2. Leadership can be defined as the ability to
influence a group toward the achievement of a
vision or set of goals. The source of this
influence may be formal such as that provided by
managerial rank in an organisation. But not all
leaders are mangers, nor are all managers
leaders.
3. Why do organisations need
leaders?Organisations need strong leadership and strong
management for optimal effectiveness. We need
leaders to challenge the status quo, create visions
of the future, and inspire organisational members
to achieve the vision. We also need managers to
formulate detailed plans, create efficient
organisational structures, and oversee day to day
operations.
4. Traits of a good leader
Most of the traits that are needed to be present
in a leader fit under one of the big five
personality models. They include:-
1. Extraversion
2. Agreeableness
3. Conscientiousness
4. Emotional stability
5. Openness to experience
6. Jeff Bezos
Bezos is an extremely rare combination of
visionary and master builder — 20 years ago
seeing something no one else could see and
then turning it into the world’s No.2 Most
Admired Company (after Apple) on our list,
with a recent market value of $174 billion
(Amazon). Prospective employees are still
drawn to his vision; though he’s highly
demanding, thousands aspire to work for him.
That’s one way to know a great leader when
you see one.
7.
8. His Leadership
Styles
The two ways leadership style of Jeff Bezos that has
set Amazon apart are as follows:
1. Customer is king
• in his article Jeff Bezos Reveals His No. 1
Leadership Secret. It is this obsession with the
customer experience that consistently placed them
at or near the top of the University of Michigan’s
annual retail customer satisfaction survey.
• Bezos places a great deal of focus on what the
customer wants and doesn’t want.
9. • Forbes writer Mr. Anders’ found that Amazon
learned that customers “hate delays, defects
and out-of-stock products.” So each of these
issues are continually addressed, even to the
smallest detail.
• In fact, Amazon’s metrics revealed that 0.1
second delay in the loading of a page equals a
“1% drop in customer activity” so they work
tirelessly to improve the loading rate.
10. 2. Expect more from your employees
Working for Jeff Bezos isn’t always a walk in the
park. He has high expectations for his
employees, and doesn’t apologize for it. In his
Wall Street Journal article, Richard Brandt shares
a story from the early days of Amazon, when
they were only a bookseller.
11. His Leadership Skills
For Bezos, he geared his energy and focus toward the
customers. Perhaps, this is on top of his list, making
customers happy. He is pictured as an analytical, quirk
and intelligent entrepreneur who was able to build an
empire and start other businesses with his managerial
skills.
• Have a small group or team
• Think long term
• Have perseverance and reliance
• Always experiment
• Become an inventor
• Give customers an option
• Know your passion and wait for the right time
13. • Her first high-profile job was as a product
manager at Johnson & Johnson.
• She moved to the USA in 1978 to earn a Master
of Public and Private Management at Yale.
Where she worked as a dorm receptionist.
• Moving from product manager to dorm
receptionist was a sharp change of career. But
Nooyi took her jobs personally and tackled
them with passion, earning her a position first
as a director at Boston Consulting Group, and
then Vice President and Director of Corporate
Strategy and Planning at Motorola.
14. • Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994, and rose up the
ranks to become the CEO in October 2006.
• Under Nooyi 's leadership, PepsiCo has
expanded beyond soft drinks, entering fast-
growing categories such as yogurt and
hummus. She was also instrumental in much
of the company’s restructuring. During her
stint, PepsiCo sold off the restaurant business
and acquired Tropicana and Quaker Oats.
Today, PepsiCo is worth over $22 billion.
21. According to Nooyi, vision, persistence,
persuasion, listening, learning,
collaborating and humility are the keys to
being a great leader. Her observations are
indeed insightful and would help everyone
who wants to be an effective leader in the
future.
22. Conclusion
The goal of an organization is to attain long-term
viability, maintain financial stability, while smoothly
running their day-to-day operations. This goal can be
endangered if the organization does not effectively and
efficiently respond to opportunities and threats by
identifying a corporate strategy.
By placing strategic leaders throughout the
organization, monitoring external trends and events can
be done at the departmental level. With this knowledge,
the executive team members and leaders can formulate a
relevant, adaptive, innovative strategy that will guide
the organization into a successful future.
