Leadership and Management at Dick Smith - Case Study Example

Leadership case study Name of the student Name of the Institution Date of submission Introduction Leadership and management normally go hand in hand. From the early life of Dick Smith, his main philosophy formed the pillar for his success, he believed in gratitude and service to others which forms major success traits of leadership in entrepreneurship. As the bible states in the book of proverbs 15:15, "All the days of the afflicted are bad, but one with a grateful heart has a continual feast." Always simple thinks in life makes big impacts in people lives and success in what people do (Jeon et al., 2015). Dick presents transformational leadership, a servant leadership that leads with example and gives back to society. Transformation leadership gives it new perspective where the leadership moves away from the traditional dominant transactional leadership. This model uses incentives and disincentives to produce compliance among subordinates, to one where leaders and followers form bond and shared visions and goals to work collaboratively. This kind of leadership has seen the success of Dick Smith, his empathies, mentors, motivating and stimulating his subordinates. He acts as a role model to individuals who work under him to achieve high level attainment in society (Zahoor, Montes & Wahl 2014) Discussion of the problem The good public image he has cultivated for a long time has helped him in commanding success in his business. Transformation leadership approach which is widely proposed by modern management theorist. Zahoor, Montes & Wahl (2014) states that command and control approach leadership no longer works effectively in 21st century, to effect change, todays leaders must be able to articulate clear purpose and organizational values, create a shared vision and build organizations that rely upon skills of communication, collaboration and teamwork. Dick Smith was able to cultivate these factors and leadership characteristics which have seen his success in his business. Liedtke (2013) argues that a good leadership should be able to grow and expand as human being even as they lea extraordinary outcomes for their communities and organization. In his food venture, Dick Smith gives provision for the community where it gives back to society. Very few organization gives provision for the same. He has been in a position of bringing authentic presence, integrity, vision compassion expertise and commitment to a higher purpose that awakens others to new possibilities and outcomes. He was able to take stand for his vision and beliefs since it was able to create clarity and call for commitment from others and hold this stance even in the face of adversity, challenge and risk. He had what it takes to be a quality leaders, this is what help him to succeed in life. Attributes that leads to charismatic Throughout it’s his story, one of the major attributes of Smith is charismatic, and his charismatic characteristics are illustrated in many instances. They are attributes that are hard to pin down yet attract followers and inspires people to action. They are transformational leaders that are normally exhibiting these particular characteristics (Mitgang 2012). Some of the attributes that qualified Smith as charismatic leader include; Good communication skills In most cases, charismatic leaders have extraordinary skills in communication. It is seen in the leadership style when Smith was chairman of the aviation association and in the management of his business (Keller, Parameswaran & Jacob, 2011). Good communication skills in most cases helps in motivating employees through tough times and further helps them to stay grounded in what they are doing. Charismatic leaders are further comfortable communicating one to one or in group setting. This particular attributes makes Dick Smith a charismatic leader (Mitgang 2012). Humility A charismatic leader are ones with high level of humility, they place a lot of value on each employee and have the ability to listen to the employees concerns. This has been mentioned as one of the key success towards Smith business. He is able to convince the employee of the value that they bring to the organization, and shows them how their contributions impact on the company as a whole. From humble background where he dropped out of school, he was able to positively impact on the lives of many with his humility. This proves that Dick Smith is a charismatic leader (Zahoor, Montes & Wahl 2014) Risk taker Through ups and downs, Smith is able to take various chances in life. From school dropout to a philanthropic individual in entrepreneurship, he was able to stand tall in various circumstances even in failure to meet his target in the aviation industry; he was able to take other chances in life. He was a multidimensional leader, a leader who is able to handle different people at different circumstances and level (Jeon et al., 2015). This characteristic of risk taker qualifies Dick Smith as a charismatic leader. High level of maturity This is attributed with high level of experience in the entrepreneurship and leadership level. Zahoor, Montes & Wahl (2014) states that a true charisma is a measure of a person’s maturity and character. Smith is able to recognize that true leadership is not built on showmanship, but application of wisdom built over several years of business experience. From a small business man to a multi-national company chief executive, this is quite wealth of experience which qualifies Smith as a true charismatic leader Compassionate Smith is a compassionate leader, a leader who is able to listen to everyone young and old, giving part of his profit back to the society. This proves further that the leadership is true charismatic and this charisma has enables him to succeed in life (Jeon et al., 2015) Is Dick a transformational leader? Transformational leadership can be described as a leadership approach that causes change in individual and social systems. In its ideal form, it creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the main objective of developing followers into leaders. From the definition, it goes without saying that Dick Smith is a transformational leader; he has been able to be a servant and charismatic leader in all the organization he has led. He has received several acknowledgements within and outside Australia (Jeon et al., 2015) A transformational leader is one with high individual consideration, the degree and level of way which the leader attends and listens to the followers needs. This is well captured in the case study which mentioned high listening level exhibited by Smith. Smith is able to give empathy and support with open communication and encouragements to the followers (Shisbodia & Chawla 2012) Overtime, his vision expanded from running a successful business operation to promoting national identity, pride and self-confidence are just but some few cases that explains the transformative nature of Dick Smith throughout his life. He did gives inspirational and motivation. The degree to which the leader articulates a vision that is appealing and inspiring to the followers is just but amazing. He was able to challenge many with high standards, communication optimism about future goals and provide meaning for the task at hand. He was quite idealized that was able to influence others. It provides role model for high ethical behavior; instill pride, gain respect and trust among many. Smith has achieved above qualities hence further proves that he is a transformational leader (Shisbodia & Chawla 2012) The theory of transformation leadership is mostly advance by Cox (2001) who states that there are mainly two categories of leadership and that is transformational and transactional. The different among the leadership is the exchange of tangible reward for the work and loyalty of followers while transformational leaders engaged with followers and focuses on higher order intrinsic need and raises consciousness about significance of specific outcomes and new ways of doing things (Jeon et al., 2015) Conclusion From the theory, which states that transformation leadership is one which facilitates a redefinition of a people’s mission and vision, a renewal of their commitment and the restructuring of their systems for goal accomplishment (Shisbodia & Chawla 2012)? It is a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts followers into leaders and may convert leaders into moral agents. Hence, transformational leadership must be grounded in moral foundations. This theory supports Smith Vision qualifies him as a transformational leader. There are people who love him and hate him in equal measure, but he still treats them equally, explaining the kind of leader he is. Therefore, we can conclude that he is a transformational leader who positively impacted into the lives of his followers. Bibliography Jeon, Y., Conway, J., Chenoweth, L., Weise, J., Thomas, T., & Williams, A. 2015 Validation of a clinical leadership qualities framework for managers in aged care: a Delphi study. Journal of clinical nursing, 24(7-8), 999-1010. Keller, K. L., Parameswaran, M. G., & Jacob, I. 2011 Strategic brand management: Building, measuring, and managing brand equity. Pearson Education India. Liedtke, R. 2013 the indispensable leader: The study of leadership qualities of the chief enrollment management officer (Doctoral dissertation, CAPELLA UNIVERSITY). Mitgang, L. 2012 the Making of the Principal: Five Lessons in Leadership Training. Perspective. Wallace Foundation. Shisbodia, N., & Chawla, N. 2012 A Comparitive Study F Effect of Emotional Maturity on Leadership on Qualities of Adolescents Students Studying in Government Private Schools. International Journal of Innovative Research and Development, 1(6), 30-38. Zahoor, S., Montes, J., & Wahl, A. 2014, ADCO’S Leadership Talent Psychometrics: Objective Measurement of Leadership Qualities for Potential Assessment and Development. In Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference. Society of Petroleum Engineers. Read More