LEADERSHIP

TRAITS
Course: Organization Behavior
 

Leadership
Outline

I- Scott OKI

A- Summary of article

B- Brief Description of his leadership traits.

II- Michael Marics

1.     Summary of Article

2.     Brief Description of his leadership traits

III- Marcus Wallenberg

A- Summary of article

B- Brief Description of his leadership traits

IV- Discussion of leadership similarities

 
I- SCOTT OKI

A- Summary of Article

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, may have made himself the
world’s richest man before the age of 40 but an outstanding
contribution to Microsoft’s success comes from the creator of
Microsoft outside America, Scott OKI.

OKI is the founder of Microsoft International. He had the foresight to

see in the early eighties that the world market was being left fallow by
other software companies entering and competing in the technological
revolution. His task was putting Microsoft on the global map. Within
Microsoft some say that OKI’s contribution was as important as that of
founder Bill Gates and president Steve Ballmer. Microsoft made OKI a
job offer which intrigued him for a number of reasons. First, he though
the company’s strategy was extremely smart. Second, it had a dominant
share in the computer language business. In addition, there was also a
lot of talk about developing a strategy to develop applications software
products. The idea seemed so smart and gutsy, because you can sell
more than one application software product for each computer.
Although the compensation package offered OKI was less attractive
than Micro Pro’s, he joined Microsoft in 1982. He says: " My got told
me that they were going to be more successful than Micro Pro.

From his very first day at Microsoft, OKI understood what it would
take to succeed in such a high-energy, self critical and confrontational
company. In early 1982, Microsoft had approximately 20 employees.
OKI liked the entrepreneurial environment. He was searching for the
biggest opportunity for Microsoft. Having come from HewLeh-
Packard, he understood what an international presence meant. Virtually
all the software companies were concentrating on US sales. During the
next month, OKI wrote a business plan to set up Microsoft
International. He identified the largest market opportunities. France, the
United Kingdom and Germany OKI recommended starting wholly-
owned subsidiaries for each market rather than setting up a single
European head quarters. Although he had faith in his plan and his
ability, he knew he was taking a huge risk. There were no guidelines to
follow and no one in the nascent PC Software industry had done it
successfully before. Fortunately, Microsoft was still a small company
and it was fairly easy to set goals and achieve them. Bureaucracy was
virtually nonexistent. OKI was putting him self and his future on the
line, as he says: "I had made some bold premises to Bill, but I
delivered". OKI’s imprint was all over Microsoft International. He
wrote the rules, hired the people and established the culture for each
subsidiary so it would look, feel, and work like the mother ship. The
only vision was that there was this huge untapped market. OKI was
extremely dedicated to his work; In his first few years with Microsoft
he didn’t take a single day off. He even worked on Christmas days
when no one else was there. It was hard work but OKI didn’t mind the
hours because he was just totally passionate about it.

Obviously, OKI needed to hire the right people. He wanted to find the
ones who would work harder than others and set an example for
Microsoft International. He didn’t care whether they were successful or
failed start-ups. He looked for people who were risk takers and who
had high energy. He set up the Munich, Paris and London Subsidiaries
on the money that Gates had given him. The first 10 general managers
OKI hired had start-up experience. He spent long hours hiring the
country managers, working with them, training them and educating
them, as he says: "It required just being there". After finding the right
people, OKI had his work cut out for him. Once the international
hardware manufacturers licensed the operating system, Microsoft took
advantage of that fact by then licensing Localized applications software
to them. Ironically, getting into that business led Microsoft into all its
other businesses. OKI left Microsoft in 1992 worth some US$ 600
million.

His contribution to Microsoft had been us great as Steve Ballmer’s and

Paul Allen’s’ and no one disputed that.

B- Brief Discussion of OKI’s Leadership traits

It is inevitable that Scott OKI showed extreme dedication to his

work. This dedication is revealed through the long hours of training his
employees. In fact, his true devotion is obvious since he didn’t take a
single day off in his first few years with Microsoft.

Scott OKI is a risk taker with on intuitive vision, who had the courage
to look for new international markets while others where content in
local markets.
 Microsoft is currently at the top of its industry and Mr oki was
capable in identifying that Microsoft would be a success when he
trusted his intuition by rejecting a higher paid offer by Micro Pros and
sticking with Microsoft.

II- MICHAEL MARICS

A- Summary of Article

Heroics are made in many different ways, but when the topic is
related to business a person who lived by the name of Michael Marks
definitely stands out as one of the best retailers of our time. Marks, like
millions of people in the would had ideas, his were three simple ones
that revolted the shop keeping system of Europe. These founding ideas
introduced Britain’s biggest and largest retail chain (MARKS AND
SPENCER). With such an entrepreneurial vision for the retailing
system, it was obvious that he had found the best way to achieve
success in this field. Due to unfortunate circumstances related to the
situation he was in during his arrival to Britain as a penniless loner, his
future looked much less promising. He was a Youngster that was in his
early twenties that didn’t know a word of English and had no training
in specific trade. He made his living by selling certain household goods
such as nails and screws etc… He moved about form door to door so he
could provide himself with a bite to eat, but the lack of the English
language was a drawback in him achieving joyful success. Luckily he
meat a man named Isaac Dewhirst that worked as a young local
wholesaler. As an immigrant he wood up well, that dewhirst decided to
show him around the warehouse from whom he bored £ 5 (Pounds).

Soon enough he used tables to sell goods at an open market in

Leeds that he had bought from dewlirst.

When marks arrived in Britain, the people there were disposing

more income than ever before. Dramatic rise in wages while prices had
remained the same for about half a century, smartly marks spotted the
ongoing way quickly, which prompted him to find more unusual
consumer goods as temptations to new consumers. He stuck to his "One
penny" policy which forced him to find better value for money
suppliers. This allowed his mind to focus on pushing up turn over to
compensate for the lower margins.
 Spencer, who was marks’ "helper", contributed by teaching
marks to perfect the English language. Spencer was a book keeper that
carefully looked over the accounts while marks was discovering new
business opportunities.

On 4th June 190s marks and Spencer became a private limited

company with a capital of £ 30.000 of which marks and Spencer held
half each year. By them M and S had a large number of employees.
Marks was know to be as an unusual generous employees and their
families. He took extra care of female means to keep them comfortable.
Such good treatment of staff proved to be a positive step for the
company towards success that was later imitated by other companies.

B- Brief Description of his leadership traits

Undeniably, Marks was an entrepreneur whose ideas where

transformational in his own time and will still be considered so. His
system of reward towards his employees are highly considered as
innovative especially for a man with no educational background. His
dominant personality and intelligent vision allowed him to directly
contact wholesalers at a time where such a direct contact was
impossible without a middle man. His success as a retailer caused a
threat on wholesalers. Such success cannot be achieved without a
business oriented mind. Although not mentioned, it could be assumed
that Marks was capable to satisfy customers by providing them with the
best services and high quality. His motivation, vision and innovation
definitely classifies him as one of the most successful entrepreneurs
with leadership traits that cannot be forgotten.

Obviously, Marks life was a successful one, although he suffered

at the beginning of his revolutional journey concerning the retail
system, he proved that his ideas and the way they were carried out
changed and improved the European ?? conventions. He is indisputably
one of the best Business man of the 20th century and should be looked
at as a ?? generous leader that carried out his work in an outstanding
fashion.

III- MARCUS WALLENBERG

A- Summary of Article
 Young Marcus was born, so he would say, with a sense of duty
and a sense of destiny. He went straight into banking after business
studies in Stockholm. In 1925 he became an assistant manager of
Enskilda Bank in Stockholm. Passionate about expanding the family
business, Marcus was a high achiever who might have found the
intense levels of expectation placed on him a burden. Instead he
continued to blossom as natural heir to his grand father’s Legacy. He
proved within the business and within high society that he was
abundantly gifted and energetic. Also, as an athlete Wallen berg was a
sensation. Too busy in business ever to really fulfill his sporting
potential, he played for relaxation throughout his life. In 1930 he began
his career as a tycoon by turning around ailing Atlas Diesel, A
company with only 300 employees. In 1954 he founded Scandinavian
Airlines which, as SAS, would quickly become Scandinavia’s Largest
airline. Marcus Wallen berg’s charisma, sense of duty and inimitable
work ethic transformed Sweden from economic sluggard into one of
the World’s richest countries. In accordance with his public service
ethic he championed innumerable charitable causes, was chairman of
the council of European Industrial Federation and the Business and
Industry Advisory committee to the OECD, as well as member of the
Nobel prize committee for many years. By the time he died Wallen
Berg’s interests employed half a million people and turned over 14
billion. He had become an icon of capitalism in Scandinavia. An
unheard of achievement for a business man.

B – Brief Discussion of Wallen berg’s Leadership traits

The achievement and success that wallenberg enjoyed was

accompanied by a great deal of responsibility, charisma and vision. The
intense levels of expectation made him an exceptional transformational
leader. He was also inspirational to many people, because he was both
a business man and an athlete. However, he was able to single-
handedly transform Sweden into one of the world’s richest country,
which required a great deal of perseverance and a sense of
achievement.

IV All these men were visionary leaders. Marks showed great personal
skills with his reward policy. However, their leadership traits. Differ
slightly. OKI showed extreme dedication to his work. However Marks
was undoubtedly a true entrepreneur. In fact, all of them showed
dedication to their work. Wallen berg’s passion and high achievement
started out first by expanding the family business. Michael Mark’s had
a vision in a time where there wasn’t any vision and OKI had a vision
in a time where there were many visions. However, a little luck could
be attributed to their huge successes. Their innate intuition drove them
to be the leaders that they are known to be.