Shelby Cortez

OGL 365

December 4, 2019

Leadership Styles

Part One

There are many people that fit the role of an Impulsive-Red leader. The first person that

comes to mind for this role, is Donald Trump, who is the current President of the United States.

As stated in our text, “the emotional spectrum is still rather crude, and people often express their

needs through tantrums and violence” (Laloux, pg. 547). This is what President Trump has done

and shown throughout his Presidency, along with throughout the leadership that he has

possessed. President Trump is notorious for having a different mindset than others, and he has

also notoriously thought higher of himself than others have, which is similar to what is stated in

the text. In the Red paradigm, “the ego is now fully hatched, and people have a sense of self that

is entirely separate from others and from the world” (Laloux, pg. 547). President Trump has

thought highly of himself for a long time, even while it was evident that people within the media

didn’t agree with him, he would tweet out blatant lies that they did or do. There was an article

written that analyzed President Trumps’ personality, and what it found, fits the bill for a Red-

based leader such as Trump. “Indeed, anger may be the operative emotion behind Trump’s high

extroversion as well as his low agreeableness. Anger can fuel malice, but it can also motivate

social dominance, stoking a desire to win the adoration of others” (McAdams, 2016). Donald

Trump enjoys using his skills and tools to invoke fear within people, to help him get what he

wants, and he uses Twitter as his means of invoking this fear. He has figured out how to play the

American people to achieve the results that he wants, and he uses it to his advantage. Trump is

the epitome of a Red-based, impulsive leader, because “Red Organizations are highly
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opportunist; they don’t generally eye a prize beyond the next scheme in a few days or a few

weeks,” (Laloux, pg. 626), and this is the exact mentality that Trump possess with his tweets and

media outbursts that he has.

The Amber-based leader is different than the Red-based leader for many reasons, but

primarily because while the Red leader is impulsive, the Amber leader likes to play by the rules.

The Amber leader is known as the Amber, or the rule-based leader. The perfect leader that I have

selected for the Amber leader is Warren Buffett, from Berkshire Hathaway Inc. At first glance, it

may not appear that Warren Buffet would fit the mold of an Amber leader, but after a closer

look, he does. “Amber Organizations can take on long-term projects-constructing cathedrals that

might take two centuries to complete or creating networks of colonial trading posts thousands of

miles away to facilitate commerce” (Laloux, pg. 626). This is the type of organization that

Berkshire Hathaway is, which is what Warren Buffet founded. Buffett is the type of leader to be

about processes, with a heavy emphasis on rules, and little regards to feelings. Buffett is known

as being a ruthless businessman, and it is evident from his history. “At his core, Warren Buffett

is a ruthless businessman with controversial views that many people don’t care for. He won’t

lose any sleep when his companies cut workers” (Oyedele, 2015). Buffett is a stickler for

following the rules that he has created for himself and his business, as they are the reason for his

success. He does not allow his emotions to get in the way, and he follows his process and rules to

a tee, to ensure he maintains the level of success that he expects from his businesses. This is what

an Amber leader does, is they are a stickler for rules.

The Orange-based leader is, again, different than other types of leaders. With Orange,

they are focused on achievement and success, which can be both beneficial, and detrimental to

organizations. The leader that I selected for an Orange leader is Steve Jobs from Apple Inc.
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Although he has passed away, his leadership style and approach has been long known, as being

heavily focused on achievements and successes. He had little patience for failure, and he was

also known as putting his work and his achievements above all else in his life, including his

family. “Colleagues and family members would at times be exasperated as they tried to get him

to deal with issues-a legal problem, a medical diagnosis-they considered important. But he would

give a cold stare and refuse to shift his laser like focus until he was ready” (Isaacson, 2019).

With an Orange leader, they do tend to have laser focus on what their goals are that they are

trying to achieve, and there is little room for much else, similar to the example that is seen here

with Steve Jobs. He would zone out the rest of the world while he focused on his priorities, and

he would come back to reality when he was ready. It is a very selfish way to lead people, but it

has also proven beneficial, as we saw the organization grow under the direction of Steve Jobs.

The Green-based leader, or servant leader, was difficult for me to find. After much

research and debate, I landed on Gandhi for my Green leader example. Gandhi is known for

being a new-age leader, and for setting examples of what a person should be as a human. His

work spoke for itself, and his leadership came naturally to him. “The Pluralistic-Green

perspective is uneasy with power and hierarchy. Ideally, it would want to do away with both

altogether” (Laloux, pg. 881). This has been Gandhi’s approach, in that he just wants peace, and

less conflict, which means less rules for people to follow and abide by. Gandhi is the definition

of a Green leader, because he leads with empathy, and with servant leadership in mind.

“Gandhi’s use of empathy, a key trait used in emotional intelligence, was a major proponent for

his success in gaining the admiration of the people of India. They followed him because he was

fighting their fight, he was one of them, and he lived in such a manner that reflected their lives”

(Daubenspeck, 2013). Gandhi has always lead with his heart, and it has been a very genuine type
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of leadership, that is unlike other styles of leadership in that it is not focused on fear, or

achievement, but it is focused on people, which is the closest style of leadership the a Teal-based

leader. The reason that I selected Gandhi for the Green leader, is because he is the best example

of an empathetic leader, who also achieved success in his leadership style. He led people from

the heart, and although it is an untraditional way to lead, I think he was still wildly successful at

it, and there is something to say for that.

Part Two:

8. Water: I love the saying that “the wise leader is like water” (Heider, 1985). In order to

be an effective, and great leader, the leader must be flexible and go with the flow. The text also

states that “water cleanses and refreshes all creatures without distinction and without judgment”

(Heider, 1985). This is what a leader is supposed to be doing also. A leader should act as a guide,

and not a manager. A leader is there to guide someone in the right direction, and they are there to

help people be the best versions of themselves, which includes cleansing and refreshing them,

when needed. Sometimes a leader will need to be hard on an employee, while other times they

will need to encourage them, but it is up to the leader to read the situation, and be as flexible as

possible, to meet the specific needs of each team member, to guide them as effectively as

possible. Similar to water, a leader can maneuver themselves to adjust to any situation, and still

be the best leader that they can be to their team. When you are a leader, you have to be flexible

and willing to go with the flow, just as water does. The reason that water has such an impact on

me when it comes to leadership, is because I like the thought of having to go with the flow as a

leader, similar to how water does. A great leader is flexible in all situations, and they are able to

adjust accordingly.
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The difficult situation with traditional organizations, is that most organizations

operate with a top-down hierarchal power structure, so acting as water and going with the flow

makes it that much more difficult. Managers want to implement their ways, and they want to

push employees to work as they want them to work, instead of acting as water and going with the

flow. “There are several examples of organizations that have operated with Teal practices and

ten quickly reverted to traditional management approaches when a new CEO came in who saw

the world from an Orange perspective” (Laloux, pg. 4957). This example shows that it is difficult

for even top leaders, to relinquish their control, and act as water, and go with the flow of the

business, and allow the business to self-manage itself.

12. Time for Reflection: Reflection is a large part of my life, and there is a reason that

this item is so important to me. If people don’t reflect, then they do not know what they do and

don’t like, and they also don’t learn to understand when things bother them. When people take

the time to stop and reflect, they are beginning to grow as a person, and as a leader of society.

Silent reflect, and turning inward is one of the best things that a person can do for themselves,

because it helps them understand who they are, and why they are reacting the way that they are,

and then this helps them to advocate for what they want in the future. For example, my sister is

guilty of rarely reflecting in her life, and I have told her that if she did, she would understand

more about herself, and what she actually wants out of life, instead of just going through the

motions. As leaders, people need to lead with intention, and people will only have intentions and

motives if they understand where they’re going. The reason that time for reflection is so

important to me is because I believe that reflection in life is vital for growth. Also, reflection in

leadership is also vital for growth within leadership itself. Similar to working on a project,
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people need to constantly be stopping, and reevaluating what they’re doing to determine if they

need to change their decisions and actions, for success.

There are many ways that reflection is prevalent in a Teal organization, but one way is by

the CEO/founder to hold the space, or “the CEO must ensure that trust prevails and that

traditional management practices don’t creep in through the back door” (Laloux, pg. 4979). The

reason it is important for the leader of an organization, such as the CEO, to reflect often on the

practices and actions being taken by employees and board members, is because being in a Teal

organization goes against the grain, and there needs to be someone who ensures that the

organization continues to be self-managing.

17. Being a Midwife: I love the concept of acting as a midwife in leadership. This is

exactly what the teal leader encompasses. The concept of being a midwife is described as “a wise

leader does not intervene unnecessarily. The leader’s presence is felt, but often the group runs

itself” (Heider, 1985). An excellent leader leads by allowing people to be who they are, and

allowing all of their differences come forward, and embracing everyone for what they bring to

the table, instead of trying to make everyone be something or someone that they are not. A leader

should be guiding others and helping them be who they are. Through this process, people learn

their true strengths and weaknesses, and they learn to give into them, versus trying to become

someone that they are not. Like the saying goes, “work smarter, not harder” (unknown). Instead

of having people go against the grain, leaders have to help them become who they are supposed

to be. This is what being a midwife encompasses, by allowing people to take a step back on

managing, and step in as leading by allowing people to do their work and be there for moral

support. The reason that being a midwife has an impact on me is because I can relate to leaders

allowing people to do their work and giving them the benefit-of-the-doubt and trusting that they
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know what is best when it comes to their work. I’ve had leaders in the past who try to intrude on

my work, and they end up either creating more work for me, or they end up changing what I’m

doing, and it never seems quite as effective as what I was previously doing. Although they may

have their reasons, the reasons were never shared with me as the employee, and it left me feeling

disengaged as an employee, as well as feeling as though I wasn’t good enough, which is an awful

feeling to feel. In these instances, the managers made me feel inadequate, and I lost confidence

in myself.

Being a midwife is all about taking the backseat at work, and allowing others to do their

job, while you are there to support them and help them in any way they may want or need. “Teal

Organizations adapt and grow continuously, fluidly, and organically” (Laloux, pg. 5398). The

word that stands out to me is organically, and the reason is because by being a midwife, a leader

has to allow situations to develop organically, so they do not intrude on what others are doing.

There is also a different metaphor that is often used from founders of Teal organizations, and it is

“they talk about their organization as a living organism or living system” (Laloux, pg. 1277).

This metaphor embodies being a midwife, because it asks the question “what could organizations

achieve, and what would work feel like, if we treated them like living beings, if we let them be

fueled by the evolutionary power of life itself?” (Laloux, pg. 1282). This concept states to allow

the organization to develop organically, without putting too many rules and practices in place,

and see what happens then. This is what the midwife does as well, as a midwife is simply there

to help during certain situations, but other than that, they just act as a support system.
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References:

Daubenspeck, Howie. “Home.” Leadership, 22 Sept. 2013,

https://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2013/09/22/emotional-intelligence-of-gandhi/.

Heider, John. The Tao of Leadership: Lao Tzus Tao Te Ching Adapted for a New Age.Green

Dragon Books, 2015.

Laloux, F. (2014). Reinventing Organizations. Nelson Parker Publishing.

Lange, Becca, et al. “13 Leadership Lessons You Can Learn from Steve Jobs.” HBR Ascend, 26

Aug. 2019, https://hbrascend.org/topics/real-leadership-lessons-steve-jobs/.

McAdams, Dan P. “The Narcissist.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 18 Jan. 2018,

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/the-mind-of-donald-

trump/480771/.

Oyedele, Akin. “3 Times Warren Buffett Demonstrated His Ruthlessness as a

Businessman.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 4 May 2015,

https://www.businessinsider.com/how-warren-buffett-demonstrated-he-is-a-ruthless-

businessman-2015-5.