Case Study: Leadership and Management Style of Michael O'Leary

This case study examines the leadership and management style of Michael O'Leary, the CEO of Ryanair. It analyzes his approach, drawing from a New York Times article and supplemental research, to evaluate his impact on the airline. The study delves into his personality traits, including his aggressive leadership style and its consequences. It assesses his business strategies, customer relations, and the evolution of his leadership since the initial article. The analysis considers whether his leadership style has been effective, examining both successes and failures, and explores the challenges and issues associated with his approach, ultimately determining whether he should continue in his role and providing a comprehensive evaluation of his management decisions. The study also explores the impact of his leadership style on customer satisfaction and the airline's overall performance.

LEADERSHIP STYLES OF
MICHAEL O’LEARY
Running Head: LEADERSHIP STYLE OF MICHAEL O’LEARY 0

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Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................2
Michael O’Leary – Manager or a Leader...............................................................................2
Michael Personality and Characteristics...............................................................................4
Consequences...........................................................................................................................6
Whether Michael O’Leary Should Continue Or NOT?........................................................7
Issues Which Relates To Michael O’Leary Leadership Style............................................8
Conclusions..................................................................................................................................10
Bibliography.................................................................................................................................11

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF MICHAEL O’LEARY 2
Introduction
Nicola Clark writes this article where he has talked about Ryanair Airlines CEO Michael
O’Leary. Michael O’Leary is also financial advisor to Ryanair when he joined the budget airline
in 1988 as deputy chief executive. In Europe, he is one of famous accountant who has led the
airlines service for more than 20 years. The case is about Michael O’Leary who is Chief
Executive Officer and Irish businessperson.
Ryanair airlines in past has measures best quality services to passengers but with some
consequent financial years it has led to decline. Analysts contribute their thinking about other
airlines as Air France-KLM and British Airways have started to push more continuously with
niche markets (DAC, 2019).
The main analysis from this that Michael O’Leary starts with little choices but with finding ways
to increase ticket prices, which results in appealing to higher pay clients. With the proactive
approach with relations to public will help to offset the impacts of representative with stories
challenging more sophisticated way to communicate.
Michael O’Leary – Manager or a Leader
Michael O’Leary is the CEO of airlines ‘Ryanair’. He has completed his last 24 years in these
airlines. He is not a manager as well as leader. He is a leader of his own thoughts. Michael once
had strong position in the whole market and was awarded for its business styles and services.
As said, success is not permanent Ryanair had its first downfall in 1990. In the beginning of this
article Michael follows cattle- car approach and he takes this approach to the extreme (Clark,
2013).
As a CEO of Ryanair, the lack of manager or leader qualities are the reason arises from this
article which is written by Nicola Clark. The strategies and the management theories for
charging high prices to their own passengers, penalizes about 100 dollars to all people and
biggest losses to customers. Michael O’Leary cattle car approach states that we will charge
high to passengers in airlines and provide less services which includes removal of toilets in
airplane, eliminating the co-pilots, let passengers loads their own luggage, removal of seats
from airplane and they are charging for overweight passengers a ‘ fat tax’. Due to these
reasons, Michael O’Leary character realizes and there are lack of manager and leadership
qualities. From this article, we can easily say he is having lack of leadership skills and that
directly affects Ryanair airlines. Delegative style and proactive approach which makes public

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF MICHAEL O’LEARY 3
relations more weak and people are switching from these airlines to another (The Week
Publications Inc, 2019).
Assessing penalties from passengers and they are hawking everything from people which
includes snacks, smokeless cigarettes and lottery tickets. Michael losing its customers and
passengers are switching from Ryanair airlines to other airlines as they are providing services
with best and better quality. Michael legitimate leadership style proves wrong to the airlines,
and this was major reason for this big loss. Michael character was more kind of Dictator with
wrong implementations. The latest emerging trends have changed the scenario of business. A
good businessman is one who generates his positive ideas with consistency of the quality. The
aggressive style of leadership can harm hostile and creates unnecessary conflicts between
others (Anon., 2019).
Michael O’Leary surely gained the vote of growth and confidence from shareholders but his
style and trait shows aggressive leadership style. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is incredibly ruthless
and aggressive executive, during the time for Peoplesoft Ellison he announces 5000 firings and
repetedly insults people (Nisen, 2019).
Source: ( (Anon., n.d.).
He has appointed inexperienced staff which will cost low to pilots and even in their training
period, they are not paid for their work. The top down and autocratic approach is being used
where people spot issues rather than finding the solutions to the problems (Deeb, 2019).

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF MICHAEL O’LEARY 4
When people feels that they are not a part of something, a gain and belonging from their roles,
they genuinely wish to want what is best for the organization. Continuous practices of
aggressive leadership style results in no loyalty, engagement and trust to people who avail
services with this airlines. Michael uses ‘delegative leadership’ style of theory where he is taking
wrong decision and implements, which totally affects the whole scenario of Ryanair airlines.
Michael proved wrong as he has applied aggressive approach in Ryanair Airlines. At Ryanair,
people feel less organized, under continuous scrutiny and undervalued at all levels in the
organization. The shareholders may be satisfied for short term period of time but when we see
the whole scenario, Michael supports people in the organization with aggressive style of
leadership (Lucy, 2019).
Michael Personality and Characteristics
The chief executive of Ryanair, Michael personality traits plans to move positive impact that
surely helped everyone to look forward for the company. After receiving two profits warnings,
Michael took a decision that changes the risk for the company into positivity for the Ryanair
airlines. The principle of marketing management is satisfaction of customers. The achievement
of this principle according to the relevant article states that Michael is transforming his style with
Customers satisfaction. Managers like Michael need to analyze how purchase decisions and
how customer’s reaction took place. New charm of Ryanair comes with lots of fewer fees to
customers and the increasing compatibility with major issues working on it. Lewis’s Change
Management model is one of the effective models where it is possible for Michael to understood
airlines benefits to all the passengers. There are three stages as unfreeze, change and
refreezing. Michael is a personality with transformation in his behavior and uses Lewin change
management model. He decides to re-engineer Ryanair airlines, having a thought with improved
customer service which allocates him to start the campaign name as ‘‘be nice’’ that means
Always Getting Better. This is the extract from the book: Turbulent Times for the Man Who
Made Ryanair’. He is the perfect CEO for a brand which is Ryanair because he wants to
influence the work into targets. Michael is very receptive and agile in his approaches that create
less tension. His main focus is on revenues and costs which can increases growth and success
by his positive behavior attitude. He has a digital aspect with his plans which ensures that there
are immediate changes on the websites, when a passenger books their tickets. This also helps
when people went to check in and board their flights (Ryder, 2019).
Michael ensure Ryanair airlines as to provide more jobs in pipeline sector and flight prices are
set to be more cheaper from before. Passengers can access internet services via smartphone

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF MICHAEL O’LEARY 5
soon and via phones check-in process can be done. Passengers will surely access to their
account on websites so they do not want to again updates their info while access (Ryder, 2019).
Michael has an outline for his liberal rights which he rails against regulations and taxations.
Ryanair new development includes more cabin crew and more discretion which deals common
issues like oversize carryon luggage to passengers. In airlines, it results in design of ‘quiet
flights’ which are departing before 8 a.m. will have low pitches. Digital era is main highlights to
Ryanair airlines as they have designed app which is now free to access and they can easily
access anywhere. Michael is the driving force behind Ryanair approach as fast, innovative,
unapologetic and aggressive (Clark, 2013).
Source: (CAPA - Centre for Aviation & Innovata (Centre for Aviation, 2019) )

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Ryanair is number one rated in 2012, as chart shows the top 10 airlines graph with around 12%
market share. The above graph tells about the ratings from the people who are satisfied with
their services of Ryanair (Centre for Aviation, 2019).
Consequences
Success of a business decides the authenticity and results of their management decisions
which are taken by Michael O’Leary. Michael O’Leary was occupied one of the most successful
business man in the whole world but when we insist and observe fate of Ryanair with Michael
O’Leary is not at all promising for concern. The proactive approach he has follow is rigid in
nature and these are unwilling to set new opportunities for the people (Gerdeman, 2019).
Michael uses proactive approach in his styles and responds to clients after the problem arises.
Having this proactive attitude towards every issues relating to it, it will not escalate one personal
growth but this results in enhancing performances in day to day tasks. Michael is a proactive
thinker, and have awareness about the future conditions so that that there is advantages of
promising situation in near future. (Pomnar, 2018)
The clarification and assessment of the strategies which is to be followed by Airlines measures
the effectiveness and suitability. It is a low cost model of south west airlines. Even though
Michael personality is bold but his approach is completely wrong which he has applied in
Ryanair Airlines. Laissez faire leadership which Michael follows and implemented has a
character of psychological absent from them. They are promoted in airlines as a management,
enjoy rewards and privileges in their roles, but involve less with their airlines. Michael chooses
Absentee leadership style, and from the viewpoint of customers, it is a big problem and it is
more troublesome than other styles, this results in bad leadership. The relations of industrial
within the airlines are badly affected because they decided for the pay freeze of employees and
reduction in facilities to reduce the bills. The passengers claimed for the mistakes and payments
he has taken and Ryanair paid a heavy amount of loss to others. Passenger compensations,
perception of customer services, input costs of fuel and airport charges for each luggage they
carry causes the major downfall reasons. He has failed to review its customers as a priority, but
he ensures that he will be investing large improvements to customer’s experiences over the
next upcoming years (Martin, 2019).
For many people customer’s service should be phenomenal as they are paying high charges to
airlines. This airline has been dogged for so many years to their own devices when there is foul
weather, strikes or cancellations of flights. The customers should be on top when they are
paying charges for their services they avail in order to attain market shares and profits. The
main factor is inflation, fluctuation of fuel prices and they sometimes ignore the facilities for the

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passengers as in case of lavatory uses fare and wheel chair fares. The Company should put on
changes with the policies and approaches he follows. The policies results in helping the
passengers instead of charging them with higher customer services charges.
As people are consciously avoiding Ryanair because of charging higher prices. He has taken
proactive approach to his airline and that’s all results in this downfall (Burn-Callander, 2019).
Whether Michael O’Leary Should Continue Or NOT?
Michael O’Leary leadership styles define the character with bold personality that goes somehow
wrong with aggressive leadership style. Michael as a CEO has vowed to clear the criticisms that
drive his carrier in style and has impacted not to continue in Ryanair. Ryanair airline has been
continuously helping people as whenever strikes, foul weather or erupting volcanoes have
forced cancellations of flights, and as such with these issues they eventually help other
passengers. Aggressive style of leadership results in lack of continuation in Ryanair airlines.
Source: ( (Anon., 2018).
The major reasons for his downfall are the legitimate style of leadership in Ryanair airlines.
Michael should not continue in Ryanair airlines as his legitimate style of leadership results in
lack of qualities as manager or leader. Manager and a leader in any company measures
success and achieve targets and goals. The traits and personality with positive attitude has
characteristics that results in –
 Leaders with effective thinking manage company organization in leading way and boost
up morale and confidence of employees.
 Communication is the major issue which arises in big organizations, being able to
communicate with all the levels in the organization can achieve goals with efficiency.
 A manager who is more reliable, confidence, responsible towards his work will always
get respect in whole organizations. (Half, 2019)

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Innovation and approaches to positive style of leadership will give better results. There is need
to change in the leadership style he follows. Facts and figures indicate that there is annual loss
of the revenue to the firm. The qualities and traits which are followed by Michael O’Leary can
harm to company and results in huge losses.
The main task of the company should attain is customer satisfaction and need of innovation with
basic styles such as –
 Authentic leadership style defines the personality traits of a person who is more
authentic to his firm and took positive steps for growth and success.
 Transformational leadership is the one which transform people from negative to positive
trait and helps to achieve targets. It involves experiencing, enhance positive emotions
and modeling.
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee are the perfect examples of positive
personality traits. Visionary, Coaching and training can influence other leaders to accept their
traits and follow up (ACKERMAN, 2019).
Transformations - Michael achieve the technique which is cost ‘Obsession’ and in this he has
include passengers to check in online and pay doing at the airport, he do not charge for extra
bags which passengers took them with them. It is a very popular and profitable model which he
took with transformations. The lazy staff in the airlines results in his own failures and he wants
to change all the wrong activity going on. Simon Calder states that on his personal level that
Michael is absolutely entertaining and charming person as a CEO (Martin, 2019).
So, Michael is a person with clarified thoughts and bold thinking but the approaches and styles
which he had taken is not the qualities of manager or a leader.
Issues Which Relates To Michael O’Leary Leadership Style
Autocratic style of leadership is a practice which is characterized by individuals and top leaders
makes decisions with little contributions of his team members. The aggressive style of
leadership which he follows has substantial major issues which he wants in his airlines as stated
in ‘The New York Times’ newspaper. He has approach with the quality of negativity when he
has joined Ryanair airlines, and that can be stated from the New York Times article which is
written by Nicola Clark.
Examples of autocratic leaders are Martha Stewart who build her own empire with attention that
she was successful in her journey but uses autocratic styles of leadership. This style of
leadership is usually employed and taken by military commanders who do not want to ask about
opinion of others and just implement them.

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Michael O’Leary, CEO of European budget line Ryanair, discussed about new scheme to
charge passengers to use bathroom at airlines. He once declared that fat and obsessed people
should pay more for their concerned seats, but it will take too long time to weigh them at airlines
Ryanair. Mr. O’Leary is not at all cooperative and if flights are cancelled because of us, we will
not be able to provide you any services, he claimed (Lyall, 2019).
From article, One more issues of Dr. Muhammad Taufiq Sattar shows that he is empathetic
personality with his behavior. Muhammad Taufiq is flying from Dublin to Leicester and he want
to change flight, as police stated that his own family may have died in a fire. He travelled every
week and he already booked tickets to travel last Friday as usual. But when he woke up he had
a news that his house was on fire, he suddenly changed his plans as to reach UK as soon as he
possible. While arriving at Dublin airport, Leicester police had confirms via phone all member of
his family are died. He approached to Ryanair airlines to change his tickets. But after listening
also, Ryanair airlines suggested him to buy new tickets. This tells about the unorganized
behavior pattern which Ryanair CEO followed (MICHAEL, 2019).
These are the styles and issues which are followed and accepted by Michael O’Leary where he
did not find solutions to the problems which are occurred by him or by his airlines Ryanair. The
consequences of this issue results in better improvement and apply participative, supportive
style of leadership in whole organizations. The autocratic style results in poor decisions while
whole airlines gets affected. They have serious impact on the performances of the company and
can lower the efficiency of business. With other few days, Michael commented on a profile
photo of female on twitter with bad comments on it. Michael has warned by Europe country and
charges warning on profits. People are changing their perspectives from Ryanair to other
airlines and continuously availing their services because of Michael O’ Leary. (Anastasia, 2018).
 It retains all power, control, authority and reserves to take right decisions.
 They employ themselves in day to day activities and there is less contribution of their
subordinates whether the decisions are wrong or right. They just have to implement
them with no options.
 Autocratic leaders assume that motivation of employee comes with set of punishments
and structured set of rewards.
 Autocratic leaders believe in one way communication in entire company. They are less
interested and consult with their subordinates about the opinions or potential benefit.

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF MICHAEL O’LEARY 10
Conclusions
Michael O’Leary is the CEO of Ryanair Airlines. The leadership styles and approaches which is
revealed from this whole report are combinations of positive and negative styles of leadership.
He is focused on his own thoughts and theories. Aggressive and Autocratic styles of leadership
are the examples which he has follows. The main finding from article is that there is wrong
behavior with people and airlines are charging higher rates from their passengers. Ryanair
Airlines results in major downfall in year 2013 and Michael O’Leary has taken wrong steps
regard the same.

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF MICHAEL O’LEARY 11
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