¶ … Donald Trump's Leadership Style
Over time, many different kinds of leaders have graced corporate America. From Mahatma Gandhi to Leona Helmsley to Martha Stewart, there seems to be as many different kinds of leaders as there are approaches to leadership. In this text, I concern myself with the leadership style of Donald Trump. In so doing, I will amongst things compare my leadership style to that of Trump in an attempt to identify the traits he has that I need to develop. Further, I will also highlight some of the strengths I have that he could benefit from.
Trump's Leadership Style and Approach to Leadership and Management
In the words of DuBrin (2011, p.364), "Donald Trump is a power-oriented business leader and celebrity with a brusque and autocratic leadership style." However, Trump also exhibits some characteristics of charismatic leadership. Indeed, as Griffin (2011, p.340) points out, Trump "is an excellent example of a charismatic leader." He could therefore be regarded both an autocratic and charismatic leader.
Individuals exhibiting an authoritarian leadership style prefer exercising significant control over decisions made at various levels. An authoritarian leader, Trump regularly contributes to various decisions touching on not only the management but also the running of his businesses. As DuBrin (2011) observes, Trump is so detail oriented that he has been known to be involved...
In his popular TV show, The Apprentice, Trump does not shy away from demonstrating who is in control. He wields absolute power and in so doing, he often salvages potentially chaotic situations and thus successfully steers his teams towards greater success. For this reason, one could conclude that Trump's autocratic leadership style has contributed significantly to the success of the Trump Organization. He therefore remains largely successful as an autocratic leader.
As I have pointed out elsewhere in this text, Donald Trump also exhibits some characteristics of charismatic leadership. Indeed, his one individual who attracts immense admiration from scores of fans from across the world. Over time, he has managed to package himself as a self-made billionaire who rose from financial ruin to relative success. For this reason, many people regard Donald Trump a larger than life figure (Griffin, 2007). It is this larger that life appearance that enables him to inspire and motivate his employees and followers. In basic terms, a "charismatic leader must be able to energize others through a demonstration of personal excitement, personal confidence, and patterns of success" (Griffin, 2007, p.340). A perfect example of an American success story, Donald Trump's personality inspires dedication and loyalty from employees of the Trump Organization. Today, he is…
