Business Management and Leadership

OThe company I selected was Microsoft. The current CEO of Microsoft Corporation is Steve Ballmer. He has been with the company since 1980, in 1998 he became the president of the company; as a result of his work performance he became the CEO in 2000 (Balmer, 2010). Steve Ballmer has an impressive track record where leadership is concerned. As I continue to research the companies he has been affiliated with, one can safely assume that his leadership practices include such characteristics as;

? Commitment-since 1980, Steve Ballmer has been committed to adjusting to an increasingly changing marketplace by listening to the needs of the consumers and applying their needs to a plethora of software programs.

? Charisma-a charismatic leader is one that can motivate employees and stimulate the marketplace through innovation and creative concepts.

? Transformational-"transformational leaders are energetic, enthusiastic and passionate" (Cherry, 2010) about an organizations vision. Steve Ballmer displays this type of leadership quality in which case he has the ability to completely transform the organization into a high-performance, high-quality leader in the technological industry.

"Leadership characteristics are based on the different ways in which leaders use power and influence to get things done, and the leadership styles that emerge as a result. Perhaps the most well known of these theories is French and Raven's Five Forms of Power. This model distinguishes between using your position to exert power, and using your personal attributes to be powerful." (MindTools, 2010)

"French and Raven identified three types of positional power - legitimate, reward, and coercive - and two sources of personal power - expert and referent (your personal appeal and charm). The model suggests that using personal power is the better alternative and, because Expert Power (the power that comes with being a real expert in the job) is the most legitimate of these." (MindTools, 2010). Steve Ballmer facilitates expert and referent power in his leadership practices, which is what ultimately lead to Microsoft Corporations positioning as a leader in technological innovation. "Similarly, leading by example is another highly effective way to establish and sustain a positive influence within a corporation." (MindTools, 2010)