Ayisha Glenn
Dr. Trista Avent
BUS 520
11/13/11
This paper will discuss Alan Mulally and the role of leadership and how it affects organizational performance. Alan Mulally is currently the Chief Executive Officer for Ford Motor Company, a position that he has held since 2006 (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2011, p. 543). This paper will discuss the leadership style of Alan Mulally and explain how his actions fit a particular leadership style by listing examples. His goal setting process will also be discussed along with how the process helped Ford Motor Company increase its performance. Mulally’s communication elements will also be assessed along with the effectiveness of his leadership style to determine if it should change or stay the same.
Discuss the role of leadership and how it can impact organizational performance. Organizational performance can be impacted greatly by their leaders. In order to understand how much impact leaders can have, one must first understand what leadership is. Leadership, as defined by Harvard University business professor D. Quinn Mills, is “a process by which one person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others. Leaders set a direction for the rest of us; they help us see what lies ahead; they help us visualize what we might achieve; they encourage us and inspire us. Without leadership a group of human beings quickly degenerates into argument and conflict, because we see things in different ways and lean toward different solutions. Leadership helps to point us in the same direction and harness our efforts jointly. Leadership is the ability to get other people to do something significant that they might not otherwise do. It’s energizing people toward a goal.” (Mills, 2005, p.12) Organizational performance is a reflection of its leaders performance and ability to lead. It is important for leaders to have the company’s best interest at heart and that they are not only out to