Leadership Theories and Styles

The assignment delves into a comprehensive analysis of diverse leadership theories and styles. It examines the core principles behind each theory, including transformational, charismatic, and situational leadership, highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages. The discussion further explores the practical implications of these theories in various organizational settings and real-world scenarios.

Running head: CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Creative Leadership
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Executive Summary
A creative leader helps others to choose the right path and take the right decision. They set a
vision and a new direction, influence others to follow their direction and create something
that is new and original. Transformational leaders can change many lives and earn
appreciation from others. A good leader needs to communicate succinctly and clearly with
his/her followers to explain the goals of the organization. One needs to learn a lot and
practice the leadership qualities until and unless he/she becomes a part of it. The report
discusses about leadership skills and abilities. In addition to this, it also gives an example of a
most successful businessman and leader, Howard Schultz. The Starbucks CEO started of
being poor to creating billions. He inspired us to dream bigger and better every day.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Howard Schultz......................................................................................................................4
His leadership skills and the theory he follows......................................................................5
Reflection...............................................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................13

3CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Introduction
The word “leadership” has a variety of images. One can be a political leader, school
leader, business leader and many more. A leader helps others to choose the right path and
take the right decision. They set a vision and a new direction, influence others to follow their
direction and create something that is new and original. A transformational leader can change
many lives and earn appreciation from others (Barling 2014).
The report highlights the creative qualities of a successful leader, along with the
theories of leadership, including followers, change management and organizational culture.
Creative leaders belong to a selected group. Creativity is not a trait that certain individuals
hold. A good and creative leader requires certain number of skills which help them interact
positively with their followers. One needs to communicate succinctly and clearly with his/her
followers to explain the goals of the organization (Batool 2013).
The report throws light on the leadership skills of a most successful leader, Howard
Schultz and how he became the man behind the most successful coffee brand of the world. In
addition, the report includes few leadership qualities, which would help someone gain
knowledge regarding the qualities required to become a successful leader.
Discussion
Becoming an effective and good leader is not an easy thing. It is a time consuming
process. One needs to practice a lot and learn the leadership qualities and skills until and
unless he/she becomes a part of it. An effective and creative leader must have certain
qualities. Those are discussed here (Choi et al. 2016). Firstly, a leader must be able to
succinctly and clearly communicate his/her ideas and opinions among the followers. He/she
should always be available to discuss about issues and problems with his/her followers.

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Secondly, a leader should constantly motivate and inspire his/her followers in order to
encourage passion and productivity. He/she should motivate them to think differently.
Creative ideas are the combination of pre existing ideas (Clinton 2012).
Thirdly, a leader single handedly cannot achieve the goals of an organization.
Constant help and support from the members is necessary. Fourthly, a leader has loads of
responsibilities towards his/her followers. If a leader is ineffective, then he/she may have a
chance of losing respect from the members. Therefore, a leader must not have commitment
issues and be responsible towards the members (Conger 2015).
Howard Schultz
Modern day business professionals are aware of the fact that to achieve their goals,
they must learn and adopt certain leadership skills. Such an inspirational leader is Howard
Schultz, who changed millions of lives and encouraged many. Howard Schultz is the man
behind the most successful coffee cup of the world. The Starbucks CEO started of being poor
to creating billions, inspired us to dream bigger and better every day. Born to a poor Jewish
family, on July 19, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, Schultz had to face many hardships in his
life (Conger and Kanungo 2017).
Schultz was just another employee when Starbucks had only four stores. He was sent
to a trip to Italy for Starbucks, where he felt that the business Starbucks was in was wrong.
When he returned, he was determined to change the business pattern. He was ready to
introduce his new concepts, but the company’s founder was a bit doubtful in the beginning
(Du et al. 2013). After much convincing, his ideas and thoughts were applied, leading to the
company’s success. Howard poured his heart into the company. Even he faced many
difficulties and went through the roughest period of his life. When his ideas were disregarded,

5CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
he felt like he was being beaten and kicked out of the company. His dedication and
perseverance pushed him to the success (Gatling 2014).
His leadership skills and the theory he follows
Being a leader, Howard Schultz never lost his sight of humanity. In his opinion, most
people can achieve bigger if they have determination and keep trying. Success should have an
emotional meaning, otherwise it is very shallow. It must not be determined by how big a
person becomes. One should have an emotional attachment with the word itself (Harris et al.
2013). Entrepreneurs must love what they do. If a person dreams small, then he/she may
achieve something less than there expectation and for many that is enough. But if someone
wants to achieve something bigger with long lasting and widespread impact, he/she needs to
dream bigger and bold (Hauserman and Stick 2013).
How a company’s owner treats his/her employees or subordinates is a major factor in
this. A company’s success depends on how a person is treating his/her subordinates. It should
not be taken lightly as it acts as a powerful energizer that can take a company into something
greater and huge. One should behave properly with his/her subordinates, conducting timely
ceremonies and promotions which would energize the employees to work better (Komives
and Wagner 2016). A leader must be responsible towards his/her employees and with
constant motivation and encouragement; a company can achieve huge success. Moreover,
one should believe in his/her own self. There are times when people summon great courage
and take big decisions which others may oppose. One has to be a risk taker if he/she wants to
achieve something greater. He/she has to believe in the path they are undertaking, while
choosing the best and the right path for themselves. One has to be authentic and true and
believe in them that the decision they took is going to work (Lian and Tui 2012).

6CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Not everyone can shape his/her destiny. When a person rises to the position of
authority, he/she has loads of responsibilities. He/she has to keep an eye on a daily basis how
the employees of the company are working, how the company is running, the reason of
profits and losses. He/she must know where to run and where to stop by not leaving the
employees behind (Mc Cleskey 2014). A leader must be honest and authentic. He/she must
not hide things from any of the external public as well as internal public. This helps in
gaining trust from both the sides. He/she should understand the level of transparency and
vulnerability as it results in humility and truthfulness (Mendenhall 2012).
Schultz follows Bass’ Transformational Leadership Theory which focuses on the
effectiveness of team members for a company’s success. Transformational leadership affects
the followers and increases the awareness of the task value and importance. It focuses on the
importance of the followers. The theory encourages and motivates them to focus on the
organizational work and goals. The goals and objectives become the workers’ own interests.
It further helps in activating the higher needs of order (Harris et al. 2013). In addition to this,
Schultz believes in four major components of Transformational leadership theories, which
are; Idealized influence, Intellectual stimulation, Inspirational motivation and Individualized
consideration. It depends on the moral character and ethical values of the leader, his/her
vision and mission and also the manner of effectively engaging his/her followers. Schultz has
followed this leadership theory in a huge way, his works and procedures of handling
employees prove that (Clinton 2012).
According to Schultz, a leader single handedly cannot achieve the goals of an
organization. Constant help and support from the members is necessary. Therefore, a leader
must be able to distribute the tasks and duties to each of his/her supporters, in accordance
with their skill set. It will help the leader to focus or concentrate on other major tasks. He
thinks that creative ideas are generated in every individual’s mind, only he/she needs to know

7CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
how to utilize it (Nahavandi 2016). Moreover, he/she should have a positive attitude towards
his/her staff members. Moreover, a leader has loads of responsibilities towards his/her
followers. If a leader is ineffective, then he/she may have a chance of losing respect from the
members. Therefore, he/she must not have commitment issues and be responsible towards the
members (Northouse 2015).
Most importantly, a leader must be trustworthy and be able to gain trust from his/her
supporters or followers. An open mind as well as a clear heart is very necessary, in becoming
an effective and a successful leader. Being honest and trustworthy would help him/her gain
faith from the employees. Last but not the least; a leader must have a creative mind and be
flexible in nature. Flexibility skills of a leader help him/her to accept whatever changes
required at any point of time. Moreover, he/she must always be open to receive feedbacks
and suggestions from his/her followers (Sethuraman and Suresh 2014).
As a business leader, one’s quest should just not only be about winning and making
money. It should always be about building a great and enduring company, with good and
cooperative employees. Employees attitude play a vital role in the success of any company. A
leader must be able to maintain a balance between social conscience and the company’s
profit. Moreover, a leader should be influential and have the ability to influence others
(Shamir, House and Arthur 2012). He/she must have a good charismatic attitude and
personality which would influence the employees to follow their leader’s path. Being a
leader, one must be able to earn the respect and trust and build confidence of his/her
subordinates by motivating them each and every time. A good leader must be enthusiastic
and positive which will help him/her to motivate the subordinates. He/she must give the
employees the opportunity to dream and achieve bigger because employees play a major role
in the company’s success (Showry and Manasa 2014).

8CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
Transformational leaders must give their subordinates the opportunity to solve
problems which arises. This will help them become creative and stimulate innovative ideas.
In addition, it will help the employees to voice their opinion and share their views without the
fear of being punished or scold. An employee will get the opportunity to share his/her
problems, if any. This will help the leader to understand their issues and he/she should
mentor them by offering career counseling individually (Yukl 2014).
Schultz always feels that creativity is something which every company wants. He
believes in hiring the right people. If a person lacks dedication and confidence he/she can
never help in the company’s success. Therefore, a leader must have an eye for the right
people. He/she must choose the members wisely, as the employees are the company’s heart.
According to Howard, a leader should know the importance of partnerships. Schultz believes
finding a right partner for the company can help in creating brand awareness and in turn help
in achieving the company’s goals (Conger and Kanungo 2017). In Schultz opinion, customers
and employees are the pillars of any business. Employees must treat the customers nicely by
giving them a personal touch, like greeting them or remembering the orders who are regular.
If any miscommunication occurs between a customer and an employee regarding any order,
the employee must rectify his/her mistake and replace or refund the order. Schultz also listens
to his employees’ ideas and views. It led to the creation of Frappuccino which was invented
by one of his employees (Shamir, House and Arthur 2012).
These qualities of Schultz made him one of the inspirational leaders today. Moreover,
his respect for culture gained him much appreciation. One of his good qualities is
encouraging diversity at workplace. According to him, a culturally diverse workforce can be
regarded as the reflection of changing marketplace and the world (Showry and Manasa 2014).
It is responsible for introducing high values to any organization or company. Respecting
differences of each and every individual, in turn proves beneficial for the workplace. It

9CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
creates workplace competitiveness and increases the work productivity as well. Managing
diversity benefits the employees by creating fair and a safe environment, where each and
every employee has the accessibility to various opportunities and challenges as well (Mc
Cleskey 2014).
He believes that the team work’s effectiveness or creativity depends on the way team
members are working in order to achieve some common goal or objective. In his opinion,
good and efficient team members know how to maintain harmony and peace. It doesn’t
generally happen by accident. Huge amount of hard work, cooperation, struggle and
commitment can result into a good team, which is the key to success. Moreover, employees
of any company can be motivated by increasing their incentives or perks (Lian and Tui 2012).
A team is only productive, when it is committed to some goal and the team members are able
to finish the goal by utilizing their own resources. Furthermore, when a team is being
introduced to a goal, the team members should come forward and work as an individual unit
to finish the given task. Each of its members should be equally participating in the given task
and share their efforts in order to get good results as it is essential for the team’s success.
Motivations help in enhancing creativity (Komives and Wagner 2016).
Reflection
Howard Schultz is one of the most successful persons of United States of America,
who has been the CEO of Starbucks. One of his good qualities is encouraging diversity at
workplace. His respect for culture gained him much appreciation. He respects each and every
diversity and culture. According to him, a culturally diverse workforce can be regarded as the
reflection of changing marketplace and the world. It is responsible for introducing high
values to any organization or company. Respecting differences of each and every individual,
in turn proves beneficial for the workplace. It creates workplace competitiveness and
increases the work productivity as well. Managing diversity benefits the employees by

10CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
creating fair and a safe environment, where each and every employee has the accessibility to
various opportunities and challenges as well.
He believes that the team work’s effectiveness or creativity depends on the way team
members are working in order to achieve some common goal or objective. In his opinion,
good and efficient team members know how to maintain harmony and peace. It doesn’t
generally happen by accident. Huge amount of hard work, cooperation, struggle and
commitment can result into a good team, which is the key to success. Moreover, employees
of any company can be motivated by increasing their incentives or perks. A team is only
productive, when it is committed to some goal and the team members are able to finish the
goal by utilizing their own resources. Furthermore, when a team is being introduced to a goal,
the team members should come forward and work as an individual unit to finish the given
task. Each of its members should be equally participating in the given task and share their
efforts in order to get good results as it is essential for the team’s success.
A leader should also have risk management skills. According to him, whenever
Schultz faced any risky situation, at first, he believed in himself and his employees. He knew
that he could overcome any situation, as he had full confidence on himself and his
employees. He preferred taking some steps for managing a risky situation. Firstly, he
reviewed the risk by taking under consideration its profile. He carried out risk assessment
tasks by checking its background and quality. Secondly, he made sure that all the risk
management tools are available or not. A set of risk management tools must always be
available, that is, a risk register, platform tool, strategic management plans and others. It will
help in sustaining the work and lessen the amount of risk.
Thirdly, whenever he faced any risky situation, he decided to communicate the
problem to all of its members and staffs. Hiding or concealing facts will not help in
controlling the situation; rather it may even worsen the condition. Therefore, it is the duty of

11CREATIVE LEADERSHIP
any leader to convey all the information to his/her employees or associates. At times, taking
opinions and suggestions from them may benefit the leader and help him to face the risky
situation. Schultz seeks advice from his employees or associates and implements their ideas
and opinions. This motivates them to a huge extent and makes them feel that they are an
important part of the company.
Conclusion
To conclude, a creative leader should have certain qualities, in order to influence
his/her followers. He/she should be responsive towards his/her supporters. Being a leader is
not that easy; he/she needs to choose the best option and think out of the box. A leader acts as
an inspiration to many people. Therefore, he/she must provide constant support and
motivation to the followers. Not everyone can become a leader without these skills. Good
leaders help in creating a team to achieve a common goal or vision.
In order to create a team, a leader at first must be able to understand the team
dynamics. He/she needs to make sure that the team members have all the necessary skills and
abilities to achieve the common goal for the company’s success. Moreover, a leader has the
responsibility for introducing high values to any organization or company. Respecting
differences of each and every individual, in turn proves beneficial for the workplace. It
creates workplace competitiveness and increases the work productivity as well. It is the duty
of the leader to promote cultural diversity at the workplace by applying proper management
tools, in order to have a successful behavior.
A leader should be responsible towards its employees or followers. He/she requires
certain skills which will help them interact positively with the staff members. One needs to
communicate succinctly and clearly with his/her supporters to explain and discuss about the
objectives of the company. A good and effective leader is the reflection of a successful

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organization. If a person doesn’t believe in his/her own self and have less confidence, then
he/she can never become a successful leader. Therefore, an effective and good leader requires
all these qualities and skills to succeed; and it is actually very exciting in taking part in this
wonderful journey.

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