Donald Trump

Donald John Trump

"Sometimes your best investment are the ones you don't make."

Biography

Real estate developer Donald John Trump was born on June 14, 1946, in Queens, New York. At the age of 13, Trump was sent to the New York Military Academy in hopes of channeling his energy into a positive manner. He came out as a star athlete and student leader by the time he graduated in 1964. Trump continues to pursue his studies in Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics.

Donald Trump is now the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and founder of Trump Entertainment Resort. In 1974, Trump's first breakthrough as the city's best known and most controversial developer was when he obtained an unprofitable hotel, the Commodore which was located adjacent to the Grand Central Station. He partnered with Hyatt Hotel Corporation and gave the building a new facade which was made out of reflective glass and it proved to a success out of his numerous developments to come.

He was deep in debt in 1990 when real estate market decline drastically and The Trump Organization was near bankruptcy. Nonetheless, Donald Trump net worth rose back to nearly $2 billion in 1997. His popularity has spread over social networks and well known for starring in the NBC reality series "The Apprentice" and has been running on air for its tenth season. A master of diversity and interest, Mr. Trump has had numerous best sellers including: The Art of the Deal, which is considered a business classic, Think Like a Billionaire, Trump 101, The America We Deserve, How to Get Rich, and Think Like a Champion. The Trump brand is readily acknowledged as representing the gold standard across the globe.

Achievements

· Awarded 'Lifetime Achievement Stevie Award' (2005), 3rd Annual American Business Awards

· Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago ranked #1 for Service in the U.S. and Canada by Travel + Leisure 2011 World's Best Service

· Trump Premium Grape Vodka won "Best of Show-The Platinum Award" in 2009 at the World Spirits Competition

· Two Time Emmy Award nominated personality

· Award a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

· Awarded honorary degree in business in 2012 by The Robert Gordon University

Leadership Style

Donald Trump incorporates a mixture of democratic, autocratic, and transformational leadership style. It is evident in the many years of his career he has carved out for himself. In addition, Donald seeks his close pool of associates whenever his in doubt or when there is an unproductive issue to be resolved. A diligent worker and a leader by example, he motivates his employees.

The extent, to which Donald is transformational, is measured first, in terms of his influence on the followers. The followers of such a leader feel trust, admiration, loyalty and respect for the leader and because of the qualities of the transformational leader are willing to work harder than originally expected which many of his employee are willing to give strong testaments. These outcomes occur because the transformational leader offers followers something more than just working for self gain; they provide followers with an inspiring mission and vision and give them an identity.

Trump as a powerful leader understands the need of "power" and frequently uses his authority to enforce his ideas and decision. His business savvy attitude and strong willed mind had many at times been tested and often gotten negative responses from people who are against and with him, yet his autocratic leadership was how it gained him worldwide recognition by believing in his ideas that it would succeed and it sure did.

What Makes Him A Good Leader?

An innovator from the start, Donald has created a series of numerous skyscrapers across Manhattan and world class golf courses that beautify and set world class standards across the globe. He assesses the ability and performance of his employees rather than the qualifications they have. However, he still respects that it is an important aspect and emphasizes on the leadership and results a person may achieve rather than his or her academic background.

Rising from the ashes, he has seen the ups and downs in the business world. He has lived through near bankruptcy and bounced back many times better and richer. The quality of being determined and tenacious leader enable him to continue being a leader of real estate developer. It is those who often last through tough times that set them apart from other leaders.

Creativity was what placed him on the frontier of the real estate industry and his continuous improvement to better oneself and to come out with better and more innovative ideas. A risk taker who sees opportunities in a sea of risk, his honesty and business minded sense has work with him.

Many of the qualities Trump possessed has inspire people all over America to be like him. A strong, merciful, respectful and empathic leader who knows the importance of honesty and has worked from the bottom up, certainly makes him stand out and his employees' support unconditionally. An example of a leader who leads.

What Is Exemplified By the Individual?

1. Passion

The moment Trump has a new project; he is set on completing it. He does not falter in his determination.

2. Honest and Direct

He does not mince his words or cushion what he think of an individual employee, he lets them know exactly what he wants or think.

3. Foresight

Starting with in his father's company, he went on to venture on his own as he saw great development potential in the then Manhattan.

4. Unique

Donald did not yield to his competitors price war but instead set a premium above the rest as part of his marketing strategy.

5. Great Experience

Trump went on to create his own series of NBC reality show titled "The Apprentice". He utilizes his experience to teach the potential young contestant and to nurture them into leaders.

6. Be Hands-On

Trump started with his father's real estate company as young as the age of 16 and immerse himself with the knowledge and technical expertise he could learn from his father.

7. Act Decisively
He is a business magnate who has the knowledge and potential to see what decision would best benefit his company and the employees. For example, he decided to lower his ownership of the casino in the Atlantic City to the stockholders so that the debt would be lowered.

8. Giving Back to Society

Donald believes in contributing back to the society so future generations can benefit and continue to ensure their own success.

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Leadership

What is Leadership?

DEFINITION: : Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.

The key elements of this definition include:

• Leadership stems from social influence, not from authority or power
• Leadership requires members, and that implies that they do not need to be 'direct reports'
• There is no defined combination of personality traits, attributes, or even a title for effective leadership
• Many approaches or paths, tailored to the circumstance, can lead to effective leadership
• It includes a goal, not influence with no intended outcome

Kevin Kruse, a contributor on Forbes.com and a renowned author on employee engagement addresses the common misconceptions of leadership in the following points:

Leadership has nothing to do with seniority or one’s position in the hierarchy of a company. Too many talk about a company’s leadership referring to the senior most executives in the organization. They are just that, senior executives. Leadership does not automatically happen when you reach a certain pay grade. Hopefully you find it there, but there are no guarantees.

Leadership has nothing to do with titles. Similar to the point above, just because you have a C-level title, does not automatically make you a “leader.” You do not need a title to lead. In fact, you can be a leader in your place of worship, your neighborhood, in your family, all without having a title.

Leadership has nothing to do with personal attributes. Say the word “leader” and most people thing of a domineering, take-charge charismatic individual. We often think of icons from history like General Patton or President Lincoln. But leadership is not an adjective. We do not need extroverted charismatic traits to practice leadership. And those with charisma do not automatically lead.

Leadership is not management.  This is the big one. Leadership and management are not synonymous.  You have 15 people in your downline and P&L responsibility? Good for you, hopefully you are a good manager. Good management is needed. Managers need to plan, measure, monitor, coordinate, solve, hire, fire, and so many other things. Typically, managers manage things. Leaders lead people.

9 Common Leadership Styles

1. Autocratic Leadership - A leader exerts high levels of power over his or her employees or team members. People within the team are given few opportunities for making suggestions, even if these would be in the team's or organization's interest. For some routine and unskilled jobs, however, this style can remain effective where the advantages of control outweigh the disadvantages.

2. Bureaucratic Leadership - Bureaucratic leaders "work by the book", ensuring that their staff follow procedures exactly. This is a very appropriate style for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with machinery, with toxic substances or at heights) or where large sums of money are involved (such as cash-handling).

3. Charismatic Leadership - A charismatic leadership style can appear similar to a transformational leadership style, in that the leader injects huge doses of enthusiasm into his or her team, and is very energetic in driving others forward.

4. Democratic Leadership or Participative Leadership - Although a democratic leader will make the final decision, he or she invites other members of the team to contribute to the decision-making process. As participation takes time, this style can lead to things happening more slowly than an autocratic approach, but often the end result is better. It can be most suitable where team working is essential, and quality is more important than speed to market or productivity.

5. Laissez-faire Leadership - This French phrase means "let them do" and is used to describe a leader who leaves his or her colleagues to get on with their work. It can be effective if the leader monitors what is being achieved and communicates this back to his or her team regularly. Most often, laissez-faire leadership works for teams in which the individuals are very experienced and skilled self-starters. 

6. People-Oriented Leadership or Relations-Oriented Leadership - This style of leadership is the opposite of task-oriented leadership: the leader is totally focused on organizing, supporting and developing the people in the leader's team. A participative style, it tends to lead to good teamwork and creative collaboration.

7. Task-oriented Leadership - A highly task-oriented leader focuses only on getting the job done, and can be quite autocratic. He or she will actively define the work and the roles required, put structures in place, plan, organize and monitor.

8. Transactional Leadership - This style of leadership starts with the premise that team members agree to obey their leader totally when they take a job on: the transaction is (usually) that the organization pays the team members, in return for their effort and compliance. 

9. Transformational Leadership - A person with this leadership style is a true leader who inspires his or her team with a shared vision of the future. Transformational leaders are highly visible, and spend a lot of time communicating. They do not necessarily lead from the front, as they tend to delegate responsibility amongst their teams. While their enthusiasm is often infectious, they can need to be supported by "detail people".

Source: Vector Study

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Sir Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson

"You do not learn how to walk by following the rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over..."

Biography

Born in Surrey, England, Richard Charles Nicholas Branson struggled with dyslexia throughout his childhood and dropped out of his boarding school at the age of 16. Branson’s first entrepreneurial project was a youth-culture magazine called Student and it sold $8000 worth of advertising in its first edition launched in 1966.

At the age of 19, Branson was living in London and he was surrounded by the British music scene. It was during that time that he conceived the idea to start a mail-order record company called Virgin to fund his magazine. The company performed well enough for Branson to expand his business venture, and he opened a record shop in Oxford Street, London. The record was so successful Branson was able to build a recording studio in Oxfordshire, England and Virgin Music then went on to become one of the top six record companies in the world.

However, in 1992, the Virgin Group was faced with critical financial losses and Branson was forced to sell his company to THORN EMI for $1 billion. Although he was devastated with the loss, Branson’s determination pushed him to start Virgin Radio and another record company, V2.

The Virgin Group now holds more than 200 companies in more than 30 countries and Branson has diversified his businesses to include a train company, a luxury game preserve, a mobile phone company and his most recent venture, Virgin Galactic, which is focused around space tourism.

Achievements

• In the New Years Honours list dated 30 December 1999, Elizabeth II signified her intention to confer the honour of Knight Bachelor on Branson for his "services to entrepreneurship”. He was knighted by Charles, Prince of Wales on 30 March 2000.
• Also in 2000, Branson received the 'Tony Jannus Award' for his accomplishments in commercial air transportation.
• Branson was ranked in 2007’s Time Magazine as one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in the World".
• On 7 December 2007, Branson was presented with the United Nations Correspondents Association Citizen of the World Award for his support for environmental and humanitarian causes.
• On 14 November 2011, Branson was awarded the ISTA Prize by the International Space Transport Association in The Hague for his pioneering achievements in the development of suborbital transport systems with "Virgin Galactic".
• On 11 February 2012, Branson was honoured with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences' President's Merit Award for his contributions to the music industry.

Leadership Style

Branson is known for his eccentric character and unique leadership styles. He is one who is not afraid to take risks, and strongly believes that people are the foundation to his company’s success. Overall, Branson exhibits a strong democratic leadership approach. Branson values his employees’ constructive suggestions or inputs and listening to what people have to say is a core value to him. He is also known to carry a notebook in his pocket all the time just in case he hears something interesting from an employee or from anyone he interacts with. Branson has stated before that “Virgin Group is an organization driven on informality and information, one that is bottom heavy rather then strangled by top level management” which gives the impression that he listens to his people well below the management level. In other words, employees at all levels are encouraged to share ideas and opinions even though Branson will still ultimately make the final decision. As such, it can be concluded that Branson’s leadership style is democratic to a far extent as all of his employees have a very participative role in business decisions. He is definitely a relationship-oriented leader who is good at aligning people and giving them emotional support and encouragement.

What Makes Him A Good Leader?

Branson always starts out with a vision. He believes that there are industries than can be ‘Virginized’ and he endeavors to expand the Virgin name while maintaining its high standards. As a leader, Branson has a vision of captivating new and challenging future prospects. With his democratic approach, he collaborates with his people to articulate a vision and get them onboard for success.

Branson believes in teamwork. He has gone to great lengths to create a fun working atmosphere so that his people would enjoy being part of the Virgin Group rather than simply a place to earn a pay check. Branson establishes harmony and develops a sense of loyalty in his people by building relationships and showing interest in their needs such as growth and career developments.

Branson has self-awareness. Branson is able to utilize many aspects such as his physical appearance and personality to convey informality and nonconformity that has become a central element of his leadership and Virgin brand. This assists him in skill development, assessing his strengths & weaknesses and developing intuitive decision making skills.

Branson shows high levels of determination and persistence. He is always looking for more goals to achieve and he works hard to attain them. Despite having gone through failed business ventures like Virgin Cola and Virgin Vodka, his determination and persistence to bounce back after such disappointments has made him one of the world’s greatest leaders.

Branson has exceptional communication skills. Apart from professional writing skills, Branson is also an eloquent speaker and good listener. He is able to convey his message in an inspirational manner, and listen to what his people are saying at the same time. Leading a company with divisions in 30 countries has also influenced Branson to be cross-cultural with communication. This means that he is able to communicate well with people from a variety of cultures.

What Is Exemplified By The Individual?

Although his leadership approach may be a little controversial at times, there is no doubt that Branson is an inspiration, and one of today’s legendary leaders. His principles of leadership success are exemplified in the following 13 points:

1. A good leader should be genuinely interested in people and strive to see the best in them.

2. To succeed in business you need to build a great team around you that believe in what you are doing.

3. If you praise people, they flourish.  Always look for a way to praise your team.

4. Leadership requires knowing how to delegate and how to be a good listener.

5. A leader should promote people above what they expect.  This demonstration of trust often causes them to excel.

6. A successful business comes from creating something that makes a difference to other people’s lives.

7. You can identify a gap in the market by asking yourself how you can do what others are already doing – better.

8. Go for quality, make sure you are the best in what you do otherwise it’s pointless.  Create something you can be proud of.

9. Always be prepared for the worst that can happen.  This will help turn adversity into success.

10. Starting a business is tough, but you have to fight for its survival.

11. Don’t treat your bank like your GP, be ready to switch to get the support you need to ensure your business succeeds.

12. There is no point launching a product unless you can get the word out about it.  Free PR is one of the best ways to do this.

13. Get the details right!

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Gordon Ramsay

Gordon James Ramsay

"I do not like looking back. I am always constantly looking forward. I am not one to sort of sit and cry over spilled milk. I am too busy looking for the next cow..."

Biography

Gordon James Ramsay was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1966 but moved to Stratford-upon-Avon at the age of five with his family. A talented soccer player, Ramsay was aiming to be a professional sportsman until a knee injury forced him to embark on another career choice. After attaining a degree in hotel management, Ramsay apprenticed with Marco Pierre White at Harvey’s in London, worked for Albert Roux at Le Gavroche, and honed his skills under distinguished chefs like Joel Robuchon and Guy Savoy in France.

Fast forward several years later, Ramsay received numerous prestigious accolades and opened his own restaurants. The ambitious, strong-headed and temperamental chef also made a transition to television in the late 1990s with his documentary, Boiling Point, which followed the process of establishing his first restaurant. As of today, Ramsay is known for presenting television programs on competitive cookery and food such as Hell’s Kitchen, Masterchef, and Kitchen Nightmares.

Ramsay currently has 29 restaurants under his belt under Gordon Ramsay Holdings and he has been awarded a total of 15 Michelin stars throughout his venues. 

Achievements

• Awarded 'Newcomer of the Year' (1995), 'Chef of the Year' (2000) and 'Independent Restaurateur of the Year' (2006) at Catey Awards - the most prestigious accolade of United Kingdom's hospitality industry
• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road - Ramsay's first solo restaurant, was awarded 3 Michelin Stars in 2001 and voted Top Restaurant in the United Kingdom (London Zagat Survey) the same year
• Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 honors list for services to the hospitality industry
• In September 2006, Ramsay was named as the most influential figure in United Kingdom's hospitality industry

Leadership Style

Overall, Ramsay’s leadership style can be categorized as aggressive. Further classification suggests that he possess a blend of autocratic and bureaucratic leadership styles.

Ramsay’s strong personality is evident when he portrays traits of an autocratic leadership. He is fiercely unforgiving with his chefs and demands the highest of standards when it comes to culinary performance. As seen on various reality series, Ramsay is known to command an extremely tense atmosphere where no mistakes are tolerated.  As a restaurateur, he makes all of the final decisions and has absolute total control of all resources and employees. In addition, he determines all operating procedures pertaining to his restaurants and only selected employees are trusted with tasks and decisions of paramount importance. Overall, Ramsay often exhibits signs of authoritarian control and only accepts his own judgment most of the time.

With reference to the autocratic leadership style, it can also be suggested that Ramsay demonstrates a bureaucratic leadership. He is known to write his own rules, and he expects all of his employees to follow procedures precisely. In the context of culinary performance, this is particularly useful as consistency and maintenance of impeccable standards are required on a frequent basis. As such, Ramsay is qualified to confirm and uphold his own rules because of his expertise, and he has been very successful with this style of leadership.

What Makes Him A Good Leader?

Despite Ramsay being a monster of a taskmaster, indifferent to feelings and focused strictly on results, his employees are remarkably loyal. The question is – Why? The answer is simple. They know that they are working for one of the best chefs of his generation, and at the end of the day, the man just wants to be the best at what he does.

Ramsay is excellent at communicating a vision to his employees. He creates a scenario for them to identify with, convinces them to tie their future to the vision, and ensures that they have opportunities to perform at the highest standards.

One does not achieve Ramsay’s level of success by worrying if your employees like you or not. He believes in showing the employees who is boss. Although he is tough, his approach is also about coaching and encouraging the best from his employees.

Ramsay always tailors his vision accordingly. In other words, he looks at each restaurant in isolation. He will go back to the fundamentals as well as do his research for market and competitors. Most importantly, he assesses the capabilities of his staff and identifies a specific formula for success for each individual restaurant.

His remarks may be peppered with swear words, but what Ramsay is able to do exceptionally is communicate clearly and continuously with his employees. He explains to them exactly what he wants and provides them with both positive and negative feedback. As a result, he has a highly-motivated workforce. When you look beyond the swearing, he refrains from offering bland visions but tries on inspire. Ramsay is also often generous with instructing the inexperienced.

What Is Exemplified By the Individual?

1. Be Passionate About What You Do

Ramsay's on a mission. He loves what he does and everything about him exudes passion and commitment to the cause of simple, fresh food, served efficiently in a pleasant atmosphere.

2. Ask Questions and Observe
Ramsay has no pre-conceived assumptions about any of his establishments. Ramsay interviews his employees, tests the food, he questions his chefs, he examines the whole kitchen and he observes the front-of-house staff in action before he recommends any changes.

3. Tell It Straight 
There is no beating about the bush with Ramsay - you know exactly what he thinks.

4. Appeal to Each Person’s Pride

Ramsay knows permanent changes in another person's behaviour come from within.

5. Give Everyone a Second Change

Ramsay lets his employees know what he thinks, tells them what they need to do differently, shows them what to do and then lets them prove they are worth another chance.

6. Generate Focus

Ramsay wants each of his restaurants to be to become known for one thing above everything else. This ensures that his employees are focused on the significant elements.

7. Know Your Stuff 
Despite owning 29 restaurants around the world, Ramsay is up to date with every single detail happening in every establishment.

8. Be Hands-On

Ramsay will never hesitate to don his chef uniform, roll up his sleeves and demonstrates to his chef exactly what they need to do to meet his standards. He does not ask people to do things he is not prepared to do himself.

9. Act Decisively 
When Ramsay faces problems regarding his restaurants, he does not spend much time explaining the problems. Instead, he presents his solution and then immediately starts implementing it.

10. Ensure Each Employee Knows His/Her Job Well 
Ramsay ensures that each person has a specific job to do and that they know exactly how to carry out their role in all his restaurants.

11. Ensures Staff Meetings are Short and Focused 
When Ramsay gathers his employees together to discuss the new menu or the night ahead, he gets to his point quickly to ensure that all employees are clear and motivated about what needs to be accomplished.

12. Praise People When They Have Delivered
At the end of a successful service, Ramsay always compliments his chef or managers on doing a brilliant job. This boosts morale in a demanding industry. 

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