It is a quiet Sunday afternoon in southern California. The Temperature is 74 degrees with a slight breeze. As the day comes to a close on the west coast of the United States (U.S.), there is a frightening thought that comes to mind of how this country has become somewhat unstable. Our current president Mr. Donald Trump ordered a non-nuclear bomb attack on the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Afghanistan Thursday night April 13^th, 2017. Some might say that this decision to drop the bomb in an effort to eradicate the ISIS terrorists was very effective. When thinking about effective leadership styles, we can use the situational approach of leadership because the situational approach is linked to leadership effectiveness by incorporating different leadership styles based on follower capabilities and commitment (Northouse, 2016). For example, President Trump uses his directive leadership style to effectively order the U.S. military to move forward with dropping the non-nuclear bomb on ISIS. Trump’s directive leadership style includes his ability to explain the ultimate goal, execute how the goal will be completed, and assign who will carry out specific tasks (Northouse, 2016). Of course, President Trump was not the only person calling the shots for the U.S. military attack on ISIS, but he represents the face of the U.S. governing forces. President Trump and the U.S. military government were effective in handling the goal of executing a successful bomb attack on the rebel terrorists of ISIS just a few days prior. Since the attack, there has been criticism on whether or not the attack will produce any change for the future of Syria (Waldman, 2017). Although, there is not much research with empirical data that can validate the actual effectiveness of this approach to leadership, some can argue that President Trump was successful in effectively executing the goal to bomb ISIS (Northouse, 2016).

The path-goal theory is another theory we can tie into our analysis of effective leadership styles. The path-goal theory explains there are four different leader behaviors: directive, participative, supportive and achievement-orientated leaderships (PSUWC, 2017). To stick with President Trump’s recent behavior, we will explore the directive and achievement-orientated leader behaviors. As explained by the course lesson, a directive leader creates levels of expected performance and instructs these expectations clearly to the subordinates (PSUWC, 2017). President Trump was directive in his command to make a clear order to the U.S. military to move forward with bombing ISIS in Afghanistan. By instructing the U.S. military force to complete the goal of bombing the target, President Trump was effective in performing his directive leader behavior. In order for leaders to display achievement-orientated leader behavior, they must show that they have high levels of confidence and be able to complete the goal (PSUWC, 2017). President Trump is extremely confident in his behavior and shows this confidence regularly when addressing the American people via televised Presidential addresses. When he confidently administered the order for the military to bomb ISIS, he effectively completed the goal. This shows President Trump exhibits achievement-orientated behavior as explained by the path-goal theory (PSUWC, 2017). The path-goal theory also explores how leaders constantly challenge the subordinates so that they can reach levels of superiority (PSUWC, 2017). The President Trump administration presented the challenge of staging an attack on ISIS which sent a clear message to ISIS that the U.S. is not in agreement with their terrorist actions or behaviors. This display of showing the American people the U.S. government is not afraid to execute major decisions to strike at a terrorist enemy, challenges the idea of remaining conservative when dealing with an imminent enemy. By doing so, the Trump Administration is constant in proving their superiority and excellence against the enemy.

As the sun sets on this quiet and peaceful afternoon in southern California, the review of President Donald Trump’s effective directive leadership behaviors for the approach with bombing ISIS in Afghanistan has slowly diminished the frightening thought that the U.S. is unstable. This peaceful and enjoyable afternoon is made possible because of the bravery, confidence and effective leadership style of our commander in chief President Trump, the Trump administration and the much respected U.S. military. If it weren’t for the effective leadership styles of our powerful government, the citizens of the U.S. would not be able to live peacefully on evenings such as these. A great appreciation goes out to those who sacrifice their lives to protect the American people.

References

Northouse, P.G. (2016).  Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2017). Lesson 6: contingency and path theories. Retrieved from PSYCH485: Leadership in work settings: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/canvas/sp17/21711–17327/content/06_lesson/04_topic/printlesson.html

Waldman, P (2017). Six Questions about Trump’s Missile attack in Syria. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/04/10/six-questions-about-trumps-missile-attack-in-syria/?utm_term=.9e6962443a58

When you hear someone say they want to buy something online, nowadays the first place many may think of is Amazon. Amazon.com is a website that is formulated to sell goods to the public. The founder of this e-commerce giant is named Jeff Bezos. After watching Bezos’s biography film, it’s safe to say Jeff Bezos is an avid leader for this phenomenon internet retailer known as Amazon. According to the situational approach, the right style of leadership can be determined by situational needs (Northouse, 2016, p.93). In 1982, Bezos studied electrical engineering and computer science (www.biography.com, 2017). He found the situational need in his twenties to use his knowledge and innovative ideas to create an online retail website through the internet. He knew that he needed to work fast and was fortunate to receive investment monies to create the new business website.

Leaders change their level of supportive and directive leadership styles based on their followers’ competence and commitment levels, as explained by the situational leadership approach (Northouse, 2016). An example of Bezos changing his leadership style based on his followers was to move his interview process to local bookstores such as Barnes and Nobles. He did this since the Amazon website was being run out of a garage. Bezos quickly understood that he needed to adapt to his followers in order for people to take his new website seriously and professionally.

Bezos evaluated what was needed in his particular situation by evaluation of his followers. He assessed how competent and committed they were to perform the goal of his company’s success (Northouse, 2016). As explained by the short film, Bezos was always committed to great customer service. His employees took Bezos customer first approach and continued to follow the mission to provide excellent customer service. This shows that the Bezos business model which focuses on customer loyalty originated from a situational approach perspective.

In closing, Jeff Bezos, a successful businessman to the Amazon empire, understood early on the importance of reviewing what his followers needs were in order to execute and achieve his business goals.

References

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Biography.com Editors (2017). Jeff Bezos Biography, 2017. A & E Television Networks. www.biography.com Retrieved February 12,2017 from http://www.biography.com/people/jeff-bezos-9542209

When we review different leader’s responsibilities, we can see that depending on the level of the leader, different qualities are necessary. In the past leaders were examined to see if they can be developed. Katz (1955) was accredited to this notion of the development approach of leaders (PSU WC, 2017). In this older view of being able to develop a leader with skills, he explored three main skills to better understand the personal skills that leaders needed. The three skills are known as technical, human and conceptual. Katz (1955) explored how working with the right tools and techniques are considered technical skills and are used in lower level leaders. Human skills are necessary for working with people and to be able to reach a goal. Conceptual skills are for leaders that know exactly how to convey what a company’s vision is. An example of a leader who was able to execute the company vision was Steve Jobs. Steve started his personal computer revolution out of his own garage with a vision to succeed (Carlton, 1997). He carried that notion on throughout his professional career. When we look at developing a leader rather than a leader with inborn skills, we can see that Steve Jobs was a leader who had “skills and abilities that can be learned and developed” (Northouse, 2016).

Depending on the type of work, different kinds of skills are needed. For instance, a trainer of a smaller group of about 12 new employees uses their hands on knowledge to teach the companies objectives and duties. This “hands on” method is known as technical skills  (Northouse, 2016). This trainer is educating the new employees and uses the company knowledge and procedures to show what the company expectations are for the job related task. Steve Jobs was focused on what he wanted to achieve and was able to spread that focus upon other employees. He was able to share his skills and teach others how to use the same style skills to complete the objective.

By being able to teach others a set of skills and guiding them along the way, productivity to execute the goal becomes attainable. Just because a person has the right skills does not mean they are effective leaders. According to Llopis (2017), some leaders are not qualified to lead. In Steve Jobs case, he was qualified to lead because he knew how to share his knowledge and skills to others around him. He was able to motivate people to be inspired to work effectively.

In closing, Steve Jobs was an influential leader who linked his skills to create leadership outcomes. Some of the great things that Jobs did impacted people to see that skills can be learned and developed. He contributed significantly in the technical industry and was a person with visionary ability.

References

Carlton, J. (1997). Apple: The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders. Random House Inc. New York, NY, USA.

Llopis, G. (2017). 5 Reasons Most Leaders are Not Qualified to Lead. Forbes. Retrieved February 4, 2017 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2017/02/04/5-reasons-most-leaders-are-not-qualified-to-lead/#17caa7b55875

Northouse, G. P. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice. (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Pennsylvania State University WC (2017). Lesson 4: Skills Approach. Retrieved February 1, 2017 from https://psu.instructure.com/courses

In his first week as the new official president of the United States of America, Donald Trump has signed executive orders and issued memorandums to show he means government business. Of one of the memorandums signed was to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). By withdrawing from the TPP, it has caused a stir from the other nations that are part of the partnership. The TPP was signed about a year prior to president Trump taking office, but now is removed from the negotiations table for the U.S (Maranzani, 2016).

President Trump seems to have a warrior behavior archetype about his latest actions in the white house (Northouse, 2013). This goal-oriented leadership style shows how Trump is pushing forth his governmental power and showing America he is serious. Trump as a leader who has taken immediate action is not only making a point among all of the American followers, but also spreading his influence across international government relations (Northouse, 2013). As Northouse (2013) explains the psycho dynamics approach of leadership, a key concept is that of maturation or individuation. Part of this concept centers around authoritarian leaders or followers to permissive. Trump is certainly an authoritarian leader with one main goal on his platform: to make America great again.

After speaking with some colleagues about Trump’s recent white house action, it is evident that Trump wants to make changes. Whether the changes for the good or the bad, it is definitely showing the American followers that Trump has a major influence (Northouse, 2013). It is well noted among the nations included in the TPP agreement that Trump is not willing to assist with the emerging Asia Pacific region. Trump has publicly said he wants to bring back jobs to the U.S. Without the U.S. as part of the TPP, there will be questions of whether or not the U.S is willing to continue trading with other nations. If the U.S. decides not to work with the Asian Pacific region, there will be repercussions for the goods that U.S. businesses want to export. Without U.S. exports to the Asian Pacific region, the businesses that are gaining profit in America from exports to the Asian Pacific region will undoubtedly be affected. If America slows down trade with the Asia Pacific, a decrease in exports would create a loss of profit for that region of the world. Perhaps president Trump wants to slow down the progress of an emerging region so as not to have a threat of emerging power as well.

It is unclear what president Trump has in mind for the U.S. withdrawal from the TPP. Foreign relations from the U.S. government will be interesting to observe in the coming months of Trump’s new presidency. Trump has certainly exercised a principle of management: authority (Fayol, 1987). For some, Trump’s footprint of authority may not be taken with high regard, but it is making a statement across the U.S. that Trump is present with his authority. Authority is strength in management and if used effectively could boost a leader’s power. How much power and authority does Trump want? It may not be about wanting power or authority, because Trump is clearly showing he is already powerful. Actions do speak louder than words, so we will continue to watch how Trump takes action while in office at the white house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Fayol, H. (1987). General Principles of Management. General and Industrial Management. Belmont. Pp.23-25.

Maranzani, B. (2016). White House Q & A: President Obama’s Foreign Policy Legacy. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/news/white-house-qa

Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles: Sage.

Office of the United States Trade Representative (2017). Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Retrieved from https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership

Taylor, R. (2017). Asian Nations Want U.S. Leadership, Australia Says. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/asian-nations-want-u-s-leadership-australia-says-1485497574

Valverde, M. (2017). Here’s What Donald Trump did his first week as president of the United States. Retrieved from http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/jan/27/heres-what-donald-trump-did-first-week-president-u/

In the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the new President of the United States of America, the states did not seem so united after all. Several protests ensued from Donald Trump winning the battle for the presidency. Chira and Alcindor (2017) observed different women protests that took charge around different locations of the nation. The protests were shouts of people who were upset for Mr. Trump taking the role as the new president. The uproar from the people and several of which were women showed how divided the nation really is on this new leader. In Mr. Trump’s past, he is known to have spoken rudely towards women and did not show what people value as worthy leadership traits. To many, a leader carries special characteristics and personal traits as a human being. When I think of the president who will lead this American nation, I think of the Big Five dimensions of personality explained by Tyson (2006). One of the Big Five is openness to experience. I see Mr. Trump as an open person as he carries much background in the business sector and openness is necessary to carryout important business deals. What I do not see is a leader who is open to the experience of several walks of life.

The American people are a melting pot of societies across several states and origins. To be American is a privilege in itself because the United States of America was built on the notions of freedom and bravery. A civil rights activist leader by the name of Rosa Parks, an American woman, displayed her courage to stay in her seat on a bus in Alabama which led to the end of segregation. Important leaders are those who are willing to be open to experience of all walks of life. They care about every person as an equal human being and choose to do well. Leaders fight for the people and leaders spend their time pushing towards continuous improvement. If Rosa Parks had gone to the back of the bus December 1^st, 1955, there may have been no improvement in what society was during the 1950’s. So in today’s day and age, women of different colors, creeds, and backgrounds stood up with their rights of freedom and courage to display what they believe will help others remember the need for improvement and change.

References

Tyson, S. (2006). Essentials of Human Resource Management. Butterworth-Heinman. Burlington, MA. Ch.1, pp.2-15.

Chira, S. & Alindor, Y (2017). Defiant Voices Flood Nation’s Cities. US Section, New York  Times retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/women-march-protest-president-trump.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-ab-top-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Rosa Parks History, n.d. retrieved from www.history.com/topics/black-history/rosa-parks and http://www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715#synopsis