Effective Leadership Qualities and Skills

This assignment delves into the crucial qualities and skills necessary for effective leadership. It emphasizes understanding team dynamics, identifying essential abilities, and fostering collaboration towards shared company goals. The importance of vision, communication, and adaptability in navigating challenges is highlighted, ultimately outlining the exciting journey of becoming an impactful leader.

Running head: LEADERSHIP AND STYLE
Leadership and Style
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Howard Schultz......................................................................................................................3
His leadership skills...............................................................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................9

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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 (Schoemaker, Krupp & Howland, 2013).
The report throws light on the qualities a successful leader should have along with the
leadership theories including followers, organizational culture and change management. A
good 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 (Smith et al., 2012).
The report highlights 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 to this, the report contains few leadership qualities that would help someone gain
knowledge on how to become a successful leader.
Discussion
Becoming a good and effective leader is not an easy thing. It is a time taking process.
One needs to learn a lot and practice the leadership qualities until and unless he/she becomes
a part of it. An effective leader must have certain qualities. Those are discussed here. 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. Secondly, a leader should constantly motivate and inspire his/her
followers in order to encourage passion and productivity (Johansen, 2012).

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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 (Robertson, 2016).
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 (Drennan & Richey, 2012).
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
(Leavy, 2016). 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,
he felt like he was being beaten and kicked out of the company. His dedication and
perseverance pushed him to the success (Daft, 2014).

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His leadership skills
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 (Eisner,
2016). Entrepreneurs must love what they do. If a person dreams small, then he or 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 or she needs
to dream bigger and bold (Leavy, 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 (Dyer &
Gregersen, 2013). 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 (Shahid & Azhar, 2013).
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

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employees behind (Dyer & Gregersen, 2013). 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 (Archbald, 2013).
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.
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 (Robertson, 2016).
Most importantly, a leader must be trustworthy and be able to gain trust from his/her
supporters. An open mind and a clear heart are very necessary in becoming 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 (Smith & Lewis, 2012).
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

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(Jianfei, 2014). 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 (Fiore, 2012).
Transformational leaders must give their subordinates the opportunity to solve
problems which arises. This will help them become creative and stimulate innovative ideas.
Also 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 (Eisner, 2016).
Schultz always 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 (Dyer & Gregersen, 2013). 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 (Jianfei, 2014).

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These qualities of Scultz 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 diverse workforce can be regarded
as a reflection of changing marketplace and the world (Robertson, 2016). It is responsible for
bringing in high values to any organization. Respecting differences of each and every
individual proves to be beneficial at the workplace. It creates competitiveness and increases
work productivity as well. Managing diversity benefits the associates by creating safe and fair
environment where each and every employee has the access to opportunities as well as
challenges (Daft, 2014).
He believes that the effectiveness of team work depends on how the team members
are working to achieve a common goal. In his opinion, good team members know how to
maintain peace and harmony. It doesn’t usually happen by accident. Huge amount of hard
work, struggle, cooperation and commitment can result into a good team, which is the key to
success (Smith & Lewis, 2012). A team is productive if it is committed to a goal and the
members are able to finish the goal by using its own resources. When a team is introduced to
a goal, they should come forward and work as a single 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 (Johansen, 2012).
Conclusion
To conclude, a leader must have certain qualities to influence his/her followers.
He/she must be responsive towards his/her followers. Being a leader is not easy; he/she needs
to think out of the box and choose the best option. 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

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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 abilities and skills to achieve the common goal for the company’s success.
Therefore, an effective leader requires all these qualities and skills; and it is actually very
exciting in taking part in this wonderful journey.

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References
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tool. Journal of Leadership Education, 12(2), 136-147.
Daft, R. L. (2014). The leadership experience. Cengage Learning.
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Dyer, J., & Gregersen, H. (2013). The Secret to Unleashing Genius. FORBES, 192(3), 96-+.
Eisner, S. (2016). The" In-Factor": Signature Traits Of Innovation's Leaders. Journal of
Applied Business Research, 32(1), 185.
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Jianfei, X. (2014). Analysis of Starbucks Employees Operating Philosophy. International
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Johansen, R. (2012). Leaders make the future: Ten new leadership skills for an uncertain
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