ST Century Leadership al Affiliation June Leadership Styles and Leadership Tactics In the 21st century, there are various leaders who have stood up with their different leadership styles to steer the organizations that they led to great heights. In this paper, leadership styles that have been employed in the late 20th century and the 21st century shall be explored with a case study to refer to. However, since the idea of fixed leadership styles is contentious, it shall incorporate other aspects such as leadership tactics which are used by individuals in leadership positions to ensure that the goals set are achieved not only in the selected timelines but also in the desired manner. Developing a working leadership strategy is an important ingredient for organizational success and a process that often determines the difference between a successful leader and a failing one. According to Pasmore (2014), ‘organizations depend upon capable leadership to guide them through unprecedented changes’ (p. 1). In the 21st century, various companies have succumbed to bad leadership. These include the Lehman Brothers Incorporation and the Enron Company. Therefore, to become a good leader, it is not only about making the company achieve its goals but it also involves high levels of organizational ethics. The leaders in various organizations use different leadership styles. These include;- a. Autocratic Leadership Style In an autocratic leadership style also referred to as an authoritative style, the division between the workers and the executive or the leaders is so distinct. This is seen where the leaders have so much powers and they rarely include the wormers in making serious decisions in the organizations. Such leaders seem to be so confident with their leadership styles. By involving the employees minimally in the process of decision making, they eliminate cases where a small decision can take a long time to be decided. However, there are serious drawbacks associated with this style of leadership. Since the employees are the ones who are on the ground having a better understanding of the issues that can make the organization succeed or fail, failing to involve them in the decision making process means that there are important issues that will rarely be addressed. Autocratic leadership makes the employees deliver to their mandates mainly because they are intimidated and not because they are motivated. Creativity in the organization is therefore highly limited. b. Participative Leadership Style This is the opposite of the autocratic leadership style. In this style also referred to as a democratic leadership, the leaders break the gap between the employees and the leaders is reduced or non-existent. In any decision making process, the employees will be involved and their decisions will be considered. Delegation of duties is common in this type of leadership. This enhances the feeling of responsibility as the employees will feel they are part of the organization. The employees are highly creative and motivated in this style that is employed by most organizations. The results registered are better compared to the autocratic leadership. The management in this kind of leadership is just important in giving directions and not standing as a supreme power that cannot be questioned or be advised. c. Delegative Leadership Style In this style which is at times assimilated by the participative style, the leaders often delegates most of their duties to other employees in the organization. This style has serious drawbacks which include that the leaders rarely put their input in the decision making process. They will rely on the individuals which the duties have been delegated to. At times, this limits the cohesion in the organization since the individuals who are given the responsibilities over the others may elicit disunity. Therefore, this is incorporated in the participative leadership style where the leaders can delegate some of the leadership duties to the employees but still offer guidance to them. This will ensure that on top of the employees feeling motivated to work harder, they will be in a position to be corrected and therefore enhance better results. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook Tim Cook became Apple’s Chief Executive Office after the demise of Steve Job. Before him, Steve Jobs had succeeded in creating a great empire and no one thought that anyone could fit in his shoes. Some of factors that enhanced Steve Jobs’ success included great innovation and aiming for the impossible. In the leadership, Apple had always banked on innovation to produce new products that are beyond the imagination of any individual but always coming to address a certain drawback that the end users had not realized they needed. Steve also led the company with so much confidence (Kalla, 2012). Despite being launched in an already saturated market in the mid last decade, he was confident that he could create brand personality and edge the other brands from the market. Looking at the mobile and computer industry, and basing our argument on Porter’s Five Forces Model, it is hard for new entrants to make their way in the industry (Martin, 2014). Therefore, as many business experts predicated, the fall of Apple was expected. However, Apple through the leadership of Steve Jobs selected a number of great employees in the top leadership who could identify the drawbacks of the existing brands and produce devices that could do almost everything that a consumer could need. Involving the employees in the process of decision making is an important thing that enhanced Apple’s success. To succeed in the mobile device industry, it is important to have a great employee base which is highly motivated to deliver the best. This is exactly what Steve Jobs acquired and through the lucrative pays he was able to retain them. Tim Cook’s approach to leadership is slightly different from the one Steve Jobs had but it has proven very important for the company. Whereas Jobs’ approach was highly autocratic where he ensured that things were done and was influential in the decision making process, Cook is less vigorous when it comes to the major decision making process and the leadership of the company. According to Christian (2011), ‘many individuals are quick to note that Cook is different from Jobs’ (web). Jobs was a harsh leader going to points of firing some of the employees to ensure that his points went across or the goals that he had set were achieved. He had little social engagement that is seen in Cook. Cook is more involving and a very suitable leader for the 21st century. He has the feeling of the employees as well as the customers at hand and therefore he is in a position to make or advocate for policies that are very good to boost the success of the company. Another important aspect that can be seen in Cook’s leadership style is that one should not try to fit in the leadership style of his predecessor. Whereas the change can be chaotic for the company and the employees who are used to a given leadership style, it is important to avoid a scenario where the leader struggles to implement a leadership style that does not work with his personality. The main idea is to understand the type of environment one is working in and the consumer needs. From that, the employees need to be considered as an important part of the organization not only in executing the mandates of the company but also in owning the company goals and working beyond what is expected of them to achieve more. Maintaining strict business ethics is key to organization success. He has maintained strict organization ethics that have seen the company achieve more in a transparent way. Risking is part of business. However, some risks needs strong leaders to take part in them. For instance, in an instance when Apple’s stock was underperforming, he used $130 million which could mean the company’s failure if the plan failed to salvage it. However, the plan worked well and boosted his prospects as a visionary leader even further. Another quality that leaders should borrow from him is in the quality of the employees that one needs to have. In the 21st century as it has been noted earlier, business is about outwitting all the competitors and coming up with products that will cause a real stir in the market. To achieve this in the smart watch industry, Cook hired fashion designers. This involved hiring Paul Deneve and Angela Ahrendts who had experience in fashion design but had no or minimal knowledge on tech expertise. In this move that initially received much criticism, Apple managed to understand and capture important ideas to succeed in the smart watch industry (Tobak, 2014). Therefore, in conclusion, Cook’s leadership can be summarized as conceptual as he is known to have minimum tolerance for ambiguity. Though he is friendly, he quickly assumes leadership position when an important decision needs his power. He considers many alternatives before making any important decision. As a leader one should not limit the information that gets to him or her. This can come from the employees, customers or any other source. This is what gives the companies the competitive advantage over the others in the 21st century. References Christian, D. L. (September 11, 2011). Apple CEO Tim Cook Leadership Style: Better, Worse, or Just Different than Steve Jobs? Tech Times. Retrieved from. Kalla, S. (2012). 10 Leadership Tips from Steve Jobs. Forbes. Retrieved from. Martin (2014). Porter’s Five Forces Model. Strategy Framework. Retrieved from. Pasmore, W. (2014). Developing a Leadership Strategy: A Critical Ingredient for Organizational Success. Center for Creative Leadership. pp. 1-25. Tobak, S. (September 10, 2014). Leadership Lessons from Apple CEO Tim Cook. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from. Read More