Dear All

Please select one of the personalities mentioned below and read up about their lives and
achievements.
All the persons chosen have been successful in the business world at some point or the other of
their lives. The reasons they have been placed on this list has also been mentioned alongside
their profiles.
All of you have to submit a report within a month. The last date for submission is 26/11/2019.
The report should contain the following.
1. Identify leadership styles. Please go through this
article. http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/how-to-develop-a-
leader. Also note that skilled leaders, like good artists, might follow different methods of action for
different situations. As you go through the individual's biography, you may also like to study this
aspect of leadership.
2. See if you can find points in their lives where they would have learned lessons which would
have integral parts of their leadership style/s.
3. All the leaders mentioned may not necessarily have practiced all concepts of system
leadership. Please find out situations where you might have come across instances of system
leadership.
The list of business leaders
1. Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs needs no introduction for most of us. As the founder chief of Apple, he is well known
for his contributions towards the personal computer and the mobile phone industry.
Steve Jobs proved his mettle as a change leader in two critical phases of his career. In the
seventies, while still in his twenties he was successful in creating the personal computer industry.
Then, after a series of other life experiences, he returned to a struggling Apple in the late nineties
and reinvented the company with a slew of new products like the iPod and the iPhone.
There is a virtual cottage industry in terms of the literature available on Jobs' life and work. You
may go through as many of them as you like. A book I would recommend is his authorized
biography, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.
2. Lee Iacocca
Lee Iacocca was a celebrated professional from the automobile industry who was credited with
the turning around of Chrysler Corporation in America during the late seventies. Iacocca spent
most of his career with Ford Motor Company where he rose through the ranks to be the Chief
Executive Officer. A spat with the company's majority shareholder, Henry Ford II, found him take
up employment with rival car maker Chrysler Corp.
Chrysler at the time was going through a period of turbulence. Iacocca, with a team of people he
got from his earlier employer successfully executed a turnaround program to save Chrysler.
Information on Iacocca can be found from two books authored by him, Iacocca - an
autobiography and Talking Straight.
3. Jack Welch
Jack Welch is interesting because of his hotly contested legacy. Some analysts hold him
responsible for the existential problems the company he once lorded over, GE, finds itself in
today.
In 1981, Jack Welch became the chairman of GE at the age of 45 and held that position till 2001.
During this period he launched a ruthless business makeover at the company which saw many
businesses being sold off or shut down. It led to massive job losses earning Mr. Welch the
nickname “Neutron Jack” (a reference to the neutron bomb which can destroy human life while
leaving buildings and structures intact). At the same time, GE’s shares rose in value reaching U$
450 billion at one point).
Unfortunately, GE has not been able to retain the pace. In the sixteen years since Mr. Welch’s
retirement, the company had gone through periods of financial hardship and is rumored to be
fighting for its survival.
Jack Welch has written two well-known books, ‘Straight from the Gut’ and ‘Winning.’
4. Bill Gates
Bill Gates has recently been upstaged by Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest man. For eighteen out
of the last twenty-three years, Mr. Gates has been at the top of the Forbes list of billionaires, an
incredible achievement.
But as Mr. Gates would himself tell you, business is not about money. His achievement lies in
being able to build a software business on a global scale. His company Microsoft had also had its
lows, one of them involving the way Google was able to march forward with the internet business
and Android operating systems.
Bill Gates has written two books. “The Road Ahead” and “Business at the Speed of Thought’ give
a good idea about his management style.
5. Akio Morita
All the business leaders mentioned above are Americans.
As students of management, we need to appreciate cultural differences and the way they impact
successful leadership styles. Akio Morita is a legendary manager from Japan who built the iconic
brand of Sony which went on to be a byword of quality and innovation in the consumer
electronics industry.
Mr. Morita has written a book, ‘Made in Japan.’
6. N. R. Murthys
Finally, we have Mr. Murthy who came from a middle-class family and built the hugely successful
Infosys from scratch. His management style is the closest that we can call an “Indian style.”
There are many references to him in articles available on the net.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please do not spread yourself too thin by referring to too many books or
articles. It is better to focus on one or two sources for best effect.
Please mention all your references.