1. A leader is someone that influences and inspires others. Somebody who is innovative has the ability and capacity to create new ways of doing something. Russell Simmons qualifies as an innovative leader for his contribution to the Hip-Hop industry. He is a pioneer because he was the first person with a vision for the Hip-Hop culture. He turned this culture into a massive and global business. He understood the potential of the unloved Afro-American culture and created a business model around it, attracting different types of actors from fashion to banks, beverages and many others. Today Russell Simmons is followed by entrepreneurs in this juicy business and influences not only corporates but also the youth generation by driving spending to the Hip-Hop Industry.
2. I would attribute Russell Simmons’ position mainly to personality traits, charismatic and transformational leadership. Charisma is something that you can not easily discribe, but you can feel it for sure when someone has this quality. It can be characterized by a powerful charm and magnetism to influence others in a personal manner. That is exactly what we can observe in Simmons’ case. Being an executive of a big company his doors are always open for everybody: business people, employees and friends. He is a welcoming person. Hip-hop industry is an innovative industry. Russell Simmons brings new cultury in the new mass, to the new generation, generation which is growing on the new values with a new style of understanding reality. So that’s why and in order to be successful in this business need to maintain a continuous contact with the audience. This is exactly the case when the audience inspires you and you inspire audiences. You must not only know but also feel the needs and desires of fans of your Industry products and in accordance with them to develop the proposal. Your audience determines the direction of your work. So, you must be highly