From Greta Thunberg to Michelle Obama: Redefining Leadership in Organizations

This essay discusses how female leaders like Greta Thunberg and Michelle Obama are redefining the meaning of leadership in organizations. It explores various leadership theories and discusses the skills and attributes of these leaders. The essay emphasizes the importance of confidence, integrity, and effective communication in leadership.

Essay Discussion

Table of Contents
Topic: From Greta Thunberg to Michelle Obama, Women are re-defining the meaning of
leadership in organisation................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1
Main Body ......................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................5
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................7

Topic: From Greta Thunberg to Michelle Obama, Women are re-defining the
meaning of leadership in organisation
INTRODUCTION
The main of leadership theory adopted by managers or leaders of an organisation is to
motivate and influence its employee and workforce for better performant and enhancement in
their efficiency to ensure timely achievement of targets (Dominelli, 2019). In today's world many
female leaders are emerging that are creating an urge and motivation in people to support and
perform right activity like the two well known female leaders i.e. Greta Thunberg and Michelle
Obama. This essay writing includes discussion about various leadership theory together with
skills and attributes of Greta Thunberg to Michelle Obama that makes them a strong leader and
leading changes and re-defining meaning of leadership in organisation.
Main Body
Leadership is mainly associated with confidence and firm decision making. A great
leader is a person who is having a capability to inspires people for generations to come in future
and bring hopes and confidences in people regardless of time in history. In today's world, a large
number of female leaders and figures are emerging that are having a high level of self
confidence, integrity and dignity together with respect and love for others which makes them
able to encourage and inspire others (Chao and Ha, 2019). The biggest and most inspirational
female leaders include the Greta Thunberg who is a Swedish environmental activist and working
hard on factors related with climate change. She is well known for her straightforward speaking
manner and her campaign has gained well recognition and support at international level that
urges for immediate action to address and resolve the climate crisis. Greta Thunberg is
considered as a charismatic leader who is having capability and inspires devotion in others thus,
people are getting influenced by her are perceived to put things in a right manner. The another
female leader who is famous for her self confidence and good communication and motivational
skill is Michelle Obama. She has been an insatiable supporter of Barack Obama. The thing that
makes her a strong leader is her integrity, decency and the level of pride and love for all in her
speech.
Leadership theory basically explain and brought forward the factors that how and why
certain individuals are able to became good leaders and have the capability to influence others.
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As per the view point of Douglass, A. (2018),The most commonly used leadership theories
includes Transformational leadership, situational leadership, democratic leadership, participative
leadership theory and many other leadership theories that emphasize on the main behaviours and
traits of individuals that give them leadership abilities to effectively lead and influence the
success of a team or group.
The Transformational leadership theory is basically associated with becoming an
inspirational leader. The transformational leadership theory is basically a model associated with
integrity and fairness through setting clear goals and encourages others for better and right
behaviour through providing continuous support and recognition (Lanz and Brown, 2020).
Therefore, basically transformational leadership theory is a process associate with making
attempts to change and transform individuals to have improvement in their beliefs, actions and
ideologies to make a world a better place. In context of Greta Thunberg who is a Swedish
activist and making continuous effort to address and resolve climate crisis. Many efforts and
campaign are done by Greta Thunberg in order to urge and influence people to reduce their
carbon footprint. According to the Kondakci, Y. and Zayim-Kurtay, M. (2019), the
straightforward speaking manner makes her communication very effective that lead to influence
on both in public and political leaders to take immediate actions in order to address the issues
related with climate crisis that is affecting life of all people (What Makes Greta Thunberg the
Leader of the Future, 2020). Besides this, the various attributes of Greta Thunberg like
inspiration, communication, appearance, self esteem and emotional intelligence together with
self confidence and courage makes a her a strong leadership who is one of most suitable example
of transformational leadership through being a model of integrity and fairness that work for
betterment and welfare of society and nature and having the ability to influence and urge other
for the same.
Michelle Obama is also an inspiring and motivational leader that also considered as
having transformational leadership as she is committed to bettering the community in every
aspect and with her effective communication and inspirational speech and actions she had made
changes and improvements in lives of many people (Douglass, 2018). Michelle Obama is very
family oriented and the first lady lawyer that has provided inspiration and encouragement to
many females to become like her and a a lot of contribution are also made by Michelle Obama
in improvising girls, providing right to eduction, facilitating variety of services to veterans and
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helping many families to stay healthy and happy that makes her a model of fairness and an iconic
hero and leader. Michelle Obama has lead to change in leadership of organisation through
leading equality and point out the fact that girls are also good leaders that can hold crucial
positions and management in a more better and effective way in organisation (Michelle
Obama’s 10 Most Admirable Leadership Qualities, 2020). The other factors of transformational
leadership styles that makes an individuals an effective leaders and are seen in both Michelle
Obama and Greta Thunberg are as follows that can also be adopted by mangers of organisation
to have better motivation and inspiration for their employees at workplace:
Idealised influence- As per this factor a manager should act in a manner that they can be
taken as an exemplary role model by its employees that motivates them to become like its
managers. For instance both Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg are taken as role model by
their followees and both of them has set an example of fairness, courage, motivation, integrity,
honesty, etc. in front of their followers that motivates and influence them to become like these
two leaders to support right doings and things in an organisation and overall society (Nunnally,
2018).
Inspirational motivation- This factor of transformational leadership styles describes
managers and leaders who are properly associated with their commit to achieve the vision of an
organisation and society in large. This factor of inspirational motivation emphasis on having and
encouraging team spirit to reach and achieve the desired goals and objective. In case of Greta
Thunberg and Michelle Obama their effective communication skills and participative approach
lead to encouragement in team spirit and facilitates better ways and effective means to achieve
desired goals and objectives.
According to the view point of Dominelli, L.(2019), the transformational leadership trait
shown in Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg has redefined the meaning of leadership in
organisation through empowering the followers and employees to do best and perform in more
effective way for organisation and lead to high values in them (Werbner and Johnson, 2019). The
transformational leadership theory also lead to a organisational culture where viewpoints of all
associated parties is get listened to develop a spirit of cooperation therefore, yield creation of a
better vision and initiate and facilitates better changes in an organisation.
Situational leadership theory is associated with the fact that there is no best leadership
style that can be effectively used under all situation therefore, leaders and managers should make
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adjustment in their dealership style to fit the development and motivational level of the
followers. In today's dynamic world flexible leadership style is key of success that is keep in
mind by both Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg as they adopt their leadership style and
motivation level as per the level and thinking and understanding ability of followers. For
instance while communicating and interacting with students and young individuals Michelle
Obama is more humble and make use of interesting life examples and practical ways to make
things clear to them but at the time of interaction with political leaders and other wider group she
is more formal and talk about key factors and important topics only (Gonzales, Kanhai and Hall,
2018). Therefore, a good leader is one who is having the sense of adopting right leadership
approach and style as per the current and prevailing situation. The situational leadership theory
emphasis more on effectiveness of leaders and their ability to make changes and modification in
their management behaviour as per the level of maturity and sophistication of followers. The
situational leadership theory includes use of Hershey and Blanchard styles that has provide four
different leadership behaviours and styles based on the level of supportive and directive
behaviour of leaders and managers. The styles and behaviours of situational leadership theory
that are used by Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg to influence and direct their followers and
are re-defining the meaning of leadership in organisation are as follows:
Telling- It is the style where the leader make use of an approach of high directive
behaviour and reflects a low supportive behaviour use of which is mainly made by Michelle
Obama and Greta Thunberg in case of low maturity followers (Yoon, 2018).
Selling- This type of situational leadership approach reflects high directive behaviour
together with high supportive behaviours in which attempts are made by leader to transfer ides in
a group through explaining task directions but in a persuasive manner. Use of this theory of
situational leadership is made by Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg with moderate level of
followers who are having the ability to perform a task in an effective way but are unwilling to do
the job.
Participating- This leadership approach is focused towards low directive behaviour and
high supportive behaviour and use of this leadership theory is intended by Michelle Obama and
Greta Thunberg in case of moderate followers who are not confident and well experienced to do
a task assigned to them (Kondakci and Zayim-Kurtay, 2019).
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Delegating- It is the situational leadership theory under which leaders emphasis on low
directive behaviour together with low supportive behaviours and use of this style is made by
Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg with highly mature and responsible followers and allows
groups and team members to take responsibility of prevailing task decisions.
Thus, use of situational leadership theory and its various style that are adopted by
Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg is re-defining the meaning of leadership in organisation
through providing a more flexible and situational based leadership style to meet and satisfy the
requirements of this dynamic nature of business environment as per the nature, behaviour and
level of understanding and maturity of followers and employees to have better performance form
them.
Democratic and participative leadership theory are mainly associated with providing a
fair chance to individual and participation of all in decision making process in order to have a
better mutual goal and perspective (Theory of Democratic Leadership, 2020). Under democratic
leadership theory an emphasis is on the fact of providing a shared power in decision making
under the hierarchical standards of organisation that are mainly considered unequal therefore, re-
defining the leadership in the organisation (Stidham, 2019). As per the opinion of Nunnally, S.
C., (2018) Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg are considered as democratic leaders as they
emphasis on collaborations and lead to free flow of ideas and allow shared participation of its
followers in decision making. The one of the most crucial aspect of democratic and participative
leadership style is associated with effective communication which needs to a two way channel to
ensure proper involvement and participation of followers. Both Michelle Obama and Greta
Thunberg are having an efficient communication skills and with due integrity, honesty and
fairness approach that provide a equal platform to all followers to share their views and opinion
with out any hierarchical or other form of discrimination or biasness, thus, they had set and re-
defined approach and theory of leadership for all organisation through which they can have
better motivation and performance level (Chao and Ha, 2019). Therefore, the democratic
leadership theory associated with democratic leaders like Michelle Obama and Greta Thunberg
has brought changes and re-define the leadership in organisation through leading mutual respect
and open conversation at workplace that inspire trust and loyalty in employees that makes them
more committed and dedicated towards their work and also improve their efficiency and
performance to timely achieve organisational goal and targets.
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CONCLUSION
On the basis of above essay it can be concluded that their are various leadership theory
like transformational, situational, democratic and participative leadership theory that reflects
various attributes and skills of a successful leader like Greta Thunberg to Michelle Obama. It can
also be concluded that role of female leaders is increasing that has lead to better opportunity and
motivation in females and re-define the way of leadership in organisation.
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REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Dominelli, L., 2019. Women and Community Action 3e: Local and Global Perspectives. Policy
Press.
Chao, C. C. and Ha, L., 2019. Asian Women Leadership: A Cross-national and Cross-sector
Comparison. Routledge.
Lanz, K. and Brown, P., 2020. Exhaustion, Energy and Excellence—The Male/Female
Differences. In All the Brains in the Business (pp. 113-118). Palgrave Macmillan,
Cham.
Douglass, A., 2018. Redefining leadership: Lessons from an early education leadership
development initiative. Early childhood education journal. 46(4). pp.387-396.
Nunnally, S. C., 2018. (Re) Defining the black body in the era of Black Lives Matter: the politics
of blackness, old and new. Politics, Groups, and Identities. 6(1). pp.138-152.
Werbner, P. and Johnson, M. eds., 2019. Diasporic Journeys, Ritual, and Normativity Among
Asian Migrant Women. Routledge.
Gonzales, L. D., Kanhai, D. and Hall, K., 2018. Reimagining organizational theory for the
critical study of higher education. In Higher education: Handbook of theory and
research (pp. 505-559). Springer, Cham.
Yoon, I. H., 2018. Critical research perspectives in school leadership: Putting dignity and
humanity at the center. In Complementary research methods for educational leadership
and policy studies (pp. 99-120). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Kondakci, Y. and Zayim-Kurtay, M., 2019. Cultural Transformation and Academic Leadership:
The Context of Turkish Higher Education. In University Governance and Academic
Leadership in the EU and China (pp. 144-163). IGI Global.
Stidham Jr, C. R., 2019. A Phenomenological Study of Happiness, Mindfulness, and
Transformational Leadership in Schools (Doctoral dissertation, Northern Arizona
University).
Online
Theory of Democratic Leadership. 2020. [Online] Available
Through:<https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199653881.
001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199653881-e-002>.
What Makes Greta Thunberg the Leader of the Future. 2020. [Online] Available
Through:<https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-greta-thunberg-is-the-leader-of-the-
future/>.
Michelle Obama’s 10 Most Admirable Leadership Qualities. 2020. [Online] Available
Through:<https://www.inspiringleadershipnow.com/leadership-qualities-michelle-
obama/>.
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