Donal Trump

Donald Trump:

Gabriel Perez

MNGT 5670

Webster University

Introduction

Donald Trump is known for his eccentricity and unconventional businesses practices.

He exhibits an unconventional leadership style, which is characterized by many characteristics.

One of those is the need for power. This is exhibited by every piece of real estate Mr. Trump owns. Every casino, building or golf course has his name on it. He is eccentric, powerful, but yet he makes very smart business decisions. He is also a risk taker. All these business skills have made him a very well recognized business leader, and one of the nations most known billionaires. Donald Trump has appeared in many magazines, has written a couple of books, and even gotten his own show on NBC called "The Apprentice". But what makes Donald Trump successful in almost every endeavor he takes on? Was he born a leader? or did he just become a great leader. There are certain characteristics common in all leaders. Some of those are values, skills and cognitive abilities. Mr. Trump exhibits all of these traits. If this is what has made him as successful as he is, why are certain leaders not able to achieve his type of success? Perhaps he has something extra that has propelled him above everybody else. Everything that he touches seems to turn to gold. Donald Trump's leadership styles have made him rich, powerful, famous and known through out the world. This paper will examine some of those leadership styles.

Leadership traits

"Leadership research has not revealed a single trait that is possessed by all successful leaders, but a number of characteristics have been identified that are common to many of them"(Timpe, p.30, 1987). Leadership studies have not yielded one common trait possessed by all successful leaders, but they have identified a number of characteristics that are commonly found in successful leaders. And also displayed by Donald Trump

Verbal Fluency

This is not only having an extensive vocabulary, but also being able to speak in a manner that inspires and encourages. Being able to command attention from your audience is very important. When Mr. Trump speaks people listen. He is able to articulate and sell his ideas to you. He has had to do a lot of wheeling and dealing trying to acquire real estate, thus being able to persuade people by simply speaking is essential.

Ability to Solve Problems

Problem solving is another characteristics of effective leaders. You have to be able to care of situations when they arise. Mr. Trump is very much a problem solver. One of the biggest problems he has had to overcome was being 9.2 billion dollars in debt. That is one serious problem that Donald was able to overcome through hard work, keeping focus on his goal and maybe a little bit of luck.

Awareness of needs

The effective leader understands the unstated and stated needs of his followers, and how to satisfy them. For example, all of Mr. Trump's 20,000 employees rely on him to keep their jobs. Construction workers rely on him to keep getting new contacts for new buildings.

Flexibility

Being flexible can help you adapt better to organizational needs with minimum distractions to the followers. Mr. Trump is very flexible when it comes down to running his business. He has an open door policy. If any employee has an idea they can always talk to him about it. If Donald likes it then he implements it.

Intelligence

You do not have to be a genius to be an effective leader, but it helps to have the confidence from your followers. They want to make sure you are capable of doing the job.

Donald Trump attended and graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He acquired lots of intelligence there, but most of his knowledge came from working with his father.

Accepting Responsibility

The ability to accept responsibility is a characteristic of many successful leaders. Being the leader of a large company like Trump Organization requires a lot of responsibility. Which Mr. Trump has no problem handling.

Social Skills

If you are fair, diplomatic and overall liked by your followers you will be more valued. This will in turn lead to better performance of the group as a whole.

Personal Power

One of his most obvious business styles is his need for personal power. Donald Trump owns some of the most prime real estate in New York City. And to let every one know he plasters his name on everything he owns. Donald Trump has properties in New York, California, Chicago, Florida, Las Vegas, Canouan Island, Seoul and Toronto. And future developments in Ft. Lauderdale, Phoenix and Brazil. Donald Trump is always looking to expand and get new properties. The more companies he owns, the more money he makes. This in turn makes him more powerful. Sure having power is what personally satisfies certain individuals. That is their sole motivation. "Power has been defined as the capacity to produce effects on others or the potential to influence others" (Curphy, Ginnett, Hughes, p.107, 2006). Power is usually associated with the leader, but it actually is a function of all the followers, leaders, and the situation. With power comes influence. Influence is a change in a person's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors as a result of a leaders Influence tactics. Influence tactics are the actual behaviors that are made to change a follower's attitudes, behaviors or beliefs. Donald Trump certainly has a lot of power. He is able to motivate his employees simply by his own personal work ethics. Mr. Trump is known for working a seven-day workweek. His employees know this, and are not aggravated when they have to work on a Saturday. Because he is also probably working himself.

Expert Power

Expert power is also another one of Donald Trump's characteristics. He is a master of real estate. There