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What Makes a Great Leader

In: Business and Management

Submitted By scollin40
Words 770
Pages 4
What makes a great leader? There are many schools of thought and mountains of research in attempting to answer that question. Answering that particular question is a monumental task and given the scope it would be impossible for me to answer that question here. What I will do is take a look at the given scenario and determine what kinds of leader each of the 3 executives are based on the attributes and characteristics of each. With the scenario given I have determined that Executive A should be classified as a “Level 5” leader, Executive B should be classified as a Transactional leader and Executive C should be classified as a Transformational leader.
Based on the information given Executive A is a true level 5 leader. According to Jim Collins who developed the concept of level 5 leaders from a 1996 study, he “found that these leaders have humility, and they don't seek success for their own glory; rather, success is necessary so that the team and organization can thrive.” (Level 5 Leadership – Achieving “Greatness” as a Leader (n.d.). Retrieved December 30, 2012, fromhttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/level-5-leadership.htm). Executive A has the humility and drive associated with leaders of that classification. He attributes the company’s successes to those who work under him and takes personal accountability for any failures. I believe this takes pressure off of leaders under him and allowing them to be creative without fearing that they will be blamed for failure. Executive A has a “The Buck Stops Here” approach when it comes to failure. Under his leadership the company was profitable by quarter 2 of his tenure and has increased shareholder value by 128%. Without his leadership style, drive and passion the company most likely wouldn’t have seen that kind of success in the same time period.
Executive B, according to my understanding, is a transactional

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