Donald Trump-Super Supervisor

Donald Trump-Super Supervisor

What makes a person a good business leader? A popular consensus seems to be that a good leader is able to not only understand each employee's needs and abilities, but also motivate and empower that employee to use his abilities to the full. This requires that a leader take the time to understand the employee and to develop him to his full potential.

In addition, a group of Fortune 500 executives stated that they "valueÐ'...flexibility..., and communication skills" (Terry, 2001, p.1). These executives also related, "Employers' wish lists for new leaders include charisma, the ability to inspire others, the courage to take risks, awareness of one's own strong and weak points, the respect of peers, ethnic diversity, and a zest for continuous learning" (Terry, 2001, p.1).

There are many other traits that earmark a good supervisor; for instance setting a "good example," being efficient, thorough, and dedicated. "Flexibility" is also important. It is necessary to provide employees with "training and feedback." A good supervisor is "consistent and fair." A good supervisor also provides his staff with "recognition for a job well done" (Merit, 1998, p.1).

Several self-made millionaires have attained success as business leaders. John Bogle, founded a company called Vanguard. "His unique ideas about investing helped him create the first index fund, and the world's second-largest mutual funds company." Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards by turning his "passion for snowboarding into a business, jump-starting an industry and an Olympic sport." Scott Cook founded Intuit, the developer of Quicken software. This company was the result trying to make his wife's bill paying experience easier. The result? A $2 billion public company. Donna Dubinsky founded a $241 million company called Handspring. Robert Johnson founded BET Network, the first African American cable network. This venture eventually made Mr. Johnson $3 billion. (Merit, 1998, p.1).

What all of these people share is a vision, and a dream. They are efficient, dedicated and flexible. They didn't give up, and they didn't lose sight of their vision.

Another self-made millionaire, and business leader is Donald Trump. Although he is probably most well known for the reality show The Apprentice, Mr. Trump's career began with his "father's real estate business after he completed his studies at the Wharton Business School" (Trump, p.1). Donald worked with his father for about five years becoming so successful that his father said, "Everything he seems to touch turns to gold" (Trump, p.1).

Donald was able to use the experience that he gained working with his father to venture off into his own business. Donald focused his professional ambitions in purchasing real estate in Manhattan. As his father said, "everything he seems to touch turns to gold," Donald was able to purchase "some of the most exclusive properties in the city." His Manhattan realty holdings include, "Trump Casino, Trump International Hotel, Trump Marina Hotel and Casino, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort and Trump Tower" (Trump, p.1).

More recently, Donald has starred in the reality show that he developed called The Apprentice, in which a hand picked number of contestants competing against each other with the goal of becoming Mr. Trump's apprentice.

In an interview with George Ross, Donald's Executive Vice President, it was stated that Donald Trump's success as a leader hinges on his "ability to make very quick decisions." In addition, Mr. Ross stated that Donald is "engrossed in his work and loves the deals and action of business" (Kellard, 2004, p.1).

In the article "PLAYING THE TRUMP CARD - How did The Donald become The Donald?" (2004) Trump comments, "The one thing that he had seen more than any other trait in successful people is that they never gave up." Trump also stated, "Always do something that you like, always do something that you enjoy doing, or you will never be successful" (Morgan, 2004, p.1). Donald Trump not only enjoys what he does, he refuses to give up. This combination of joy and determination has made him one of the most powerful and successful men in the world today. Coupling these skills with outstanding negotiating skills has lead to the success that Donald has reached in Manhattan; real estate that "offered the highest opportunities for profits while utilizing attractive architectural design, thereby winning public recognition" (Morgan, 2004).

Although Mr. Trump has encompassed several traits common to most business leaders, he has also managed to personalize his leadership characteristics. For instance, Mr. Trump does not hide his need for personal power, "every piece of real estate that he owns displays the Trump name." According to one author, "The Trump name has a sort of Ð''wow' factor and tends to place a 15%-50% premium on anything it graces" (Naughton, 2004, p.1).

This leads to the logical question, "with his name on almost every major piece of real estate in New York City, how does Trump accumulate so much power?" As "head of the Trump Organization, he has legitimate, reward, and coercive power. He also exercises personal power from his brand name, which is on everything from clothing to board games" (Naughton, 2004, p.1).

Carolyn Kepcher, an Executive Vice President for the Trump Organization and a Chief Operating Officer for two Trump National Golf Clubs, states this about Trump's leadership style:

"Nearly all effective leaders rely on a mixture of charismatic, rational, and traditional leadership styles to motivate subordinates. Through sheer force of personality, through the powerful projection of an aura of glamour and successÐ'...Donald Trump insures us, his employees, to exert ourselves beyond the call of duty. Many of us follow Donald Trump's lead because we intellectually understand that he can inspire a winning organization to do well, which will in turn reflect well on us, enhance our job security, and over time, increase our compensation.

But Donald Trump also exerts control by traditional means: "I'm the president of the Trump Organization. I've got the title and therefore the authority. As long as you're working for me, it's agreed that I give the orders, and you follow them. And if you're not interested in following my orders, well, there's always the street instead of the street" (Kepcher, 2004).

When asked about his ability as