Walt Disney is perhaps the greatest visionary in the American entertainment Industry. From the humble beginnings of his working class childhood to the highest levels of fame and success he epitomized the American dream. This paper will show how his leadership modes and methods were shaped and how they evolved throughout his life. Hackman and Johnson in their book Leadership: A Communication Perspective, state the following as it relates to leadership styles. “Over the past 120 years, five primary approaches for understanding and explaining leadership have evolved: Traits approach, Situational approach, Functional approach, Relational approach, and the Transformational approach.” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p. 72) They go onto define that there
…show more content…
His first name honored the preacher of the local Congregational church, of which his parents were devoted members, while his middle name, Elias, came from his father, a carpenter and occasional lay preacher. (Watts, 1997, p. 7) He had three older brothers named Herbert, Ray, and Roy who would be his partner throughout his career and a younger sister named Ruth. His family moved to Marceline, Kansas when Walt was nearly five years old in 1906. HE and his family only lived there for a little over three years, however the impact of living in that small rural Kansas town would impact Walt’s thematic vision for the rest of his days. Although they stayed only a few years while his father tried his hand at farming, this period had an impact on the young boy's psyche and values that lingered for a lifetime. As an adult, he often talked about his love of rural life and spun tales about his Marceline …show more content…
Organizational consultant and researcher Jon Katzenbach argues that these leaders are mistaken. It is pride, not money that builds institutions that deliver the best products and services along with superior economic performance.” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p. 140) In these early years Walt Disney did an incredible job of selling his vision of a cartoon studio not just too potential clients, he sold it every bit as hard to his employees. He knew instinctively that the more they believed in the vision the harder they would work to achieve it, however that was the visionary side of Walt. The managerial side of Walt was more authoritarian. Demanding perfection from everyone including himself and demanding long hours to meet short deadlines. Hackman and Johnson state that: “Many authoritarian leaders believe that followers would not function effectively without direct supervision.” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p.
His first name honored the preacher of the local Congregational church, of which his parents were devoted members, while his middle name, Elias, came from his father, a carpenter and occasional lay preacher. (Watts, 1997, p. 7) He had three older brothers named Herbert, Ray, and Roy who would be his partner throughout his career and a younger sister named Ruth. His family moved to Marceline, Kansas when Walt was nearly five years old in 1906. HE and his family only lived there for a little over three years, however the impact of living in that small rural Kansas town would impact Walt’s thematic vision for the rest of his days. Although they stayed only a few years while his father tried his hand at farming, this period had an impact on the young boy's psyche and values that lingered for a lifetime. As an adult, he often talked about his love of rural life and spun tales about his Marceline …show more content…
Organizational consultant and researcher Jon Katzenbach argues that these leaders are mistaken. It is pride, not money that builds institutions that deliver the best products and services along with superior economic performance.” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p. 140) In these early years Walt Disney did an incredible job of selling his vision of a cartoon studio not just too potential clients, he sold it every bit as hard to his employees. He knew instinctively that the more they believed in the vision the harder they would work to achieve it, however that was the visionary side of Walt. The managerial side of Walt was more authoritarian. Demanding perfection from everyone including himself and demanding long hours to meet short deadlines. Hackman and Johnson state that: “Many authoritarian leaders believe that followers would not function effectively without direct supervision.” (Hackman & Johnson, 2013, p.