Good Leadership Term Paper Example

The wife of the 38th President of the United States, Betty Ford embarked on a remarkable personal journey. According to her, the day her husband became was the saddest day of her life (Ford,1978). Betty faced a number of personal issues that had to do with her health, with the most prominent one being breast cancer followed by alcoholism and dependence on painkillers. For all the hardships she faced, Betty Ford remained strong-willed and showed a tendency to push forward women's rights whenever she could. At the time her husband was made President, the United States was biased towards men, with gender equality being a far cry. Women seldom worked outside of their homes, and their earnings were a lowly 38% compared to men. Betty Ford, however, wanted to change all that, and her leadership style advocated a change in the mindsets of people. She brought forward issues that had not been discussed before (abortion, female participation in politics, equal rights for women, and per-marital sex). Betty was open with her views and did not hold back her opinion. She truly believed in what she thought, which is the definition of a leader with a strong mindset and high levels of confidence. Even though her outspoken nature did irk many people, Betty Ford did not back down, and eventually helped pass the Equal Rights Amendment. Possessing a strong character, Betty did not fail to congratulate Jimmy Carter even when her husband was defeated in the Presidential elections. Another great example of Betty Ford's strong will and never back down attitude was evident in her battle with alcoholism and the dependence on painkillers, a battle that Betty won. Betty's leadership style reflected her personality; she was strong willed and a fighter, and her leadership style knew no barriers. Therefore, Betty's leadership style was charismatic, and her leadership style earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Honor as well, both of which signify her fighting spirit.
Carly Peters, the director of the creative department at Mills, Smith, and Peters has divided opinion amongst her assistant creative directors, people who report directly to her. Carly is the authority above four assistant creative directors, Jack, Terrie, Julie, and Sarah, and they report to her. Being the higher authority and the director, Carly assigns and approves projects to each of the four team leaders mentioned above. However, all is not well at the advertising agency, as Terrie and Julie believe that Carly is biased towards Jack's team. Although Sarah chooses to ignore the issue, Terrie and Julie remain content that Carly overlooks their efforts and does not assign them important projects even though their work is satisfactory. Carly seems to choose Jack's team for every project, and his team's work is submitted to the higher bosses as well. This move has irked Terrie and Julie, as they believe that there is a clear bias that exists in the company. An example of the supposed biased nature of Carly is when Jack's team got the approval for an advertisement even though the advertisement was provocative, and Terrie's team's proposal was turned down.
Looking at the case above, it can be said that Carly does exhibit a very conservative leadership style, one that matches the definition of autocratic leadership. She does not want to take risks, and seeing that Jack's team always performs, Carly chooses to stick with that particular team. Carly wants to keep things going as they are; she wants to play it safe. Although there is a bias in Carly's behavior, it is also true that since the company has been doing all right, Carly does not want to change a winning formula. Therefore, Carly is a conservative leader, one that likes to keep things simple.
Carol Baines, the person running the Baines Company, is a true visionary. At the time Carol took over the reins from her husband; the Baines Company was managing sales figures that were respectable but nothing out of the ordinary. The company had reached a plateau, and there was no growth to speak of. In fact, the Baines Company was outpaced by its national counterparts, and this was something that Carol wanted to change. Although inexperienced, Carol took each step carefully to ensure that she got herself familiar with the workings and then sought to change things. Carol analyzed the market for potential demand, and then took steps to increase the sales levels. During all this time, Carol came across as a very solid yet friendly person to all her employees, and the company benefited immensely from her presence. The leadership style that Carol exhibited was transformational leadership. Carol changed the very core of her husband's business, and increased sales to three million USD plus, outpacing national rivals. The Baines Company under Carol was no longer content with an average, and instead wanted to stand out and be recognized. At the same time, Carol met the needs of her employees, and through sponsorships and sports team, managed to boost morale and motivate workers. Personally too, Carol was strong willed and a fighter, and did not let personal issues bog her down.