Contemporary Leaders

Choose a public figure you are familiar with (you know the individual, have read about the person in magazines and newspapers, or have seen him or her on TV) who is in a leadership position. Pick someone other people in your class are likely to know. The person could be a leader in politics or government (at the national, state, or local level), a leader in your community, or a leader at the college or university you attend. For the leader you have selected, answer the following questions:

1. What traits does this leader appear to possess?

2. What behaviors does this leader engage in?

3. Is this leader relationship-oriented or task-oriented? How favorable is the leadership situation according to Fiedler's contingency model?

4. How does this leader try to motivate his or her followers?

5. To what extent does this leader allow his or her followers to participate in decision making?

6. Does any substitutes or neutralizers exist with regard to this leader? What are they?

7. Is this a transformational leader? Why or why not?

8. Does this leader engage in transactional leadership?

Answer:

Chosen public figure: Jeff Bezos.

Jeff Bezos is one of the most successful businessmen in the world. He is an internet entrepreneur and investor who founded Amazon company. He is one of the most admired leaders in the business world who most people in the world admire for his excellent leadership skills.

Step-by-step explanation

1. What traits does this leader appear to possess?

• He believes in high standards.
• He is a strategically patient but tactically impatient leader.
• He is always eager and willing to learn.

2. What behaviors does this leader engage?

• He is generous for all good courses.
• He is a flexible leader and deals with different situations differently.
• He likes experimenting new things implying, he is a great risk-taker.

3. Is this leader relationship-oriented or task-oriented? How favorable is the leadership situation according to Fiedler's contingency model?

Jeff Bezos is a task-oriented leader. He focusses more on the tasks required to achieve better results. He does not spend much time and energy, creating a strong relationship with his employees. The leadership style is favorable to Amazon company since it has made every employee get focused on his/her tasks. The result has been Amazon growing to become one of the largest companies in the world.

4. How does this leader try to motivate his or her followers?

Jeff Bezos motivates his employees mostly by installing fear to them. He does not care how things are done but must be done well. He gives the employees the freedom to work from stations of their comfort, including home but, every employee knows failure is unacceptable. The fear motivates the employees to work hard and be innovative. That results in better performance of the organization.

5. To what extent does this leader allow his or her followers to participate in decision making?

Jeff Bezos has very high trust on his managers who do most of the work and make most of the decisions on his behalf. However, they must always remain in line with the goals of the organization and report to him on the decisions made.

6. Does any substitutes or neutralizers exist concerning this leader? What are they?

There are no substitutes yet to Jeff Bezos for his outstanding leadership skills resulting in a great performance of Amazon corporation. With time and current global competition, there would be neutralizers which may arise.

7. Is this a transformational leader? Why or why not?

Yes, Jeff Bezos is a transformational leader. He is visionary and motivates all his employees for better performance. He ensures that the ethical environment is maintained with clear values and priorities. That has resulted in Amazon being one of the largest global companies.

8. Does this leader engage in transactional leadership?

Yes, Jeff Bezos engages in transactional leadership. He ensures compliance from his employees through rewards and punishment. Transactional leaders ensure things are done well to the letter. Jeff Bezos is very strict on his employees and does not tolerate any failure to comply with given instructions. Transactional leadership has been one of the factors responsible for his great success.

References.

Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Power and leadership: An influence process. International journal of management, business, and administration, 15(1), 1-9.

Stone, B. (2013). The everything store: Jeff Bezos and the age of Amazon. Random House.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development. Nelson Education.