Transformational Leadership Which CEO or Company Most

Transformational Leadership

Which CEO or Company Most Represents Authentic Leadership and Why

As case studies have shown, authentic leadership is predicated on the ability to create, sustain and strengthen trust and commitment to shared objectives over time. The essential attributes and characteristics of effective authentic leaders can be found in their ability to lead, not necessarily just manage or direct activities. A truly authentic leader will have the ability to bridge cultural, psychological and physical distances (in the case of virtual teams) while still keeping his team entirely engaged and committed (Purvanova, Bono, 343). A transformational leader paradoxically can emerge out of the most challenging, difficult times a business faces, including the loss of a major leader. This is why Tim Cook is one of the most authentic, transformational leaders operating a business today. As CEO of Apple, he has had to quickly keep the company focused on its vision, while its architect of visions, passed on. While arguably there is momentum in the business and its highly successful business model, transformational leadership is essential for keeping Apple focused on its most pressing opportunities while reducing its many potential risks. All of this is extremely difficult for any leader to do even if they are initially promoted into a position, yet to take the helm from a visionary, as Tim Cook has from Steve Jobs, the inevitable comparisons and pressure are exceptionally strong. This is another factor in choosing Tim Cook and Apple has having the greatest level of authentic leadership. The intent of this analysis is to evaluate how Apple has been able to continually gain market share and profits under Tim Cook.

Analysis of Authentic Leadership at Apple

Known for its exceptional smartphones, tablet PCs and laptops that have over time defined customer experience best practices, Apple continues to create entirely new products that redefine the user experience. Many of these innovations are the result of Steve Jobs' vision for the company and its continual focus on making technology usable, valuable and fun for the average consumer. To keep this vision continually moving forward after the passing of Mr. Jobs, Tim Cook has had to quickly bridge any and all cultural, psychological and physical distances that may have begun to distance the company internally. A highly effective transformational leader can quickly unify even the most diverse organization together and make a unified vision strong enough associates concentrate on shared accomplishment over individual agendas (Purvanova, Bono, 343).

Second, Tim Cook has had to move quickly to establish a high degree of credibility and trust as well. This has been easier for him as he's been with Apple for many years, and is already respected as a leader. Yet for the entire organization there was an initial period to see just how authentic and transformational he would be or not. His approach to creating authenticity immediately focused on the sense of loss and apparent anxiety throughout the organization that the vision would somehow be altered. Yet Tim Cook chose to commit the year to Steve Jobs' vision of launching the latest iPad, going squarely against low-end laptops and netbooks. He also promised to not change any of the existing product development plans, and also pledged to not seek to marginalize any existing systems and strategies in place. He kept his word and continued to move aggressively in the direction of these shared goals and visions that Steve Jobs had created. The signaled to the entire company his authenticity and he fully intended to keep his word at the event that celebrated Steve Job's life. The essential aspects of a transformational leader's skill set include transparency, honesty and the ability to sense what leadership skill set is the best for a given situation (Avolio, Gardner, 334). This last aspect of any leaders' skill set is predicated on their level of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and ability to quickly act based on these perceptions (Fitzgerald, Schutte, 497). Finally Tim Cook has also shown a very adept series of skills in applying idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation, all critical factors in transformational leadership (Fitzgerald, Schutte, 498).