FACULTY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) BIOLOGY

COURSE CODE:
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MANAGEMENT (MGT420)

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT:
“A FAMOUS CONTEMPORARY LEADER”

NAME
STUDENT ID
GROUP AS201 2B1

PREPARED FOR:
MADAM NORDAYANA BINTI ZULKIFLI

DUE DATE:
1ST JULY 2022

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Table of Contents

1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................3

2.0 LEADER’S BACKGROUND.............................................................................................4

3.0 LEADERSHIP STYLES......................................................................................................6

4.0 LEADER’S PERSONALITIES AND SKILLS...................................................................8

5.0 LEADER’S ACHIEVEMENTS........................................................................................10

6.0 CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................12

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

A leader is a person who is assigned or delegated to lead a group, team, organisation, or other
similar entity. The methods and manner in which leaders lead are referred to as leadership. A
person can be designated as a group leader even if they have not demonstrated leadership
abilities. On the other hand, a person who has not been appointed as a leader may exhibit
leadership behaviour. Leadership encompasses a wide range of responsibilities that have a
significant impact on the world. In fact, the range is so broad that the term leadership is
occasionally used to refer to practically everyone. Some business leaders defined leadership
as possessing business acumen, such as the ability to set a company's vision or achieve its
objectives. Others emphasized on human qualities such as empathy, humility, and diversity.
Every response was unique, but they were all correct. Every leader has their own concept of
leadership, which determines how they lead as well as their company's culture and direction.
As the leaders themselves change, so does the definition of leadership. New leaders bring
new leadership approaches, which have an impact on the overall culture and employees.

For this assignment, I have chosen Bob Iger, an American businessman who served as
the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company between 2005 and 2020, as well as
the chairman of the Board and executive chairman. Bob Iger has an Influencer (Id)
personality by nature. He is confident in his ability to lead and actively offers his insights.
Iger has been regarded as a creative, motivated individual who enjoys pursuing new prospects
throughout his successful tenure at Disney. To help him accomplish everything he did, he
depended largely on his innate skills as an Influencer personality type.

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2.0 LEADER’S BACKGROUND

Robert Allen Iger, better known as Bob Iger, was born in New York on February 10, 1951.
He is the eldest son of Mimi and Arthur L. Iger. He attended Fulton Avenue School before
graduating from Oceanside High School in 1969. In 1973, he received his bachelor's degree
from Ithaca College. Iger has been married twice in his life. He had two daughters with
Kathleen Susan Iger in his first marriage, but they ended in divorce. In 1995, Iger married for
the second time with Willow Bay, a journalist, and the couple has two sons, Robert Maxwell
"Max" Iger and William Iger.

Iger started his career as a TV weatherman by joining ABC in 1974. He progressively

rose through the ranks, primarily in the sports division, before becoming the network's head
of entertainment in 1989. Five years after that, he was named President and Chief Operating
Officer of ABC's parent company, which later was sold to Disney in 1996. In 1999, Iger was
elected as the president of Walt Disney International, and in 2000, he was named President
and COO of The Walt Disney Company as a whole. After proving that he was the finest
choice to succeed Michael Eisner as Chairman of the Walt Disney Company and outlining his
vision for the company, Robert Iger was named Chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney
Company in October 2005. In less than a year, he had purchased Pixar Animation Studios
and launched a wholesale transformation of not only Disney, but the entire entertainment
industry.

Under Iger's leadership, Disney's annual net income climbed by more than 400%,
making him ideally qualified as a mentor for leaders, self-starters, businessmen, and any
other kind of visionary eager to take their company to new levels. In 2020, Iger declared his
plan to step down as CEO of Disney, and Bob Chapek was named his successor. Iger
remained as company's executive chairman until December 31, 2021, when he was replaced

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by Susan Arnold. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2019 was estimated to be over $690
million.

In terms of politics, Iger has classified himself as a political centrist who publicly
supports the Democratic Party. However, in 2016, Iger changed his party allegiance from
Democratic to independent. In the 2020 election, Iger strongly contemplated running for
president as a Democrat, but ultimately decided against it. Iger then explained in the 2022
interview that his choice not to run was influenced by a number of circumstances, including
his family's opposition to the idea and his perception that a moderate businessman would be
unpopular among the Democrat.

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3.0 LEADERSHIP STYLES

Bob Iger has employs few of leadership styles when it comes to effectively manage his staff
and driving his company to accomplish its objectives and being successful in the industry.

 Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is a style that encourages, inspires, and motivates employees to

innovate and create change in order to assist the company grow and shape their future
success. This is accomplished through leaders setting a good example with a strong sense of
corporate culture, employee ownership, and workplace independence.

Bob Iger demonstrates transformational leadership.   When Iger first took over the Walt
Disney Company, the first plan he wanted to implement was to provide the greatest content
possible for the macro management role in each company segment. So, in order to
accomplish the creative results and accomplishments that he desired, he created a strategy to
retain the most trusted and proficient employees. In addition, Iger will ensure that staff
understand the company's objectives so that they can perform their jobs to the best of their
abilities.

 Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership is a style of leadership in which all members of a group are involved
in decision-making. Everyone has the opportunity to engage in democratic leadership, ideas
are freely communicated, and discussion is encouraged. While this procedure emphasises
group equality and free exchange of ideas, the democratic leader remains in charge of
providing direction and control.

Bob Iger is the type of leader who appreciates the opinions of his employees. This helps
to increase employee participation and equal participation in the organisation. Employees had
more decision-making power when Iger took over the corporation, and Iger only got involved
when it was absolutely required. Employees understand that their roles, work, and efforts are
important to the company as a result of this. They are aware that their efforts are helping the
company's growth and success.

 Charismatic Leadership

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A leader who uses his or her communication abilities, persuasiveness, and charm to persuade
others is described as charismatic. Charismatic leaders are especially beneficial in
organisations that are experiencing a crisis or are trying to go forward because of their ability
to connect with people on a deep level.

Iger continually inspires, encourages, and excites his people in order to get them to
perform at their best. Iger has managed to cultivate an environment in which risks are
welcomed and encouraged by enabling and challenging workers to perform at the pinnacle of
their creativity and explore even the most outlandish ideas. Iger recognizes the importance of
encouraging his employees when they come up with new concepts or ideas. He was also
utilizing the company's reward system. He rewarded staff for their innovative ideas because
they contribute to the company's growth and help it to remain competitive in the industry.

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4.0 LEADER’S PERSONALITIES AND SKILLS

According to Forbes, Iger adopts a set of personalities and skills that include optimism,
courage, decisiveness, innovative and great communication skills. These traits shaped his
leadership style, which contributed in the implementation of Disney's strategy to improve the
company.

 Optimism

Optimism is the inclination to expect good things to happen. This means that even when
unpleasant things happen, optimistic leaders look past the present situation and concentrate
on the steps they can take to get themselves and their company out of the current crisis.
Rather of being gloomy and losing faith in what you are doing, being optimistic sets the right
tone for a company. Employees want to work for someone who supports their ideas and sees
the bright side of things. Rather than panicking, a wise leader should prepare their next action
during a difficult situation so that people have something to anticipate.

Iger has a tendency for seeing the positive side of things. Rather than concentrating on his
losses, he was able to bounce back swiftly and move on to the next best idea whenever he
was faced with failure or disappointment. This most certainly saved Disney time and led to
them investing in a slew of amazing businesses and ideas.

 Courage

Courageous leaders take risks that go against their companies' best interests. They make
decisions that have the capacity to evolve their markets. They do not even play it safe; they
push themselves out of their comfort zones, try new approaches, and get back up if things not
go as planned. Their boldness motivates their employees, energises their customers, and
positions their businesses as societal change leaders.

Iger, like other successful influencers, is not afraid to take big risks. The majority of his
initiatives turned out to be profitable for Disney, but they were extremely costly and high-risk
decisions at the time. He increased Disney's market worth from $48.4 billion, when he took
over as CEO in October 2005, to almost $273 billion by December 2019. He did this by
purchasing companies, creating new theme parks, and producing expensive blockbusters.

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  Decisiveness

Decisiveness is defined as the ability to make well-informed decisions in a timely manner.

Decisiveness is essential in the workplace for efficiently carrying out plans and attaining
goals. Leaders that are decisive make decisions that are both straightforward and final. This
skill can distinguish between plans that lack direction and those that are focused on goal
achievement.

Iger is a decisive leader who can think on his feet and stand by his decisions, even if they
are misguided. His ability to project confidence in his actions was crucial in making other
Disney stakeholders feel at ease, even during times of significant upheaval. Iger's decision-
making abilities aided him in leading the acquisition of major production studios.

 Innovative

Innovative leadership is a leadership style that emphasises the use of creativity and
innovation in the management of people and projects. Innovative leaders frequently motivate
employees to work in new ways and in manners that are different from what has previously
been done. Companies and industries that frequently face uncertainty, ambiguity, and risk can
benefit from bringing on innovative and creative leaders.

During his 15 years as CEO, Iger's innovative and creative mindset helped Disney
grow. He was always on the lookout for fresh and original ideas, and he was able to assist
Disney with huge projects such as reinvesting a large portion of the company's resources
back into animation by growing Walt Disney Animation Studios and purchasing Pixar.

 Great communication skills

To be a successful leader, one must be an excellent communicator. Great leaders are always
regarded as first-rate communicators; they have a defined set of principles that they believe in
promoting and inspiring in others. It is for this reason that their teams respect and look up to
them as a leader.

Bob Iger had exceptional communication skills, which he strongly encouraged young
ambitious business leaders to develop. He was great at verbally communicating his insights,
and he did so in plain English rather than business lingo. It is more productive, efficient, and

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relatable to the general public. He recommends the same thing for nonverbal communication.
His charismatic leadership style was aided by his self-confidence and body language.

5.0 LEADER’S ACHIEVEMENTS

The Walt Disney Company’s logo

Disney is making profits like no other entertainment corporation in history, thanks to

meticulous brand management, a great acquisition strategy, and a focus on the future. Bob
Iger's leadership aligns perfectly with the company's progress over the last 15 years. Iger's
major achievements at Disney are listed below.

ACHIEVEMENTS
 Acquisition of Pixar
 Shanghai Disneyland
 Acquisition of Marvel
Studios
OVERVIEW
Pixar, the computer animation studio, was one of
Bob's first major acquisitions as CEO of Disney.
Pixar, which was founded by Apple CEO Steve
Jobs, already had a distribution deal with Walt
Disney Studios. Bob recognised Pixar's growth and
purchased the firm in 2006 for $7.4 billion. Pixar
has made almost $11 billion in box office since its
takeover.
Bob redesigned Disney Parks & Resorts in 2008,
bringing the company's theme parks into the
twenty-first century. The most significant initiative
began in 2009, when a new park in Shanghai,
China, was envisioned. Shanghai Disneyland first
opened in 2016, and in its first year, it garnered 11
million visitors.
On the eve of the release of The Avengers, Bob

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 Acquisition of Lucasfilm
 Acquisition of 21st Century
Fox
 New Worlds in Disney's
Parks
purchased Marvel Studios in 2009. Bob paid $4
billion for the studio, which has grossed more than
$22 billion in box office for Disney.
Following his purchase of Marvel Studios, Bob
turned his attention to Lucasfilm, the studio behind
the Star Wars franchise. Disney already had a
connection with the Star Wars franchises, having
major rides at their theme parks. Bob purchased the
studio for $4 billion from George Lucas in 2012,
granting Disney control of two big Hollywood
franchises: Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Bob purchased 21st Century Fox and all of its
associated assets in 2019, including Avatar, The
Simpsons, X-Men, Planet of the Apes, and many
others. The studio cost $71.3 billion to build.
One of Iger's suggestions for revitalising Disney's
parks was to build new worlds based on the
company's new intellectual properties. "Cars
Land," a world inspired on Pixar's film Cars,
launched in 2012 at Disney's California Adventure
in Disneyland. In 2017, Disney World Resort,
Florida, introduced an Avatar-themed land. Star
Wars Galaxy's Edge opened in 2019 at both
Disneyland, California and Disney World Resort,
Florida.
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6.0 CONCLUSION

To summarise, each leader has their unique leadership style, which will have an impact on
how the organization is run and how the employee’s work. If the leadership does not
complement the employees and makes them feel uncomfortable, it may have an impact on
their duties, work, and efforts in completing their jobs. This will also have an impact on the
company's ability to meet its goals and objectives. Employees that work in a wonderful and
comfortable workplace are more likely to be competent. As a leader, you have a lot on your
plate to ensure that everything runs smoothly and according to plan.

Bob Iger is, as we can see, one of the world's most powerful leaders. He is one of the
leaders who other leaders can learn from and follow. His style of leadership is one of the
reasons why The Walt Disney Company has been able to attain success. Employees feel
appreciated when their work is completed in a comfortable workplace with a favourable
culture. As a result, we may conclude that a great leader with a tremendous leadership style
will help the company succeed.

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