Discussion Forum 9
The topic of leadership has been debated throughout history. Great leaders such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela possessed the leadership traits discussed in this module.
Business executive and former CEO of General Electric Jack Welch suggested that there are 4 Es (and one P) of great leadership. The following website briefly explains these essential traits exhibited by leaders: personal energy, the ability to energize others, having edge, and the ability to execute. He also added passion to the list as a critical trait.
Your task in this Discussion 9 is to relate the 4 Es to a twentieth-century leader. After reading about Welch’s ideas go to the following website and choose one of the leaders from the list to discuss. Be sure to perform some additional research about the leader so that you will be able to discuss her or him effectively.
Greatest Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century
In Discussion Forum 9, post your response to the following discussion prompt.
- Using any of the theories or models discussed in this chapter, how would you describe the leadership style of the twentieth-century figure you investigated?
- Was this leader successful in using the 4 Es?
- What challenges to his or her leadership did this leader face? How was he or she able to overcome them?
Be sure to credit any sources you use.
Discussion Forum 9
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Discussion Forum 9
Sam Walton’s Leadership Style
This paper is discussing picks Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as the leader of the twentieth century to investigate. His leadership style was that of transformational leadership. This style is portrayed in his undying urge to inspire and motivate his employees to enhance productivity and company ownership (Aster, 2021). He strived to build trust and a light-hearted attitude within the company. This was done through trusting, encouraging, and enabling open communication with employees, and holding managers to the same expectations as their underlings (Parks, 2021).
Sam’s Success in using the 4 Es?
The 4Es that make a great leader as described by Jack Welch include personal energy, the ability to energize others, having an edge, and the ability to execute (Bertsch, 2017). As a transformational leader, Sam’s leadership was characterized by Idealized Influence, Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, and Individualized Consideration, as described by Northouse (2016). Abiding by these provisions makes Sam satisfy all the 4Es. Besides, Sam had personal ten commandments of leadership that include commitment, sharing profits and treating associates as partners, proper communication, celebrating success, celebrating, good listening, exceeding customers’ expectations, better control of expenses, and blazing of own path (Parks, 2021).
Challenges Sam Faced and How He Overcame
In 1950, Sam’s lease on Walton’s Ben Franklin store expired. The landlord refused to renew it but instead “bought Walton’s well-established store along with its fixtures and inventory and transferred the store to his son” (Belludi, 2016). Sam did not focus on his failure but decided to start again elsewhere by buying low, selling at a discount, and moving vast amounts of inventory to make up for low margins (Belludi, 2016). Sam believed in taking risks, failing, but picking up again, not giving up.
References
Aster, H. (2021). Sam Walton’s Leadership Style: Trust in Your People. Shortform Books. https://www.shortform.com/blog/sam-walton-leadership-style/
Belludi, N. (2016). Lessons from Sam Walton: Learning from Failure. Nagesh Belludi. https://www.rightattitudes.com/2016/03/29/sam-walton-learning-from-failure/
Bertsch, A. (2017). Jack Welch: the bridge between Drucker and Goleman. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 8(3).
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.
Parks, M. (2021). A Great Leader: Sam Walton’s Legacy. Foundations of Leadership (DOBBS). https://sites.psu.edu/leaderfoundationsdobbs/2016/09/25/a-great-leader-sam-waltons-legacy/