Bus 3012 - Fundamentals of Leadership

BUS3012

Professor Blessinger

U5A1

Julia Cowing, RN

This class is the Fundamentals of Leadership. In researching a leader, it was clear to me who I would choose…Angela Ahrendts is one powerhouse of a businesswoman. In researching her for this paper, I have found that we share quite a few of the same qualities for success. She does not have a PhD, or a Master’s degree, but she does have a wealth of knowledge of people and interacting with them and has set a very high bar for standards. In the Fortune article, it states that Ahrendts ‘gave up a starring role as Burberry’s CEO to run the tech giant’s (Apple) retail and online operations…Ahrendts is ‘starting not with the product – but with the people’ (Reingold, 2015).

        When Angela Ahrendts started with Apple as the ‘Senior Vice President for their retail and online stores’ (Friedman, 2015) she knew she had her work cut out for her. She went from a fashion industry to a technological industry. She was ready to switch gears and to share her Burberry successes with Apple. Ahrendts stated that ‘the more technologically advanced our society becomes, the more we need to go back to the basic fundamentals of human communication’ (Reingold). Ahrendts demonstrates the five practices of exemplary leadership in every aspect of her work – she is an inspiration to all leaders.

        In ‘modeling the way’, Ahrendts has shown that she ‘engages, and energizes, her nearly 100,000 employees’ (Reingold) at Apple. Reingold shares from Sir John Peace (chairman of Burberry and Standard Chartered) that Ahrendts ‘motivates people…inspires people...she is the sort of person who wants to see things succeed as a team…it’s a rare quality’ (2015). These are things that are said about me as well – however, I could never over see a company the size of Apple. She never gives up and always supports her employees, worldwide, near or far, they all respect her values. Anthony ‘s, the Guardian, article shares a quote about Angela from one British fashion insider that ‘she absolutely knew the business inside out…she never let you see a moment of doubt or even questioning…she was relentlessly positive and totally driven’ (2016). These are attributes of modeling the way. Those who recognize the best in their leaders find, within themselves, the inspiration to be more like them.

        She ‘inspires a shared vision’ with her employees at Apple by listening to them. To truly listen is a learned skill, not all have it. Ahrendts shared that she ‘wanted to listen first and learn’ (Friedman, 2015). That quote alone shows us how dedicated she is to the employees of Apple and just how lucky they are to have her. Employees want to feel heard and supported, for a leader such as Ahrendts to achieve this so soon in her position at Apple is noteworthy and beautiful. When I think back to my previous employment, the two most-disliked jobs I had were because of the lack of leadership. The leaders of those companies treated us like manure and never took the time to listen to any kudos, concerns, or questions we had. It was an ‘it’s done this way and always will be’ sort of environment – clearly unhealthy and a morale killer. Having a leader such as Ahrendts would have been like having a birthday celebration every day at work. The Fortune article shares that ‘Ahrendts has implemented some important changes since arriving, including unifying previously separate units that handled online sales and store sales…But so far her impact on the stores themselves has been modest to the outside eye’ (Reingold).

        While at Burberry, Ahrendts ‘challenged the process’ which resulted in her being able to ‘position the company well for a boom in luxury consumption across the world, especially in Asia…Annual sales have more than doubled since 2007’ (Matthews, 2013). I think back to the early years of civilization and work ethics and the leadership styles back then…if nobody ever challenged the process, we would still be stuck in a monotonous, underdeveloped, and quiet way of being. Who challenged the fact that walking and riding horses was all they could do for transportation…someone made a difference and we continue to advance every year. Ahrendts leads the innovation of Apple’s products and employees.

        ‘Enabling others to act’ lifts up the fact that ‘constituents neither perform at their best nor stick around for very long if you make them feel weak, dependent, or alienated’ (Kouzes). Angela Ahrendts is listening to her 100,000 employees and taking their opinions to heart. Instead of belittling those who are ‘beneath’ her, she elevates their ideas and celebrates Apple’s successes with them. Employee well-being is important to Ahrendts and is shown in her leadership styles.

        Kouzes shares that it is a leader’s job to ‘create a culture of celebrating the values and victories by creating a spirit of community’ (2012). For a leader to ‘encourage the heart’ among their staff means to be true, honest, approachable, and even vulnerable at times, in my personal opinion. Nobody is perfect and when leaders act like they are it may lead to staff feeling insecure or unworthy at their jobs. As an employee, it is very important for me to see the vulnerability in my boss, the humility and integrity that go along with those inspires me every day. Ahrendts says ‘if you can’t control everything, you can’t control anything’ (Anthony, 2016). This shows her commitment to success and the fact that she isn’t afraid to give it all she’s got. We all fail, what we do with those failures and what we learn from them it what sets us apart as leaders. Upon rising each morning, we are given a new day to inspire new people.