Top entrepreneurs and their modern comparisons of leadership styles and traits - Research Paper Example

Indeed, several types of leadership have been advanced in the study of management as ways and means through which organizations can grow. However, it is normally very difficult to explicitly state whether a particular type of leadership is better than another. In this regard, the success of any leadership style largely depends on the leaders and their perception about the whole subject of management. Proper organizational leadership is best exemplified by the success of Southwest Airlines through its founder and Chief Executive Herb Kelleher.

At best Kelleher can be described as a charismatic leader who normally seeks to achieve more. The growth of the airline over the years in the turbulent industry is certainly a clear demonstration of proper leadership at play. The airline has posted profit for a record 26 years which is a clear illustration of the type of proper leadership that Kelleher has always exhibited (Hesselbein & Cohen, 2009). It is imperative to realize that Kelleher has always largely focused on his employees as the greatest determinants of success for the organization.

In this regard, he considers the employees as his greatest assets and hence is always at the forefront in addressing employee concerns. The employees at Southwest have therefore developed a sense of warmth and determination that normally originates from the CEO. Southwest is an organization that is basically driven by a very strong organizational culture that focuses on personality and charisma. Unlike many leaders, Kelleher has created an organizational culture that puts employees and not customers as the most important aspect for the organization.

In response to many questions why he puts the employees first and not the customers, Kelleher simply argues that when the employees are treated well and are satisfied, they will eventually treat the outside world well. In this regard, the customers, shareholders and other stakeholders of the organization will subsequently benefit from the ripple effect (Mayo, Nohria & Rennella, 2009). It is fundamental to stress the fact that Kelleher is certainly a charismatic leader. Charismatic leadership normally arises from the ability to command and win the favor of large masses of people.

Charismatic leaders normally exhibit some types of popular traits that enable them to command a lot of popular support from the people. Such traits are normally inborn characteristics that enable some people to stay ahead of the park and thereby become good leaders. Max Weber in his study of management basically described three types of authority as normally realized in management. These include rational-legal, traditional and charismatic. He further described charismatic authority as the type of leadership that is mostly driven by the personality of the individual.

Kelleher has always taken a form of unique orientation is his style of leadership which serves to demonstrate a clear sense of peculiarity in the way the Southwest has managed to stay profitable even in the face of global challenges that have faced many large corporations across the world (Bennis et al., 2003). No single term can simply describe the style of leadership that has always been exhibited by Kelleher through his years at Southwest. In a way, Kelleher is a clear demonstration of servant-leadership in the way he serves his stakeholders and addresses organizational concerns.

In many organizations, the top