Leadership is the ability to influence others to do something. What does it take for an individual to become a leader and what traits do leaders need to have to be considered effective and successful? One must look to past and present leaders to get these questions answered. One leader that will be examined is Meg Whitman, the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Hewlett Packard, a large technological company. This paper will analyze Ms. Whitman through several different leadership areas to see if she is an effective leader. The areas that this paper will focus on are self awareness, stress management and resiliency, problem analysis and solutions, communication, social influence, motivation, conflict resolution, empowerment and delegation,
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However, a good leader can overcome stress through resiliency. As a CEO in two large organizations, Meg Whitman is constantly faced with stressful situations, but she is clearly able to manage it. One example that shows her ability to manage stress through resiliency and hard work is when she first arrived to Harvard for her MBA. She received the typical speech of students dropping out and only a few making it. "On my left was someone who 'd been at Chemical Bank for four years, and on my right was someone who 'd been in the Army for nine years. They also tell you 10 percent of the class fails out. For the first year I did almost nothing but work” (Meg Whitman Biography, 2015). Rather than just giving up and become a statistic, Meg Whitman decided to face the challenge head on and not let the stress of Harvard bother her. Being in a college setting, she was able to eliminate stressors though prioritizing, time management and setting goals, with the ultimate goal of graduating. Her ability to cope with the stress was evident as she successfully completed her MBA. In a way, this is the same mentality, she has used as the CEO for both eBay and HP. She does not let the overwhelming work stress her out. Managing stress can certainly be difficult for me especially when it is a lot at one time. However, if I can apply …show more content…
Feedback from them provides critical intelligence to improve business performance. As a result, employees are encouraged to complete the Voice of the Workforce surveys. These confidential surveys are completed on annual basis and are available for all employees to complete in order to provide feedback to the company. With a 70% participation rate in 2013, much higher than years past, the surveys help the company’s leadership make better decisions (Hewlett Packard, 2013). These surveys provide open lines of communication between HP’s leadership and its employees. Results of the surveys, state of the company, and its direction are discussed during HP’s quarterly employee meetings run by Meg Whitman. As a result, employees remain well informed of any changes within the company allowing HP to build positive relationships between its employees. “Arguably the most important skill in building and strengthening positive relationships is the ability to communicate with people in a way that enhances feelings of trust, openness, and support” (Whetten & Cameron, 2014, p. 239). Her ability to communicate ties very well to her ability to motivate her employees. The practice of surveying people in order to understand their gripes and concerns within an organization is a common practice used in the Army. When I was assigned as a commander of a company, I used surveys
However, a good leader can overcome stress through resiliency. As a CEO in two large organizations, Meg Whitman is constantly faced with stressful situations, but she is clearly able to manage it. One example that shows her ability to manage stress through resiliency and hard work is when she first arrived to Harvard for her MBA. She received the typical speech of students dropping out and only a few making it. "On my left was someone who 'd been at Chemical Bank for four years, and on my right was someone who 'd been in the Army for nine years. They also tell you 10 percent of the class fails out. For the first year I did almost nothing but work” (Meg Whitman Biography, 2015). Rather than just giving up and become a statistic, Meg Whitman decided to face the challenge head on and not let the stress of Harvard bother her. Being in a college setting, she was able to eliminate stressors though prioritizing, time management and setting goals, with the ultimate goal of graduating. Her ability to cope with the stress was evident as she successfully completed her MBA. In a way, this is the same mentality, she has used as the CEO for both eBay and HP. She does not let the overwhelming work stress her out. Managing stress can certainly be difficult for me especially when it is a lot at one time. However, if I can apply …show more content…
Feedback from them provides critical intelligence to improve business performance. As a result, employees are encouraged to complete the Voice of the Workforce surveys. These confidential surveys are completed on annual basis and are available for all employees to complete in order to provide feedback to the company. With a 70% participation rate in 2013, much higher than years past, the surveys help the company’s leadership make better decisions (Hewlett Packard, 2013). These surveys provide open lines of communication between HP’s leadership and its employees. Results of the surveys, state of the company, and its direction are discussed during HP’s quarterly employee meetings run by Meg Whitman. As a result, employees remain well informed of any changes within the company allowing HP to build positive relationships between its employees. “Arguably the most important skill in building and strengthening positive relationships is the ability to communicate with people in a way that enhances feelings of trust, openness, and support” (Whetten & Cameron, 2014, p. 239). Her ability to communicate ties very well to her ability to motivate her employees. The practice of surveying people in order to understand their gripes and concerns within an organization is a common practice used in the Army. When I was assigned as a commander of a company, I used surveys