Individual Assignment Leadership Theory and Practice BM067-3-3

Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Question 1 ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Question 2 ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Question 3 ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 13
References ............................................................................................................................................ 14

1|Page
Introduction

In business, leadership is linked to performance and any leadership definition has to take that
into account. While it's not solely about profit, those who are viewed as effective leaders are
those who increase their company's bottom lines. If an individual in a leadership role does not
meet profit expectations set by boards, higher management or shareholders, her or she may be
terminated. The terms "leadership" and "management" tend to be used interchangeably.
Management refers to a company's management structure as its leadership, or to individuals
who are actually managers as the "leaders" of various management teams. Leadership requires
traits that extend beyond management duties. To be effective, a leader certainly has to manage
the resources at her disposal. But leadership also involves communicating, inspiring and
supervising - just to name three more of the primary skills a leader has to have to be successful.
(Ward, 2019)

2|Page
Question 1
In its entirety, Mark Zuckerberg, the US cofounder of computer programming and Facebook,
a social networking site; (born 14th May, 1984, Dobbs Ferry, New York, United States).
Zuckerberg registered at Harvard University in 2002 after attending the Phillips Exeter
Academy. Thefacebook.com was opened on February 4, 2004 (2005 Facebook renamed), a
directory in which Harvard learners put their own data and photographs on a template they had
designed. Half the student body had registered within two weeks. Dustin Moskovitz and Chris
Hughes helped Zuckerberg's roommates add characteristics and make the website accessible to
the country's other universities. As registered users were able to build profiles, upload pictures
and other media and maintain in contact with friends, Facebook soon became popular. But in
emphasizing true names (and e-mail adresses) or "trusted links," it differs from other social
networking sites. It also focuses on networking with data that is not only distributed to the
individual's networking buddies but also to friends of colleagues–the so-called social chart by
Zuckerberg (Augustyn, 2018).

The trio moved their registered office in the summer of 2004 to Palo Alto, Cali for the purpose
of giving the seed money to the risk-capitalist Zuckerberg Peter Thiel. Zuckerberg left Harvard
and became its CEO and Chairman, concentrating on his new business. The first significant
venture capital infusion ($12.7 million) was obtained in May 2005. The secondary school
learners opened up Facebook four months later for registration. Meanwhile, overseas
universities and colleges started signing up and anyone with a mailing address would be able
At around this time, Zuckerberg dismissed a $1 trillion bidding from Yahoo! But in 2007,
Facebook reached a Microsoft contract that would pay $240 million to 1.6% of Facebook's
software share; the company purchased $200 million of a 1.96% share of Digital Sky
Technologies 2 years later. Around $1.5 billion was reported in 2008 for Zuckerberg's fresh
value. The net value of Zuckerberg in 2012 was estimated at more than USD 19 billion
following the public's initial Facebook stock offer (IPO). There are many of characteristics of
Zuckerberg’s as a leader that contribute towards the effectiveness of the leader such as passion,
purpose, product, people, partnership and so on (Augustyn, 2018).

For the passion (Walter, 2014), the most successful entrepreneurs share the same trait: they
love what they do. Building systems that link individuals have always intrigued Zuckerberg.
His passion was to open up the world, radically at times. Looking at the mission declaration of
Facebook, its core has not altered since it was launched. It says: “Facebook’s mission is to give
people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.". Zuckerberg was

3|Page
always keen to use technology to link individuals, but he also worked hard to make it happen.
Being passionate about something means you don't surrender. It provides you energy to deal
with problems. Where some individuals see failure, a passionate businessman only considers a
learning experience, a step forward. Passion is what turns an entrepreneur into a successful
business leader: If individuals are motivated by passion, no matter how long the journey takes,
they will never give up and continue to learn. Zuckerberg find that very exciting thing. Many
of Facebook's founding values are that if individuals have greater access to data and are more
linked, this will improve the world. This is Zuckerberg's guiding principle. On difficult days,
Zuckerberg really only steps back, and that's what keeps him going. From this, it is proven that
passion fuels perseverance, one of the key ingredients of success which contributes the
effectiveness of the leader.

Next characteristic is purpose (Walter, 2014). The real big businesses really have a sense of
intent at the root of everything, from employing staff to attracting correct investors, marketing
and customer service. This sense of purpose generates the feeling of belonging, creates an
intense commitment to employees and to customers. Great leaders (and great companies) create
movements, not just products. Facebook is not only a social networking site, but also a way to
keep in contact with individuals around the globe, to bring individuals together and to create
community, and a tool to share information. Zuckerberg has always been able to concentrate
on developing the finest product. They are influenced by technologies on Facebook that have
revolutionized data distribution and consumption. They speak about innovations such as the
printing press and television, which led to a full conversion of many significant components of
culture by making the communication merely more effective which gave a voice to more
individuals. It encouraged advancement. They modified the organization of society. They
brought them together more closely. Here, it is proven that great companies don’t just create
great products, they create movements. This shows that Zuckerberg is an effective leader in the
organisation.

Besides, people are also one of the leader’s characteristics (Walter, 2014). The most innovative
businesses enable their staff to create and take risks. Facebook has a process of interviews that
only chooses staff that suit the culture of the company. Once they are in, they participate in an
extensive course which teaches them the "hacker way" of quick creative coding that
Zuckerberg prizes. Staff may also operate on the projects that they are most interested in vs.
the projects they are allocated to. Companies like Facebook, Apple and Zappos have
established a culture that encourages the courage to believe, to speak freely and to act. This is

4|Page
due to powerful exemplary management. According to Zuckerberg, as a business, if they can
get both stuffs right-have a clear direction on their work and get excellent individuals to do it-
then they can do it quite well. This means that leaders need to get the right people on board and
wrong people off the bus and where possible hire for attitude, not skills as kills can be taught,
but passion can't.

Product is also one of the leader characteristics (Walter, 2014). Facebook is utterly committed
to its product. Each innovation is designed to help individuals connect as easily as possible.
Facebook's philosophy is "move fast and break things” which has ensured that the business can
grow quickly. Zuckerberg's full faith in his product also empowered him to pursue some of
the most unpopular modifications, even in his own business, in the face of enormous resistance.
When the News Feed was launched, users were originally not happy (mostly for reasons of
privacy), yet this function led to a large development and distinguished Facebook from other
websites. When Zuckerberg announced that Facebook was a platform, it seemed insane. But
development into a platform has led to good development in the next phase. Accommodating
continuous improvement and iteration, the Hacker Way is a construction strategy, according to
Zuckerberg. Hackers think there is always something better and nothing is ever complete.
There is a hacker motto about Facebook headquarters that will be heard:' Code wins arguments.'
Here, it is clear that rulers need to create a culture that welcomes innovation and courageously
follows the vision and is committed to the proliferation of a culture that helps to make this
vision more efficient.

Last characteristics that has been apply by Zuckerberg is partnership (Walter, 2014). No
business leader can run a company all by themselves. A team sport is a success. Great leaders
acknowledge their own faults and strengths and build successful relationships between the
correct individuals. Partnerships with the correct individuals are important whether they're
investors, management teams, suppliers, distributors or retail partnerships. Zuckerberg gives
Facebook the imagination, while Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, gives
his vision with implementation. Like Warner Bros., Sandberg and Steve Wozniak, Sandberg
and Zuckerberg share the same values, complementary strengths, engagement, mutual trust and
mutual respect required to continue to move forward the company as well. As with other
successful business relationships, they share the same values. Sheryl was a Facebook partner
for Zuckerberg and over the years was integral to its development and achievement. This is
proof that a good business is at the core of the correct partner of imagination and
implementation.

5|Page
Question 2
As a leader, I would apply Path goal theory in my organization in order to achieve both high
employee satisfaction and performance. In this theory, they assume that a leader complements
his employees and compensates for their shortcomings. The task-oriented components of path
theory correspond to situation management. Efficient leaders, known as "followers" by House
and Mitchell, offer a definite route in leadership paths that must be followed in order to attain
their objectives. This kind of monitoring removes barricades and pitfalls. The Path-Goal
Theory offers leaders with ways to promote and support staff in the achievement of their
objectives. That also includes rewards (Mulder, 2018).

Figure 1: Path-Goal Theory of Leadership

6|Page
Leadership Behaviour

Motivation is an important part of management and a major part of the Path Goal Leadership
Theory. It is, after all, how leaders can motivate their staff to achieve their objectives. House
and Mitchell argue that rulers can motivate their staff by rewarding them. Furthermore, they
must explain the path to work towards the objective and by coaching and maintaining their
staff along the right tracks. This increases the pleasure of the job. The Path Goal Theory states
that leaders should concentrate on different kinds of management behaviour. This can vary by
scenario and worker, as long as the focus and help are provided. This allows leaders to work
on the department’s goals, but also unite these with the organisation’s goals (Mulder, 2018).

Leadership Styles

The correct style of management relies on the position and the staff. Only if his staff accept
and motivate and satisfy the selected leadership style is acceptable. It is the job of the leader to
help, coach and reward his staff. There are four leadership style which are directive leadership,
supportive leadership, achievement-oriented leadership a well as participative leadership.

In Directive leadership style, the leader knows exactly what must be done, how tasks must be
performed and what the deadline is. This implies that managers offer the workers clear
instructions on procedures and tell them what they expect and how their duties can best be
performed. The staff are monitored closely. This leadership style is therefore more suitable for
highly inexperienced staff, who need to be guided and frequently checked.

In supportive leadership style, the leader pays a lot of attention in supporting leadership style
to the employees ' requirements and well-being. The behaviour is sympathetic and
compassionate. Leaders treats the staff with regard and, if needed, supports them. In situations
where the employee has a personal problem, doesn't think in himself or momentarily gets
demotivated, this management style is helpful.

For achievement-oriented leadership, the leader sets challenging goals. Leaders expects
achievements on the highest level from the employees and trusts their ability to handle this.
Leaders force them to show outstanding job and continuous improvement and trust the
capabilities of their staff to their fullest extent. Employees who are able to work fully
independently and have problem-solving capacities are suitable for this management style.

7|Page
In participative leadership style, the leader deems it very important to work with his employees
and include their ideas and opinions in decisions. This implies that leaders are open to
consultation and debate and include employee recommendations in the decision-making
process. The leader will use this style of management especially when staff have strong
expertise and involvement. Their advice is invaluable to the leader.

The Path-Goal Theory of Leadership assumes that leaders are flexible and can adapt their
leadership style to the situation. The environment, work and characteristics of employees are
influencing this. The level of knowledge, self-reliant capacity and motivation of employees
also play a part. It’s up to the leader to adopt a stronger or better approach. In clarifying the
path to the ultimate objective, leaders can choose to provide clear instructions or stick to vague
suggestions and allow the remainder to rely on the worker. They can give staff a helping hand
for hurdles that lead to stagnation (Mulder, 2018).

8|Page
Question 3
The 5 Levels of Leadership

Level 1: Position

This is the starting point of leadership. It is at that stage that the leader has attained the right
without trouble to lead an organization. This role is for anyone to be appointed. That is why it
does not tell about the leadership qualities of the person. The leader is not or is hardly capable
of influencing others at this stage and utilizes the title to achieve stuff. John C. Maxwell argues
that this is a typical expression,' it's lonely at the top,' that employees don't see the leader as
someone they can believe in. Let alone someone to discuss things with. Employees who report
to a leader like that are generally unmotivated, prefer to avoid the leaders and even consider
changing jobs.

In increasing organizations, this level is prevalent. Departments are increasing and this implies
that managers are increasingly needed. In general, a newly granted leadership status is provided
to one of the staffs. It's just his status and not who he is or how he manages his staff, because
he has little or no knowledge. This new leader will only be able to develop to the next stage if
he realizes that more is available to management. Therefore, this level is a great point of
departure for learning leadership ropes.

Level 2: Permission

This level of leadership is about the interactions between the leader and the people around him.
This is like being allowed to be a leader; he is a reliable person and the decision he makes is a
tendency for his staff to agree. Since the leader has a good connection with them, leaders can
create extra effort easier for his staff. Part of their motivation comes from themselves, but it is
also a result of their leader believing in them. Vice versa, the employees believe in their leader
and the goals he strives for. Good relationships strengthen the cooperation and increase loyalty
and mutual trust (Maxwell, 2017).

A leader at this stage would do well to demonstrate real interest and to get to understand his
peers and staff better. Colleagues and employees have a home life, health issues, personal traits
and hobbies that definitely deserve attention. It is also wise to congratulate employees and
bring out the best in them. The building of a good relationship, one based on mutual respect,
leads to a pleasant working atmosphere and team spirit. However, it does not necessarily
always lead to positive results. That requires growing towards leadership level 3.

9|Page
Level 3: Production

It is about the measurable results that have been achieved under the leader’s leadership. The
outcomes achieved under the management of the leader are measurable. What did the
company's leader mean. This level has to do with the reality that peers and staff are important
in order to achieve beneficial outcomes after constructing excellent relationships. It will only
be feasible to produce properly once a team can take measures together, think in each other and
trust one another. When workers are told to work hard only if the leader is interested in or
empathic about them, there is the risk that they will burn out. As such, it is important that a
leader makes clear to everyone in the organisation what his vision is, so everyone can follow
the same course. (Maxwell, 2017)

In his team, this leader is very liked. But there's a risk here, too. It is probable that the team will
disintegrate if this leader takes another role in the organization. After all, they depend on the
advice that their leader gave them. The leader can develop to the fourth stage of management
to prevent leaving the team like a boat in such a scenario.

Level 4: People development

At this management level, it is about the development and stimulating of employees.

Leadership at this fourth level is vital for an increasing organization. The leader believes that
training his staff is essential. That is why he delegates work to them. By delegating, he gives
them confidence and empowers them to develop themselves. This confidence has to be genuine
and communicated clearly to the employee. John C. Maxwell says that Level 4 leaders spend
around 80% of their time coaching peers and staff, while their productivity remains at only
20%. It implies letting go, in comparison to level 3 leadership. There is a secondary emphasis
on outcomes.

For leaders at this stage, the primary challenge lies in putting the development of others above
their interests. The more leaders with the correct characteristics, the better for the mission and
vision of the organization. The more new leaders are trained, the more productive teams are
formed. In addition, these freshly qualified staff will appreciate what the leader has personally
done for them. Some mentorships will probably last for a lifetime.

10 | P a g e
Pinnacle

In this stage, the leader has achieved the highest level possible. His position is based on a
foundation of respect. The leader is appreciated by his staff and peers to see an example in him.
This concerns leaders who stay in the ideas of staff even after they leave and make them live
on like legends. From level 4, they will also leave behind new leaders in the company, which
will ensure a constant flow of new generations of leaders (Maxwell, 2017).

The use of leaders of this sort also generates Level 5 organizations that are (worldwide)
effective and still well-known. The brawer Heineken and the technology firm Philips, which
were successful with their studies and innovation, are examples of this. The founders
themselves were typical Level 5 leaders who, with their commitment, left behind a favourable
reputation.

How can Bob A. Iger improve himself to the next level?

The CEO and Executive Director of the Walt Disney Company is Robert A. Iger. Iger is
Chairman and CEO of the biggest media company worldwide and one of the most respected
and esteemed brands worldwide. Since being CEO of Disney, Iger's creative content offers on
fresh and multiple platforms have made Disney a leading business leader. He started his career
as a weatherman for a local TV station before his present position. In 1974, he entered ABC
and progressively grew. In 1989, Iger was appointed ABC Entertainment Head and in 1993
served as the ABC Network President. It was six years afterwards that Disney appointed Iger
as Chairman and Chief Operational Officer of Walt Disney International. Shortly after, Iger
became President and CEO number two under Michael Eisner in 2000. "Iger's management:
over the past 12 months the inventory has risen 38%, precious products like Pixar, Marvel and
LucasFilm have been part of Disney fold now, and the new Disney Infinity Videogame and a
fresh magical bracelet concept will quickly be brought to Disney Parks to facilitate and
commemorate tourist visits (Letizia, 2016).

Iger believes in the work of a team-oriented environment, everyone working together in hopes
of reaching and surpassing certain goals. That implies Iger has a very proactive character. He
altered what he thought was wrong, altered the status quo so that everyone thought what they
were doing was essential for the business and applied several measures to resolve various
issues, including the divisional chiefs who were unconfident of their choices. Iger designed his
own office to feel more inviting by installing a door to a heavily trafficked hallway. He also
moved studio chiefs up to his floor to encourage more interaction. Another change he made

11 | P a g e
was to hold conversational and less autocratic sessions. With his can - do approach, Iger
improved motivation ten times. Therefore, Bob Iger falls under level 4 in the 5 levels of
leadership which is people oriented where it is about the development and stimulating of
employees (Minichiello, 2011).

In order to reach upper levels of leadership that can further improve the organizations to
become elite, Bob Iger have to start investing his time, money and the energy of thinking about
growing himself as much as remain the commitment of spending the time needed to develop
leaders as it can boost the company performance even more success. Even though extraordinary
positive thinking empowers Robert Iger to achieve outstanding results, it does not empower
him to be his best and create the best possible outcomes. Optimal thinkers validate the
exceptional favorable way of thinking, believe out of the box, and generate progress. Optimum
thinkers are always focused on the finest alternatives to optimize all levels of performance.
Furthermore, he should be able to enhance the efficiency of the organization by identifying and
developing individuals because this will bring out the best in a person which also brings out
the best people to develop (Glickman, 2015).

12 | P a g e
Conclusion

While there are people who seem to be naturally endowed with more leadership abilities than
others, people can learn to become leaders by improving particular skills. History is full of
people who, while having no previous leadership experience, have stepped to the fore in crisis
situations and persuaded others to follow their suggested course of action. They possessed traits
and qualities that helped them to step into roles of leadership. However, in order to become the
great leader, they need to find a way to improve themselves based on the 5 level of leadership
that have been highlighted by John Maxwell so that their organisation performance more
productive and efficient.

13 | P a g e
References
Augustyn, A. (2018). Mark Zuckerberg | American computer programmer and entrepreneur.
[online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mark-
Zuckerberg [Accessed 9 Jun. 2019].

Glickman, R. (2015). How Robert Iger thinks. [online] OptimalThinking.com. Available at:
https://www.optimalthinking.com/how-robert-iger-thinks/ [Accessed 9 Jun. 2019].

Letizia, J. (2016). Bob Iger: CEO of Disney. [ebook] Available at:

https://www.scribd.com/document/321491126/bob-iger [Accessed 9 Jun. 2019].

Maxwell, J. (2017). The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential.
Skillsoft.

Minichiello, A. (2011). How Bob Iger Unchained Disney. [online]

Mqm421leadership.blogspot.com. Available at:
http://mqm421leadership.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-bob-iger-unchained-disney.html
[Accessed 9 Jun. 2019].

Mulder, P. (2018). Path-Goal Theory of Leadership: a Powerful Leadership Tool |

ToolsHero. [online] ToolsHero. Available at: https://www.toolshero.com/leadership/path-
goal-theory-leadership/ [Accessed 9 Jun. 2019].

Neider, L. and Schriesheim, C. (2002). Leadership. Greenwich: Information Age Publishing,

pp.115-138.

Ward, S. (2019). What Is Leadership? And Can You Learn to Be a Good Leader?. [online]
The Balance Small Business. Available at: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/leadership-
definition-2948275 [Accessed 9 Jun. 2019].

Walter, E. (2014). 5 Leadership Lessons from Mark Zuckerberg. [online] Inc.com. Available
at: https://www.inc.com/ekaterina-walter/as-zuckerberg-turns-30-leadership-lessons.html
[Accessed 9 Jun. 2019].

14 | P a g e
15 | P a g e