Leadership and Development in Apple Inc. Marketing - DBN 508

This report provides an analysis of leadership practices within Apple Inc.'s marketing department, focusing on the roles and leadership styles of digital marketing managers. It includes an identification of personal strengths and weaknesses through a leadership questionnaire, emphasizing the need for cultural sensitivity in leadership approaches. Furthermore, the report outlines a personal development plan with SMART objectives and activities aimed at enhancing leadership skills. The analysis covers various aspects such as communication skills, time management, and strategic planning, providing a comprehensive overview of leadership development within the context of Apple Inc.'s marketing strategies. Desklib provides this and other solved assignments for students.

Running Head: Leadership 1
Leadership in Business

Leadership 2
Executive summary
Leadership practices are essential in every organization in order to manage and lead the
employees effectively. This is basically an ability to lead the people within the organization. In
simple words, leadership is the act of motivating and inspiring the employees to attain the
common goals. The role of a leader or manager is to lead the changes in the company. In this
report, Company Apple Inc is selected for the discussion and digital marketing manager will
consider as the leader. The roles and leadership styles of the marketing managers will be
identified in this report. Further, own leadership potentials and skills will be identified with the
help of leadership questionnaire. At last, personal development plan will be developed in order to
enhance the leadership skills.

Leadership 3
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Question 1........................................................................................................................................4
Selected organization and department.........................................................................................4
Position title and job description..................................................................................................4
Person specification.....................................................................................................................5
Leadership style...........................................................................................................................6
Question 2........................................................................................................................................6
Identification of strength and weakness.......................................................................................6
Strengths...................................................................................................................................7
Weakness..................................................................................................................................7
Need of cultural sensitivity..........................................................................................................8
Question 3........................................................................................................................................8
SMART objectives.....................................................................................................................10
Personal development plan........................................................................................................10
Activities for implementing the plan of development...............................................................11
Revision of personal development plan.....................................................................................12
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................14
Appendix........................................................................................................................................15
Questionnaire.............................................................................................................................15

Leadership 4
Introduction
Leadership can be defined as the process by which a person is able to influence people
and to accomplish an objective and direct the organization in a way that makes it more coherent
and cohesive. Good leaders develop by a never ending process of self-study, training, education
and experience. There are various leadership styles i.e. autocratic leadership style, democratic
leadership, transformational style of leadership etc. that are effective to motivate the employees
within the organization (Hurwitz & Hurwitz, 2015). Purpose of this report is to identify and
examine one of the managerial positions in the selected organization and describe his or her job
role including personal specification within the organization. Along with this, the report is self-
analysis of leadership potentials and skills. At last, report provides personal development plan
with the strategies, timeframe and resources required in order to develop the identified weakness.
Question 1
Selected organization and department
For the discussion in the report, Company Apple Inc. is selected. In the company,
marketing department is selected for the analysis of leadership styles and practices. The objective
of the company is to make continuous improvements by the innovations. The company is
basically focused on the sustainability of its position in the market. For this, company believes in
the cross-cultural collaboration which is helpful in the innovation of new ideas in order to sustain
its position in the market.
Position title and job description
In the marketing department of the company, the leadership skills and roles of digital
marketing managers will be identified. In the company, there are various roles and
responsibilities of digital marketing manager to operate the business effectively. The roles and
responsibilities of digital marketing manager in Apple are described below:
 The manager is responsible for collaborating with the cross-functional partners in order to
manage all the aspects of the business including business planning, promotional
campaigns, content strategy and development, customer service, web analytics and other
online marketing (Stein & Nelson, 2003).

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 The role of manager is to serve as the primary point of contact within the company for
the cross-cultural partners. Manager act as the project manager in order to evaluate,
prioritize, manage, develop, implement various online initiatives.
 Further, digital marketing manager is responsible in participating in the development and
implementation of strategic and tactical business plans with the cross-functional team in
order to support the business strategy (Schein, 2004).
 Next, digital marketing manager in the company is responsible to manage the use
experience of the website including content development, site navigation, and
promotional campaigns (Voegtlin, Patzer & Scherer, 2012).
 Role is to demonstrate strong business judgment and decision making skills along with
ability to identify, prioritize and articulate the highest impact initiatives.
 The manager is accountable for building and directing of a cohesive team of internal and
external people for developing the business solutions effectively.
Person specification
The role of digital marketing manager is to manage overall marketing department of the
company. There are some requirements and specifications for the role of digital marketing
manager. As a marketing manager, the person should have experience to manage and survive the
professional marketing staff.
Required skills, characteristics and knowledge-
There are some characteristics that are required for the role of digital marketing managers
in the company. Those characteristics are as follows:
 Strong effective communicator,
 Demonstrate highly developed teamwork skills,
 Ability to coordinate with the large team of diverse and creative employees,
 Show the ability to enhance the productivity and improve the method continuously,
 Expert in the digital and social media strategy with the track record on various social
media outlets i.e. FaceBook, and Twitter that are essential for the company outreach,
 Demonstrate effectiveness in conversations with the customers and other employees for
the business development,

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 Ability to reach in the environment of constant change,
 Manage external PR and communication companies and contactors
Leadership style
Digital marketing manager needs to have transformational leadership style in order to
lead the vision of the business. Manager always focus on the future of the business so,
transformational leadership is effective to inspire and motivate the employees for the new
business ideas. Steve Jobs is the perfect example of transformational leadership in Apple Inc. as
he always motivated his staff to think beyond what they already have done and create new and
innovative products (Gumusluoglu & Ilsev, 2009).
Question 2
Responsibility of a manager in any organization is to meet the desired functionality and
operations. In case of self-assessment, it is important for me to develop the understanding about
various functioning areas so that organizational as well personal objectives can be achieved by
using my skills. In order to meet my job profile, I need to enhance my communication skills and
analytical skills to deal with employees and customers. However, I have observed that my
motivation, planning and implementation are good there is the need to improve the skills for
working with new approaches and situations due to regulator changes in the organization
(Samad, 2012).
In order to meet the professional standards with the manager profile, there is the need to
make changes in the personality and communication so that I can effectively motivate the
employees and develop the business in the market. Based on the evaluation of the questionnaire,
I have analyzed that current skills are effective in order to manage the workload but, still there is
the need of some improvement for delivering the work on time. Along with this, attention will be
given on some personal goals and objectives like professional values and good personality
among the employees (Roe, 2014).
Identification of strength and weakness
In order to sustain the position of digital marketing manager, it is important to identify
the approach towards own growth and development so that they can be used as the personal
profile within the organization. There are various techniques i.e. SWOT and self-assessment

Leadership 7
which can be used to improve my skills. I have identified that I need to enhance my
communication skills and for this manner, I need to make command over presentation of ideas
and languages. For a manager, it is necessary to be proficient in language and language. Along
with this, manager needs to be excellent in personality in order to sustain the position in the
organization. The practices towards the professional standards will be helpful for me to establish
strong relationships with the employees (Carmeli, Atwater & Levi, 2010).
By the analysis of strengths and weaknesses, I will be able to evaluate the professional
learning by the professional learning tool i.e. continuous professional development and self-
reflective learning. My two strengths and two weaknesses are as follows:
Strengths
Positive attitude-
I am an effective listener having the ability to manage interpersonal relationships. I have
ability to put new thoughts and have foresightedness which is helpful for me to have vision for
the development and growth of the company. My positive attitude and innovative ideas are
beneficial for the business.
Critical thinking-
Next, I have critical thinking to evaluate past performances. Critical thinking is helpful
for me in getting various approaches to problem solving in the company. This strength is helpful
for me to focus on research and knowledge in order to solve the issues in the business (Puccio,
Mance & Murdock, 2011).
Weakness
Communication skills-
By the evaluation of questionnaire, I have analyzed that I have some weaknesses which
needs to be addressed for the effective leadership. My non-verbal communication skills are
weak and that needs to be addressed. While communicating with different types of people, my
communication skills are so much efficient to motivate them. So, I need to address this weakness
in order to develop effective leadership skills.
Strategy formulation-

Leadership 8
Next, I have weakness related to the strategy formulation of the business as I do not have
as much quick and responsive skills to manage the problems. Due to this weakness, employees
face difficulties in adopting difficult situations.
Need of cultural sensitivity
In the leadership practices, culture cannot be ignored by the manager while making
decision. The awareness of culture can enhance the effectiveness of the company and its
operations in the market. The culture in Australia is different and people have their own way to
practice the leadership styles. Leader in the company must adapt their behavior to the country in
which they are doing the business (Marquis & Huston, 2008). In the workplaces, there is the
need to adapt the cultural differences of the employees. The cultural sensitivity and awareness in
order to manage the workforce is becoming one of the most important aspects of the business.
Cultural sensitivity and awareness among the employees is important for the leader to handle the
multicultural business teams. By the cultural sensitivity, employees will be able to understand
various cultural influences in the work place that would result in better functioning and
coordination among the teams. There are some points that reveal the need of cultural sensitivity
in leadership approaches in the workplace of Australia. The need of cultural sensitivity is for:
 Understanding various cultural aspects in order to make the employees sensitive for the
colleagues in the teams and workplace,
 Making department head and supervisory staff sensitive to the needs of the employees
working with them (Mullins, 2010),
 Bringing about cooperation and unity among the employees in the organization, and
 Making various departments i.e. marketing, sales and advertising extra cautious and
sensitive and this would be helpful in better expansion strategy
Question 3
In the organization, a manager always has the opportunity to improve the current skills
along with the development of new traits in the personality. It is important for the managers to
identify various opportunities inside and outside of the organization so that personal objectives
can be met by taking timely actions. As a manager, I have observed some future approaches and
needs in order to meet them.

Leadership 9
Development
opportunities
Current ratings Desired Ratings Appropriate actions
Leadership 4 5 To enhance the
leadership quality, I
will learn from the
activities of effective
leaders and various
theories. I will also
leader how to manage
the business in tough
conditions.
Time Management 3 5 For improving time
management skills, I
will focus on my
planning and
scheduling strategies
to improve the
productivity of the
work.
Planning 3 4 Studying previous
activities of the
management will be
helpful in this manner
so that their
experience can be
used in order to plan
for new tasks.
Communication 4 5 I will motivate myself
to take participation in
various events in the
organization in order

Leadership 10
to improve the
communication skills.
It will also be helpful
in motivating the
employees within the
organization.
SMART objectives
Based on the analysis of personal strength and weaknesses, it is important to address
those weaknesses.
Specific- My objective is to enhance my communication and strategy formulation skills by the
personal development plan. These are key points that are needed to be improved for the effective
leadership activities.
Measurable- In order to achieve the set objective of enhancing communication and strategy
formulation skills, I will attend various events and sessions within the organization.
Attainable- The objectives will be achieved by evaluating my qualities and skills based on the
feedbacks provided by my friends, colleagues and family (Yukl, 2010).
Realistic- In order to achieve the target, I will plan with proper exercise schedule. I will start
communication with my team members and colleagues so that they can be able provide their
view points and feedbacks on the specific situation (Wang & Rode, 2010).
Time-bounded- These particular objectives will be achieved within the time period of one year.
These are the short term goals for 12 months including the completion of training and
development program and skill development to overcome the weaknesses.
Personal development plan
For the effective management and encouragement of the employees, personal
development plan is as follows:
Skills Time
management
Communic
ation
Leadershi
p
Plannin
g
Working Profession
al
Use of
resource

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Knowledg
e
s
Improve
ment
required
Managing
time to deliver
task on time
Meet the
communicat
ion skills
Satisfaction
level of
employees
Fulfillin
g the
task on
time
Collabora
tion with
employee
Formal
language
including
personality
Proper
distributi
on of
work
Improve
ment
activity
Time based
allocation of
task
Participatio
n in various
events in
organization
Observatio
n of
capabilities
to carry out
the job
Analyzi
ng prior
actions
to make
better
strategie
s
Team
work will
be
impleme
nted
Coaching
and
training
will be
taken
Analysis
of work
load and
capabiliti
es
Time
Frame
3 months 2 months 1.5 months 2
months
1.5
months
2 months 1 months
Evidence Participating
in events to
manage the
time
Being
enrolled in
communicat
ion with
people
Motivating
myself to
meet the
organizatio
nal
objectives
Analyzi
ng
require
ments of
the task
Conducti
ng
meeting
for
distributi
ng the
workload
Using
presentatio
ns to
improve
professiona
l
knowledge
Identifyin
g
capabiliti
es to
ensure
proper
use of
resources
Activities for implementing the plan of development
In order to plan for the professional growth, I will follow some activities and processes to
ensure the development. This will be helpful for me to present in a better and effective way
before the employees so that they can be motivated in their job role. There are various processes
and activities that are needed to implement the development plan. First activity is related to keep
the development plan on track. The designed questionnaire is helpful in measuring the
development or improvement in the personality (Williams & Foti, 2011).

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My weaknesses are highlighted above so, it is my responsibility to complete the task at
the given time. Apart from this, before the implementation of the plan, it is important to
understand the scope of the development plan as the culture and trend of the company keeps
changing and this impact on the working behavior of the employees. For me, it is very important
to identify the rates of changes in the company and then analyze the scope of personal
development plan. For this, I would like to prefer some process and activities to address my
weaknesses in personalities.
Training and job experience- I will attend training and development programs to enhance my
skills so that activities of employees can be managed. Training will be helpful in learning how to
manage the employees in order to achieve the organizational objectives. Along with this, training
will also be helpful for me to uncover various managerial functions and responsibilities within
the workplace. It will also prove my best in training programs. I will also learn from the job
experience by applying knowledge (Northouse, 2013).
Mentoring- While mentoring others, it is important for me to understand the optimized practices
and approaches in order to lead the employees efficiently. Further, I will also develop my
professional skills and knowledge in order mentor the employees for the queries, problems and
solutions while completing the tasks. Along with this, I will also make use of the experience of
the seniors in order to overcome the time and cost required by the task. Mentoring will be
effective in delivering more quality and productivity within the time.
Revision of personal development plan
As mentioned above, I am facing a bit trouble in communicating with the employees.
Along with this, my decision making power and strategy formulation skills are not responsive
and quick to deal with the problems. So, I have revised my personal development plan in order to
meet the remaining needs.