MBA 550 - Leadership Style Analysis: Self-Assessment and Jobs

This report delves into the analysis of leadership styles, beginning with a self-assessment of the student's own leadership capabilities, including strengths like effective communication, team building, and strategic thinking, as revealed by the Clifton Strengths test. The report then contrasts these personal attributes with the leadership and management style of Steve Jobs, focusing on his innovative approach, organizational structure, and ability to inspire. The report highlights Jobs' impact on Apple Inc.'s operations and communication, emphasizing the importance of his management skills in fostering organizational growth. Furthermore, the report discusses the student's perceived weaknesses, such as public speaking, and suggests areas for improvement. The conclusion summarizes the student's leadership skills and compares them to Steve Jobs, emphasizing the need for dynamic and responsible leadership in the business world.

Running head: LEADERSHIP STYLE
LEADERSHIP STYLE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Introduction:
The aim of this paper is to discuss the leadership capabilities of the self and how much
this relates to the accepted global business leadership framework. This paper will be
analysing the self-assessment results on the basis of the tests like Clifton’s Strengths factors
that will help in understanding the personal strengths and weakness, team building qualities
and how the weaknesses are to be transformed into strengths. Based on the self-assessment
process, the abilities, tendencies and skills will be discussed. In the second art of the paper,
the career track of Steve Jobs as a leader will be discussed. In this segment, the leadership
qualities, management roles and functions of Steve Jobs as the founder of Apple Inc. will be
discussed. The skills of this particular leader has improved the organizational structure,
communication and operation of Apple Inc. and thus Jobs’ capabilities has made Apple to
become one of the largest international organization in the world.
Self-Assessment:
Self-Assessment: Results:
From the analysis of the skill test, I have pointed out some very important actors that I
possess and those I do not. My abilities and tendencies include effective communication
and team-building style. There is a potential leader within me whose qualities include
team building and creativity. I am a team leader who considers the power of teamwork. I
prefer to work in collaborative manner so that the diversity in the team work increases. I
prefer to create such a team environment in which the promotion of consultation,
partnership and collaboration get promoted. I along with my team members aim to face
any challenge and solve any type of problem.

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My strengths are exposed through the Clifton’s strength test from which I have found
out that I possess the qualities of consistency, performing deliberative and executing
abilities. In addition to this, I am a strategic thinker who try to focus on the relationship
building through empathising with the team members. I am capable of influencing others
through my communication and create a positive outlook about the challenges which are
inevitable in the business scenario (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). I try to understand the
individual needs of the subordinates and bring everyone under the same rule. I somehow
convince the team members to identify their own skills and include them in the action. I
am capable to identify problems and solve them by understanding the results. The
cognitive factors are also very prominent in me because I possess insight about the people
and farsightedness and conceptual thinking. I am an open minded person who have
needed intellectual ability to understand the need of the situation and strategies
accordingly. I am capable to disclose the importance of honesty to perform the rule and
regulations to solve the problems ethically.
However, the weaknesses in me are also very prominent as it is very much visible to
the others. This is due to the fact that I am feared in communicating before crowd. The
publics speaking capability in me is low that is why I do not feel confidence in sharing
my thoughts to the others (Krapfl & Kruja, 2015). The confidence of publics speaking has
to be attained by me because this is one of the most important and primary criteria of
being a leader. I am a person with empathy, truthfulness, honesty, transparency and
accountability that a leaders must possess in this competitive world of business.
Self-Assessment: Compare and Contrast
There are various common factors between me and my chosen leader which are very
much expected in the world of business now a days. Among all, I possess effective team

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building skill and my chosen leader also possess effective team building and managing
skill. Both he and I have the capability to motivate the team members by understanding
their individual needs.
All the above mentioned qualities are of successful leaders and perfectly get aligned
with the qualities in me. I have almost every capabilities and skills of the leaders except
few. Among those I have pointed out the need of the risk taking mentality that most of the
international leaders possess. I do not have the courage to face some challenges which go
beyond my limitations. My chose leader is Steve Jobs who is marked for his innovation
capability (Strielkowski & Chigisheva, 2018). This ability I do not possess and never
tried in the past. I try to find creative solution to the problems but those are not very
innovative rather similar to the ways followed by other managers. In addition to this, my
chosen leader has outstanding foresightedness that I do not possess. I cannot judge the
expectations of the stakeholders who will be benefitted by my projects. This is the reason
why I cannot make effective strategies for team growth.
Leadership and Management:
Leadership and Management: Career Track:
The legendary leader named Steve Jobs was the most inspirational and skilled leaders
of all time in respect to the business management. He happened to be an inspiration
for many followers and leadership aspires who want to leave their mark in any
business industry. His skills of leadership contributed to turn Apple Inc. into one of
the biggest tech giants in the world within few years. The adopted child of a Mountain
View Caliph showed his early interest in the gadgetry and electronics. While in
school, he asked for parts from the president and co-founder of Hewlett –Packard,
William Hewlett for his school project. This incident changed his life when he was

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offered to work as intern in the HP Company as summer internship. The first step of
founding the company was his friendship with Steve Wozniak who was ten trying to
develop a small computer. Together with him Jobs started to sell blue box which was
used to make free calls across the country. After this, these two innovated Apple I
which only need a PC and keyboard to do anything. The success of this product led
the Steves to found the company named Apple. After its foundation in 1978, the
company did not have to think for economic support.
His management roles and function were innovative in which the people were
at the centre of the power. The style of Jobs incorporated recognition of the rational,
cultural, emotional and creative dimensions. The management skills of Steve Jobs
gives the employees to develop their passion through the contribution to the growth of
the company. The style of Jobs encourage the employees to be self-confident to show
their innovative skills openly for which the creating of flat structure of the
organization has been seen allowing the idea flow from the bottom to top (Ghasabeh,
Soosay & Reaiche, 2015). This gives the evidence of the vertical and top down
approach of leadership by Steve Jobs and his aim create new meaning for every
stakeholders associated with the company.
This leadership style of Steve Jobs has not only manipulated the employees
but also convince the customers to buy the Apple’s products. This is known that the
Apple’s customers do not buy the products because of functionality or utility. They
are also capable to forgive the technical limitation of Apple in exchange of the great
design and its focus on the identity.
Usually, the leaders are expected to have great knowledge about the business
and they share these to their followers for making the human resource to be more
efficient. In the case of Steve Jobs, the efficiency level is so pressing for the

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employees that the objectives are not set below the perfection. He never compromised
on perfection which often led to loss of the company unlike other managers or
leaders, Steve Jobs were not afraid of taking risks. He trusted his judgement and
understand the actual need of the people. Unlike other popular leaders, Stave Jobs
found out the actual capabilities of the employee and he used to challenge their limits.
Unlike other leaders, he encouraged the employees to challenge their limits without
ordering what to do all the time.
Leadership and Management: Leadership:
The leadership skills of Steve Jobs have a great impact to improve organizational
structure, operations, and communication within Apple Inc. Steve Jobs’ leadership skills
were unique and simplified. For creating the organisational structure the leaders only
wanted the communication scope to be smooth for which he chose the flat structure of the
organization (Heracleous & Papachroni, 2016). The operation of the company was
marked by the controlling of the experience where he employees are hold responsible to
take care of the products and services from end to end. The aim focus was on the
innovation as this is a technological company and paved the ways for the other brands to
follow the unique innovations for their own products. The leadership skills of Steve Jobs
actually ignored the reality as he believed that innovation can change dreams to reality.
This leadership skills of Steve Jobs support the collaboration process of the employees
with the vision which the leader has seen.
Leadership and Management: Management
It is the process of rethinking the designs which made the operations of the company
become more efficient in the operation. The management capabilities of Steve Jobs has
guided the development, maintained and allocated the resources for attaining the

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organizational goals. The manager here is responsible for the growth and dynamic by
nature. It is the process of Jobs’ anticipation of the potential problems, opportunities and
designing plans to deal with the situation. Secondly, the coordination and the allocation of
the resources to implement the plan and guiding the persons through implementation
process (Northouse, 2017). Finally the managerial skill of Steve Jobs had the vision for
the future that enabled him to think of the future processes and demands of the markets
faster than his competitors even know it.
Conclusion:
Therefore it can be concluded that I possess leadership skills needed for running
business in this competitive world of business but lack many more qualities that are expected.
The leadership style of Steve Jobs not only effectively manipulate the employees but also
convince the customers to buy the Apple’s products so is the capability of this leader.
However, I do not have the courage to face some challenges which go beyond my limitations.
This type of weakness an affect me in negative way therefore I as a manager must be
responsible for the growth of the company I shall be working in hence be dynamic by nature.
Unlike the style of Jobs I must incorporate the rational, cultural, emotional and creative
dimensions of my own team members.

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References:
Ghasabeh, M. S., Soosay, C., & Reaiche, C. (2015). Leading in globalised markets: the
emerging role of transformational leadership. In Proceedings of the Australasian
Conference on Business and Social Sciences (pp. 1433-1447).
Heracleous, L., & Papachroni, A. (2016). Strategic Leadership and Innovation at Apple Inc.
SAGE Publications Ltd.
Hunt, J., & Fitzgerald, M. (2018). STYLES OF LEADERSHIP. Leadership: Regional and
Global Perspectives, 62.
Krapfl, J. E., & Kruja, B. (2015). Leadership and culture. Journal of Organizational
Behavior Management, 35(1-2), 28-43.
Northouse, P. G. (2017). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice. Sage
Publications.
Strielkowski, W., & Chigisheva, O. (2018). Social, economic, and academic leadership for
sustainable development of business and education in the future: an introduction.
In Leadership for the Future Sustainable Development of Business and Education (pp.
3-8). Springer, Cham.