Being Aware of Effective Leadership - Research Paper Example

? Being Aware of Effective Leadership Leadership Leadership is defined as the ability to influence people to get things done willingly to a standard and quality above their norm. It can also be defined as directing behavior of others towards accomplishment of some common objective (Stanfield, 2009 p. 5). Throughout history, many individuals have been labeled as effective or great leaders but who is an effective leader? There is no agreed definition of an effective leader. Some believe leaders are born as great leaders, others believe the situation or behavioral characteristics make up a good leaders while others still believe in certain skills that effective leaders possess certain skills. However, even those theorists have not come up with conclusive evidence as to who is an effective leader. For example, trait theorists cannot explain how individuals with similar traits perform differently in different situations or an agreed set of traits that make up great leaders. This paper will try to discuss effective leadership using one of the great leaders in history; Bill Gates. The Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 by two young individuals Bill Gates and Paul Allen and has grown to be a giant in the industry. William H. Gates III was born in October 28, 1955 in Seattle Washington. He was the only son of William Gates II a well known and accomplished attorney. Since his early childhood gates was very intelligent and astonished with computers. His parents wanted him to pursue a law career but that was never to be as he was more interested in computers. He was enrolled in a public school but was later transferred to lakeside school since his parents wanted him to have a more challenging environment which matched his exceptional abilities. It was while there that Bill began his journey as an inventor and a great entrepreneur. He and his friend Paul Allen took time to study computer programming by themselves and began writing computer programs (Wallace, 1992). Gates was enrolled in Harvard University in 1973 where he continued pursuing his interest in computer programming. When an opportunity arose, he quit college to pursue his career. This came about through a cover story on popular electronics magazine which carried a cover story on a microcomputer, the Altair, made by the MITS firm in New Mexico. He and his colleague Allen offered to develop an interpreter for the program; Microsoft BASIC interpreter. In 1975 they founded the Microsoft Company which is now the largest personal computer software company (Gates, 1996). He became the chief executive officer, chief software architect, chairman and the largest individual shareholder until the year 2000 when he stepped down as the CEO but retained the chairmanship of the Board. He was recognized by the times magazine as one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th century and one of the 100 most influential people of 2004, 2005 and 2006 (Wallace, 1992). In 1994, he was recognized as the CEO of the year by CEO magazine and in 2011, he was the fifth most powerful person in the world (Forbes, 2012). This is in addition to the numerous honorary degrees he has received from various universities for his exemplary work. Bill Gates has played a great role in driving Microsoft Corporation to where it is today. First, through his efforts and that of Allen they founded the company from scratch with their skills. He was involved in designing software which was the key task in the newly formed company. They started by developing the BASIC interpreter for MITS which allowed individuals to play games among other functions. He also began the idea of charging for the use of software. Though his idea was unpopular, he persisted and later it became the norm for software developers (Gates, 1996). Gates also developed the Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) for IBM one of the computer giant companies but retained the right to license other manufacturers. Soon the operating system became the universal standard for personal computers. He was also involved in development of Windows, EXCEL, word, power-point and internet explorer. He reviewed every line of code the company shipped and rewrote parts of it as he deemed fit and oversaw business details but this did not deter him from getting involved in software designing (p.4). He also took the role of designing product strategy and other managerial functions. He was also able to expand the company to international markets not forgetting partnerships with various companies such as Apple. According to Northouse (2010), the leadership style or philosophy determines the success of the leader or the company. However, there is no one best way of doing things thus a combination of leadership styles as exhibited by Bill is essential for success. His programs such as MS-DOS and Windows have impacted the lives of many Microsoft users in the world. Microsoft windows is the most successful operating system in the world. He is also an expert in the field and able to define a vision for his followers. As such, Bill is a visionary leader. His vision on personal computers was able to steer Microsoft to success. Bill is also an authoritative leader. He commands a lot of authority due to his expertise hence is able to mobilize people. However, he allows them to strategize on how to accomplish their goals. Managers are responsible for their own decisions and actions but he meets up with them regularly, berating them for loopholes in business strategy until they convince him (Wallace, 1992). As such, he allows them to be innovative and to grow thus he is a participative leader. He is also a transformational leader in that he is very enthusiastic in his work thus inspiring followers towards a shared vision. Leaders should have power in order to able to “influence the followers’ beliefs, attitudes and courses of action” (Northouse 2010, p. 7). Power is derived from various sources such as expert, legitimate, referent, reward and coercion. These can be divided into two groups: position power derived from one’s position in the organization includes legitimate, reward and coercive power. Personal power includes referent and expert power. Gates power is derived from a combination of sources and enables him to be a successful leader. By virtue of his position in the organization as CEO and chairman, he has legitimate power to be able to manage and control the managers for them to deliver. By virtue of position, he also has reward power. He is engaged in evaluating the performance of employees and has control over resources hence is able to influence them through rewards. Bill possesses expert power since he is knowledgeable in his field thus employees have faith in him and can look up to him for direction. Being an expert in the field is what has enabled him to steer the organization to greater heights. Theorists believe that there are certain characteristics that make an individual successful (Northouse, 2010). These traits are inborn and make some people such as Bill to be great leaders. Since childhood, Bill was known to be ambitious and intelligent and that is why he was enrolled in a more challenging school environment. His intelligence enabled him to develop software language even before finishing his university studies and he has continued to excel in the field through development of other software. Bill also has a passion for computers hence he stopped studying to pursue this passion. This has enabled him to be a successful in writing software for computers. He is also very innovative. During his time, he has developed various softwares such as MS-DOS, FORTRAN in 1977, COBOL in 1978 and a new version of BASIC in 1979. He also developed windows software which is very successful (Gates, 1996). He is also visionary, risk taker, self-confident and sees criticisms as an opportunity. Leaders are faced with various challenges in trying to achieve organizational success. They are faced with complex problems that require problem-solving skills and conflicts that need decision making and leader’s direction (Stanfield, 2009). One of the challenges Bill faced was the leakage of software; Microsoft BASIC. However, he was able to convince hobbyists to pay for software (Wallace, 1992). There was a lot of opposition but he persisted until the idea became acceptable and a norm in the industry. He also faced a patent infringement suit from a competitor Apple over the design of windows interface but he overcame it. He also faced an anti-trust suit by the US government for maintaining a dominant position in the industry thus becoming a monopoly. He was able to overcome this by being smart and through strategic decision making although the company was found guilty (Wallace, 1992). There are also challenges due to changing consumer and market needs but he was able to overcome by focusing on product groups and strategic decision making. The motivation for researching on Bill Gates was the manner in which he managed to conquer the world despite dropping out of college at an early age. His company is one of the most successful in the world and he is a very popular and among the wealthiest men in the world. It was apparent that traits had played a part in his being a successful leader and this marveled me. His intelligence, self-confidence, vision and passion have enabled him to gain power and influence in the industry and he is a role model to upcoming entrepreneurs. He also had a great impact on the community and customers. He has been able to help a lot of children through the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation by financing education and health initiatives. References Forbes (2012). “The World’s Most Powerful People.” Retrieved September 26, 2012 from http://www.forbes.com/pwerful-people/ Gates, B (1996). The Road Ahead. USA: Penguin Books Northouse, P.G (2010) Leadership: Theory and Practice. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage, Inc Stanfield, A.W (2009) Defining Effective Leadership: Lead in Whatever You Do. Oklahoma: Tate Wallace, J (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of Microsoft Empire. New York: Wiley. Read More